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All welcome | Free to attend | First come, first served at the door

 

Where do our ideas of right and wrong come from? Can the evolutionary processes that produced human beings explain the moral frameworks adopted by human societies? And what can developmental biology tell us about the emergence of ethical behaviour in children? From anthropology to cognitive science, philosophy to evolutionary biology, we shed some light on the complex story of Homo moralis.

 

Speakers
Zanna Clay
Assistant Professor of Comparative and Developmental Psychology, Durham University

Philip Pettit 
L. S. Rockefeller University Professor of Politics and Human Values, Princeton University
Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, Australian National University

Simone Schnall
Reader in Experimental Social Psychology, University of Cambridge

Chair
Clare Moriarty 
Fellow, Forum for Philosophy
IRC Postdoctoral Fellow, Trinity College Dublin

 

Organized in conjunction with the Royal Institute of Philosophy

 

This event forms part of the ‘Shape the World’ series, held in the run up to the LSE Festival, a week-long series of events taking place from Monday 2 to Saturday 7 March 2020, free to attend and open to all, exploring how social sciences can make the world a better place. The full  programme will be available online from January 2020.

Quick accessibility map here. Full access information for the Old Building in general, and the Old Theatre in particular, available here.

 

All welcome | Free to attend | First come, first served at the door

 

Coming up at the Forum


7 December 2021

Moritz Schlick

Moritz Schlick

With David Edmonds, Maria Galavotti, and Cheryl Misak

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The Forum for Philosophy subscribes to the British Philosophical Association/Society for Women in Philosophy (UK) Good Practice Scheme

All welcome | Free to attend | First come, first served at the door

 

‘Home’ means more than a roof over our heads. It can be crucial to our sense of ourselves and our well-being. So what might it mean to have a right to a home? And what is lost when we lose our home? We discuss the politics, philosophy, and poetry of home, exploring the fundamental connection between home and human well-being.

 

Speakers
Cara Nine
Senior Lecturer in Philosophy, University College Cork

Yousif M. Qasmiyeh 
Doctoral Researcher, University of Oxford
Writer-in-Residence, Refugee Hosts
‘Creative Encounters’ Editor, Migration and Society

Beth Watts 
Senior Research Fellow, Heriot-Watt University

Chair
Sarah Fine  
Fellow, Forum for Philosophy
Senior Lecturer in Philosophy, KCL

 

This event forms part of the ‘Shape the World’ series, held in the run up to the LSE Festival, a week-long series of events taking place from Monday 2 to Saturday 7 March 2020, free to attend and open to all, exploring how social sciences can make the world a better place. The full  programme will be available online from January 2020.

 

Quick accessibility map here. Full access information for the Old Building in general, and the Old Theatre in particular, available here.

 

All welcome | Free to attend | First come, first served at the door

 

Coming up at the Forum


7 December 2021

Moritz Schlick

Moritz Schlick

With David Edmonds, Maria Galavotti, and Cheryl Misak

Calendar »

Subscribe to the podcast

Join the mailing list

Podcast Archive

The Forum on Social Media

BPS/SWIP Good Practice Scheme

The Forum for Philosophy subscribes to the British Philosophical Association/Society for Women in Philosophy (UK) Good Practice Scheme

All welcome | Free to attend | First come, first served at the door

 

There is a rich tradition of claiming therapeutic powers for philosophy, but if philosophy is the love of wisdom, is ignorance bliss? Is philosophy only about sharp arguments and subtle distinctions, or can it help us find better ways to live? Join us as we discuss whether thinking philosophically can be a form of self-help.

 

Speakers
Beverley Clack
Professor in Philosophy, Oxford Brookes

Molly Macdonald
Lecturer in Literary Theory, QMUL

John Skorupski
Professor of Moral Philosophy, St. Andrews

Chair
Shahidha Bari
Fellow, Forum for Philosophy
Professor of Fashion Cultures, UAL

 

Quick accessibility map here. Full access information for the Old Building in general, and the Old Theatre in particular, available here.

 

All welcome | Free to attend | First come, first served at the door

Coming up at the Forum


7 December 2021

Moritz Schlick

Moritz Schlick

With David Edmonds, Maria Galavotti, and Cheryl Misak

Calendar »

Subscribe to the podcast

Join the mailing list

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The Forum on Social Media

BPS/SWIP Good Practice Scheme

The Forum for Philosophy subscribes to the British Philosophical Association/Society for Women in Philosophy (UK) Good Practice Scheme

All welcome | Free to attend | First come, first served at the door

 

The welfare and flourishing of animals is now enshrined in national and international law. But what should we do when cultural or religious traditions appear to conflict with current ideas about animal welfare? How does globalization affect the scale and type of animal exploitation? In a world where animal rights are often used as a cover for racism, how can we advocate for animals without reinstating cultural imperialism?

 

Speakers
David Grumett
Senior Lecturer in Theology and Ethics, University of Edinburgh

Angie Pepper
Lecturer in Philosophy, University of Birmingham

Varun Uberoi
Reader in Political Theory, Brunel University

Chair
Danielle Sands
Fellow, Forum for Philosophy
Lecturer in Comparative Literature and Culture, Royal Holloway, University of London

 

Quick accessibility map here. Full access information for the Old Building in general, and the Old Theatre in particular, available here.

