Philosophy is not just an abstract pursuit - it is a way of living.
Modern analytical philosophy often focuses solely on theories about reality, morality, and culture. Even “practical philosophy” spends more time on theory than learning how we can practice philosophy in our lives. Ancient philosophers, however, understood philosophy as a practice for life itself. They saw philosophers like therapists, doctors, or guides. Socrates likened himself to a “midwife,” practicing particular skills in order to help others give birth to wisdom and draw out a deeper understanding of themselves. For them, philosophy was about transformation.
Philosophical Practices are about bringing philosophy to life, developing skills that are both enjoyable and transformational. These sessions combine ancient traditions of meditation and the socratic method with modern practices such as authentic relating. They will also feature talks that share the philosophy and science supporting these arts. Each activity is designed to cultivate skills that enhance clarity and connectivity with the world, ourselves, and each other - making us better people and better philosophers.
In this first session, we explored the idea of an Ecology of Practices; to understand what practices are, why they are important, and how different ones interrelate. Not only this, but participants learnt how to engage in a simple Meditation, an important foundational practice found in multiple wisdom traditions, which will be invaluable as part of the practices introduced later.
Dates and location
The first Philosophical Practices course took place across four Tuesday evenings in May and June 2025.
Future course dates will be posted on this website. Sign up to our mailing list to hear about it first.