Upcoming Events
Politics and Populism Post-Local Elections
The Philosophers’ Yard partners with ‘Being Brummie’ on a special Salon Session exploring politics and populism after the local elections
Living with AI
What does it mean to live alongside artificial intelligence? Should we embrace it, resist it, or reshape it?
Join The Philosophers’ Yard for an evening exploring how AI is transforming our lives - featuring two thought-provoking talks and interactive breakout discussions.
Spiritual Evolution
We turned our attention to Spiritual Evolution: When you hear the word “consciousness”, what does it mean to you? How open do you feel society is today to conversations about consciousness and spiritual development? How can individuals contribute to a collective shift in consciousness within society?
Health Inequalities
In this session, we turned our attention to Health Inequalities. What factors most strongly shape how healthy someone is? Is health influenced more by personal choices or by the social conditions we live in? How do factors such as income, education, geographic location, gender, or race affect the level and quality of healthcare people receive? And have you ever felt dismissed, unheard, or misunderstood in a healthcare setting?
Justice & Fairness
In this session, we turned our attention to Justice & Fairness: How would you define justice and fairness? Does being fair always mean treating everyone the same, or is it sometimes fairer to help some people more than others? When you hear the word justice, what does it mean to you in everyday life? Should upbringing or luck affect what someone is entitled to or how they are treated? How would we set up society if we wanted no one to be treated unfairly or unjustly?
Nationalism
What does it mean to belong—and who decides?
A summary of a memorable evening exploring the promises and pitfalls of nationalism, with two fascinating talks, interactive breakout sessions, and live poetry from Birmingham Poet Laureate Ayan Aden.
Mental Health
In this session, we turned our attention to Mental Health: When you hear the phrase “mental wellbeing,” what’s the first idea, metaphor, or image that comes to mind? What is one small habit or practice that helps you feel better during a stressful week?
Samurai Philosophy
In this session, we turned our attention to Samurai Philosophy: When you think about samurai what images or concepts spring to mind? How are they portrayed in the media and popular culture? In your culture, what’s the modern equivalent of “living by a code”? And other questions
Collective Wisdom
The return of our ground-breaking course teaching transformative practices that will allow you to be more reflective, connected, and thoughtful — both with others and with your own ideas.
What is Practice?
The return of our ground-breaking four-part course teaching transformative practices that will allow you to be more reflective, connected, and thoughtful — both with others and with your own ideas.
Education
What is education for? Exams? Citizenship? Flourishing?
Revisit the talks exploring what education is—and what it could be (to be uploaded Nov 2025).
Political Authority
In this session, we will turn our attention to one of the most fundamental questions in political philosophy: the relationship between political authority and individual responsibility. What should the individual do when political authority becomes incompetent?
Logic and Intuition
In this meetup, Tom Peel shared insights drawn from Iain McGilchrist’s ideas on the hemispheres of the brain.
Thought Experiments
In this meetup, we explored classic philosophical puzzles like the Ship of Theseus, the Trolley Problem, and Mary’s Room.
Power Of Perspective
This meetup featured a talk from educator Lawna Tapper, who explored the significance of the narratives and perspectives that we hold about our lives.
Existentialism and Absurdism
In this session, we discussed thought-provoking questions about Existentialism and Absurdism: How can we make our own meaning? What should we do when things don't make sense? How can we enjoy life despite it all?
Philosophy: Bringing It Together
A ground-breaking four-part course teaching transformative practices that foster beneficial conversations, thought, and engagement.
Sophia: Collective Wisdom
A ground-breaking four-part course teaching transformative practices that foster beneficial conversations, thought, and engagement.
Meaning in Life
This event featured talks from Sam Braham on the “Meaning Crisis,” Revd Dr. Carver Anderson on life’s fragility and sacredness, and Professor Michael Hand on why inquiry into the meaning of life should be included in the school curriculum. Featuring a live performance by poet M. L. Walsh.
Philia: Authentic Relating
A ground-breaking four-part course teaching transformative practices that foster beneficial conversations, thought, and engagement.
What is Practice?
A ground-breaking four-part course teaching transformative practices that foster beneficial conversations, thought, and engagement.
Disability and Inclusivity
Our meetup on inclusivity & disability featured a talk from Philosophy of Disability PhD student, Susie Clark.
Astrology
Join us for a fascinating evening of learning and discussion as we explore Astrology.
Anti-Racism
This gathering is an open invitation to people of all backgrounds to explore the topic of Anti-Racism alongside the Birmingham Race Impact Group.
Capitalism
Meetups are an opportunity to find like-minded people interested in deep conversations! This meetup is a follow-up to our event capitalism
Capitalism
A fascinating evening of learning and discussion as we explore capitalism and financial well-being.
Sobriety and Health
At the start of a new year, we hosted a special meetup in the Bullring to talk about sober and healthy living.
New Years Resolutions
The Philosophers' Yard invites you to our next thought-provoking Meetup, where we'll explore the topic of New Years Resolutions
Inner Peace
This gathering was an open invitation to people of all backgrounds to explore inner peace and how philosophy can be a way into it.
Creativity
This gathering was an open invitation to people of all backgrounds to explore Creativity.
Do we have Free Will?
Join us for a fascinating evening of learning and discussion as we explore different sides of the 'free will' debate.