 

Image credit: “cows #2” by Anna-Maria Pangilinan is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

 

All welcome | Free to attend | First come, first served at the door

 

Coming up at the Forum


7 December 2021

Moritz Schlick

Moritz Schlick

With David Edmonds, Maria Galavotti, and Cheryl Misak

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BPS/SWIP Good Practice Scheme

The Forum for Philosophy subscribes to the British Philosophical Association/Society for Women in Philosophy (UK) Good Practice Scheme

All welcome | Free to attend | First come, first served at the door

 

William Molyneux posed the following question: Consider a person who has been born blind and who has learnt to distinguish a globe and a cube by touch. If this person could suddenly see, would they be able to distinguish these objects by sight alone? This seventeenth-century thought experiment, known as ‘Molyneux’s problem’, received attention from some of philosophy’s greatest minds. We discuss how thinkers like Locke and Leibniz, as well as artists with visual impairments, responded to Molyneux’s challenge.

 

Speakers

Marjolein Degenaar
Author, Molyneux’s Problem: Three Centuries of Discussion on the Perception of Form

Barry Ginley
Equality and Access Adviser, Victoria & Albert Museum

Brian Glenney
Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Norwich University

Chair
Clare Moriarty
Fellow, Forum for Philosophy
Teaching Fellow in Philosophy, UCD

 

In association with the British Society for the History of Philosophy

 

Quick accessibility map here. Full access information for the Old Building in general, and the Old Theatre in particular, available here.

 

All welcome | Free to attend | First come, first served at the door

 

Coming up at the Forum


7 December 2021

Moritz Schlick

Moritz Schlick

With David Edmonds, Maria Galavotti, and Cheryl Misak

Calendar »

Subscribe to the podcast

Join the mailing list

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BPS/SWIP Good Practice Scheme

The Forum for Philosophy subscribes to the British Philosophical Association/Society for Women in Philosophy (UK) Good Practice Scheme

All welcome | Free to attend | First come, first served at the door

 

The hallmark of good science is often supposed to be experiments that produce the same results when repeated. But over the last number of years, scientists have replicated a number of established, high-profile experiments and produced different results. Does it point to serious flaws and biases in the sciences? Or it is evidence of the power of science to self-correct? And what can be done to make science more replicable? We explore whether the replication crisis undermines our trust in science.

 

Speakers
Alexander Bird
Peter Sowerby Professor of Philosophy and Medicine, KCL

Laura Fortunato
Associate Professor of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Oxford

Marcus Munafò
Professor of Biological Psychology, University of Bristol

Chair
Jonathan Birch
Fellow, Forum for Philosophy
Associate Professor of Philosophy, LSE

 

In association with the British Society for the Philosophy of Science

 

Quick accessibility map here. Full access information for the Old Building in general, and the Old Theatre in particular, available here.

 

All welcome | Free to attend | First come, first served at the door

 

Coming up at the Forum


7 December 2021

Moritz Schlick

Moritz Schlick

With David Edmonds, Maria Galavotti, and Cheryl Misak

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Subscribe to the podcast

Join the mailing list

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BPS/SWIP Good Practice Scheme

The Forum for Philosophy subscribes to the British Philosophical Association/Society for Women in Philosophy (UK) Good Practice Scheme

All welcome | Free to attend | First come, first served at the door

 

At the Philosophers’ Book Club, we select a work of fiction or non-fiction and our panel discusses its philosophical themes. For this inaugural gathering, we’ll be reading Deborah Levy’s new memoir, The Cost of Living. ‘Levy explicitly recuperates De Beauvoir’s position, not only by engaging closely with The Second Sex, but by going deeply into the philosopher’s personal struggles to reconcile sexual love with intellectual liberty’, says Kathryn Hughes.

We encourage you to read the book in advance, but it is by no means necessary. Either way, join us for lively discussion and thoughtful company.

 

Speakers
Edward Harcourt
Associate Professor of Philosophy, University of Oxford

Kathryn Hughes
Professor of Life Writing, University of East Anglia

Deborah Levy
Poet, playwright, and author
Fellow, Columbia Institute of Ideas and Imagination

Chair
Shahidha Bari
Fellow, Forum for Philosophy
Senior Lecturer in Romanticism, Queen Mary University of London

 

Quick accessibility map here. Full access information for the Old Building in general, and the Old Theatre in particular, available here.

 

All welcome | Free to attend | First come, first served at the door

 

Coming up at the Forum


7 December 2021

Moritz Schlick

Moritz Schlick

With David Edmonds, Maria Galavotti, and Cheryl Misak

Calendar »

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Join the mailing list

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BPS/SWIP Good Practice Scheme

The Forum for Philosophy subscribes to the British Philosophical Association/Society for Women in Philosophy (UK) Good Practice Scheme

All welcome | Free to attend | First come, first served at the door

 

Workers of the world, unite! We discuss the history, politics, and ethics of strikes, and their place in the labour movement. Why do they happen and what makes for a successful strike? What justifies workers in withdrawing their labour to push bosses for improved pay and conditions? And will this event be cancelled due to strike action?!

