public philosophy
take delight in
thinking together
philosopher's hat club
A Thinking Cap
30€Every yearClub Membership30 day free trial- Free access to monthly meetings
- Priority notifications
- Philosopher's Hat Classics Chat
- 10% of books from the recommended reading list
The Patron's Beret
50€Every yearPatrons' Membership30 day free trial- Free access to monthly meetings
- Priority notifications
- 10% of books from the recommended reading list
- 10% of the annual event
- Philosopher's Hat Classics Chat
Good Karma Sombrero
150€Every yearSponsor's Membership- All Club Membership Benefits
- All Patron's Membership Benefits
- Very Good Wishes and Satisfaction
- You're sponsoring one Philosopher's Hat meeting
connecting through philosophy
Ever find yourself in a world that seems black and white? Join us at The Philosopher’s Hat Club, where we unravel assumptions and explore the myriad shades of our perceptions. Philosophy, at its core, is about questioning the world we live in, and our club provides a unique space for open enquiry with fellow participants.
In a time where social media often paints issues in stark contrasts, our club offers a refreshing opportunity to develop a more nuanced understanding of the world. While our chosen topics are serious, our meetings are light-hearted and fun. The Philosopher’s Hat Club aims to infuse delight into thinking together and thinking well.
Open Enquiry: Engage in open and thoughtful discussions with fellow participants.
Light and Fun Atmosphere: While our topics are serious, our meetings are filled with light-heartedness and joy.
World of Ideas: We expose the public to diverse ideas, inviting participants to collectively explore and question them.
Open to All: No philosophical background required, just a willingness to engage in meaningful conversations.
Join The Philosopher’s Hat Club and discover the joy of thinking together, as we weave a tapestry of ideas and curiosity.
About the club
The Philosopher’s Hat Club invites participants to put their philosopher’s hat on, and once a month to engage in a meaningful and facilitated conversation, about the world we live in, with other participants.
The Club is a joint venture between Creative Together and Tertulia, a bookshop Like no other, and the initiative is supported by Spot Lit EU in association with the Western Development Commission.
The meetings are organized by Lukasz Krzywon from Creative Together (Cong, Co. Mayo) and Brid Conroy from Tertulia Bookshop (Westport, Co. Mayo). Both share a deep passion for philosophy and philosophical thinking.
Lukasz is a philosopher, author, and educator dedicated to teaching children how to think critically and introducing important ideas through philosophical enquiry in Irish classrooms. He has trained with some of the best facilitators in Ireland and the UK.
Brid, with a background in philosophy, is committed to positively influencing how people think through Tertulia, A Bookshop Like No Other.
Before COVID, Lukasz and Brid hosted several events at the bookshop focusing on climate change, philosophy, and poetry. During the lockdown, the club transitioned online and has since held 50 virtual meetings, covering a range of fascinating philosophical topics and featuring many prominent guests.
Code of Conduct:
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We are all co-creating a safe space for thinking together on interesting topics. Participation is voluntary.
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Our meetings are not debates. We are not here to win in the discussion but to enjoy it.
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Our meetings are not opinion forums. Support your claims with arguments that can be challenged by anyone in the group.
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Respect all participants. Listen attentively. Speak respectfully.
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Try to be concise and to the point. Make space for others.
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No verbal or written (chat) abuse will be tolerated.
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If anyone breaks the rules, the facilitators hold the right to block the person or ask the person to leave the meeting.
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If you’re not happy about any aspect of the meeting please write to contact@creativetogether.ie with short feedback on what happened, so we can learn from it and make the events better.
Our club was featured in The Irish Times in the Unthinkable column by Joe Humphrey.
Regular monthly events
Monthly events introduce a different topic each time. The club aims to make those as relevant to the world we live in today as possible. Many threads in classical philosophy are still as valid today as they were before. And there are many issues and problems facing today’s world that require a deeper reflection in search of new solutions. Each topic comes with a recommended reading list of interesting books.
The club launched its first event on the 4th of February exploring the theme of happiness during extreme circumstances. The events are held on Zoom. Participants are expected to have a working camera and microphone. Don't forget a hat!
About next event
Must it look like philosophy?
#philosophy
This time, our special guest, a Dutch philosopher based in the UK, Pieter Mostert, will take us on a philosophical journey asking this question - When we do philosophy, must it look like philosophy? Or can we do philosophy, although it does not look like it? Together we'll explore how important it is that something (in this case: philosophy) looks like what it is: "Look here, they're doing philosophy!". But does that mean that we can't write poems, select the best joke ever, or solve an equation? After all, not all ducks that look like a duck are a duck, ain't it?
Philosopher's Hat Classics Reading and Chat
We run a separate dedicated WhatsApp chat for those who'd like to join us in reading classical philosophical texts at a slow pace, allowing us to understand and digest those important texts. Members will be asked to read a couple of pages every week and discuss them via messages on WhatsApp. All members have free access to this chat. Last year we discussed Plato's Symposium and now we focus Marcus Aurelius and Meditations..
WHAT DID THE PARTICIPANTS GET OUT OF OUR EVENTS?
"Positive experience of dialogue with thoughtful people. Affirmative energy."
"A lot of food for thought, a feeling of ease among people I do not know."
"A great discussion with wonderful hosts and great people. Learning from each other."
"Great to learn, discuss, and be part of something bigger."
"Social Philosophy - the chance to think about big ideas with others in a casual and fun way."
"This was awesome! Thanks to the hosts and everyone there for the excellent, thought-provoking discussion!"
"An opportunity to explore the big questions in company with others who don’t have the answers either."
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Our partner - Tertulia, Bookshop Like No Other in Westport
Tertulia is a Spanish word for a circle of people who meet regularly to discuss literature, art, what’s going on in the world or just to gossip!
We all want to feel part of something and we envisage Tertulia as a space to reach out to people, provide a forum for stretching our assumptions about the world, enjoy a coffee, a glass of wine, a conversation or lose yourself in a really great book.
The mission of Tertulia, Bookshop Like No Other is therefore to contribute to a positive change in the way the world thinks. The vision of Tertulia is to live in a world where every story matters, to live in a world that understands that (our) stories are interconnected. It is this understanding that can help make our world a more equal society.
Our bookshop stocks the books we ourselves would love to read and we do read many of them of course. We have coffee to sit and chat, explore the world in a place surrounded by books. We host authors and events where like-minded people can get together and at times over a glass of wine.
