public philosophy
take delight in
thinking together
philosopher's hat club
connecting through philosophy
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We all have some assumptions about how the world works. Examining these assumptions is what philosophy is really about. We can often find ourselves in a black-and-white world, especially on social media. The club offers participants an opportunity to develop a more nuanced look at the world, in a form of an open enquiry with other participants. Although the topics we choose are often serious, the tone of the meetings is light and fun. The Philosopher’s Hat Club aims to bring delight in thinking together and thinking well. We expose the public to ideas and we invite participants to enquire about them together.
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Participants do not need to have any philosophical background to join the club, only the willingness to engage in a meaningful conversation. Choose your membership below.
A Thinking Cap
30€Every yearClub Membership 30 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' Membership 30 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 MembershipÂ- All Club Membership Benefits
- All Patron's Membership Benefits
- Very Good Wishes and Satisfaction
- You're sponsoring one Philosopher's Hat meeting
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.
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The meetings are organised by Lukasz Krzywon from Creative Together (in Cong, Co. Mayo) and Brid Conroy from Tertulia Bookshop (Westport, Co. Mayo). Both share an interest in philosophy and philosophical thinking. Lukasz is a philosopher, author, and educator. He is passionate about teaching children how to think well and about introducing important ideas using philosophical enquiry into Irish classrooms. He has trained with the best facilitators in Ireland and the UK. Brid, whose background is also in philosophy aims, to make a positive contribution to the way the world thinks through Tertulia, a bookshop Like no other. Pre Covid Lukasz and Brid organised several events at the bookshop on issues relating to Climate Change, Philosophy, and Poetry. Since the first lockdown, they conducted a successful pilot for conducting meetings online and now run monthly events for over a year.
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Our club was featured in The Irish Times in the Unthinkable column by Joe Humphrey.
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.
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.
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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!
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About next event
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THE JOY OF NOT KNOWING with Marcelo Staricoff
#JONK #philosophyofeducation #p4c #philsophyineducation
Join us for a discussion on the role that philosophy can play in education using JONK as an example. Our guest and author, dr Marcelo Staricoff will introduce his philosophy of education and we will have an opportunity to enquire together about a philosophical approach to education and what philosophy has to offer to make education more engaging and refelctive. Together we will reflect on education in general and the essence of what education is all about.
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Marcelo Satricoff PhD, NPQH, FCCT, FHEA is the author of the book entitled ‘The Joy of Not Knowing’ (Routledge, 2021) and a former scientist and Primary School Headteacher. Marcelo is a Lecturer in Education at the University of Sussex and joint course leader of the BA Primary and Early Years Programme. Marcelo has recently worked on behalf of UNICEF with policymakers, educators, and textbook writers to help implement a reformed national curriculum in Uzbekistan. Marcelo also works for Coram, the children’s charity, runs courses and acts as an advisor to a number of schools and educational organisations and speaks regularly at national and international events on the principles that underpin the Joy of Not Knowing’s philosophy of education and school leadership. Marcelo is also the author of Start Thinking (Imaginative Minds, 2005) and has published widely in the fields of creative, critical, multilingual, multicultural, and philosophical thinking and learning in the classroom. Marcelo is a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Education (APPG) and a Trustee of the Laurel Trust and Chair of the Michael Aldrich Foundation. Marcelo’s work and his contributions to education were recognised in 2019 by being named as a Founding Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching and in 2023 when he became a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
NEW Philosopher's Hat Classics Reading and Chat
We are now opening 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. In May we start with Plato's Symposium.
WHAT DID THE PARTICIPANTS GET OUT OF OUR EVENTS?
"Positive experience of dialogue with thoughtful people. Affirmative energy."
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"A lot of food for thought, a feeling of ease among people I do not know."
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"A great discussion with wonderful hosts and great people. Learning from each other."
"Great to learn, discuss, and be part of something bigger."
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"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!"
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"An opportunity to explore the big questions in company with others who don’t have the answers either."
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Plato's Cave with dr Jarosław Marek Spychała
Philosophers Hat on the philosophy in the Islamic world
Public Philosophy Ireland Happiness in Extraordinary Circumstances
Plato's Cave with dr Jarosław Marek Spychała
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.
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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.