 

Speakers
Jo Grady
Senior Lecturer in Employment Relations, Sheffield

Martin O’Neill
Senior Lecturer in Political Philosophy, York

Waseem Yaqoob
Lecturer in the History of Modern Political Thought, Cambridge

Chair
Sarah Fine
Fellow, Forum for Philosophy
Senior Lecturer in Philosophy, KCL

 

Quick accessibility map here. Full access information for the Old Building in general, and the Old Theatre in particular, available here.

 

All welcome | Free to attend | First come, first served at the door

 

Coming up at the Forum


7 December 2021

Moritz Schlick

Moritz Schlick

With David Edmonds, Maria Galavotti, and Cheryl Misak

Calendar »

Subscribe to the podcast

Join the mailing list

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The Forum on Social Media

BPS/SWIP Good Practice Scheme

The Forum for Philosophy subscribes to the British Philosophical Association/Society for Women in Philosophy (UK) Good Practice Scheme

All welcome | Free to attend | First come, first served at the door

 

Schopenhauer’s work prefigured important developments in philosophy, psychology, and political thought. On the two-hundredth anniversary of the publication of his The World as Will and Representation, we examine the life and work of Arthur Schopenhauer. How can we better understand his relationship with Eastern philosophy? How can his work help us address current questions in art and ethics? And what can he teach us about human suffering?

 

Speakers
Christine Battersby
Reader Emerita in Philosophy, University of Warwick

Christopher Janaway
Professor of Philosophy, University of Southampton

Christopher Ryan
Senior Lecturer in Philosophy and Education, London Metropolitan University

Chair
Danielle Sands
Fellow, Forum for Philosophy
Lecturer in Comparative Literature and Culture, Royal Holloway, University of London

 

Quick accessibility map here. Full access information for the New Academic Building in general, and the Wolfson Theatre in particular, available here.

 

All welcome | Free to attend | First come, first served at the door

Coming up at the Forum


7 December 2021

Moritz Schlick

Moritz Schlick

With David Edmonds, Maria Galavotti, and Cheryl Misak

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BPS/SWIP Good Practice Scheme

The Forum for Philosophy subscribes to the British Philosophical Association/Society for Women in Philosophy (UK) Good Practice Scheme

All welcome | Free to attend | First come, first served at the door

 

Philosophers have long assumed that plants are inferior to humans and animals: static, inert, and unreflective. But recent scientific advances suggest that we may have underestimated plants. They can process information, solve problems, and communicate. We explore what plants can teach us about intelligence and agency, and ask whether plants think.

 

Speakers
Karine Bonneval
Visual Artist

Paco Calvo
Director, Minimal Intelligence Lab, University of Murcia

Tom Greaves
Senior Lecturer in Philosophy, UEA

Chair
Danielle Sands
Fellow, Forum for Philosophy
Lecturer in Comparative Literature and Culture, Royal Holloway, University of London

 

Quick accessibility map here. Full access information for the New Academic Building in general, and the Wolfson Theatre in particular, available here.

 

All welcome | Free to attend | First come, first served at the door

Coming up at the Forum


7 December 2021

Moritz Schlick

Moritz Schlick

With David Edmonds, Maria Galavotti, and Cheryl Misak

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BPS/SWIP Good Practice Scheme

The Forum for Philosophy subscribes to the British Philosophical Association/Society for Women in Philosophy (UK) Good Practice Scheme

All welcome | Free to attend | First come, first served at the door

 

Disgust is deceptively simple: physical repulsion to something revolting or potentially contagious. Behind this straightforward exterior, however, lies the ‘rich universe of the disgusting’ (William Ian Miller). Within this universe dwell questions about ugliness and beauty, the animal and the civilized, even life and death. We delve deep into disgust and the many ways it has shaped our thought, our art, and our sense of self.

 

Speakers
Jo Applin
Reader in the History of Art, The Courtauld Institute of Art
Tina Chanter
Professor of Philosophy and Gender Studies, Kingston University
Sophie Russell
Lecturer in Social Psychology, University of Surrey

Chair
Danielle Sands
Fellow, Forum for Philosophy
Lecturer in Comparative Literature and Culture, Royal Holloway, University of London

 

Quick accessibility map here. Full access information for the New Academic Building in general, and the Wolfson Theatre in particular, available here.

 

Coming up at the Forum


7 December 2021

Moritz Schlick

Moritz Schlick

With David Edmonds, Maria Galavotti, and Cheryl Misak

Calendar »

Subscribe to the podcast

Join the mailing list

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The Forum on Social Media

BPS/SWIP Good Practice Scheme

The Forum for Philosophy subscribes to the British Philosophical Association/Society for Women in Philosophy (UK) Good Practice Scheme

All welcome | Free to attend | First come, first served at the door

 

Mood is an ephemeral thing, changing with the seasons and eluding our control. Why are our moods so susceptible to drugs, the weather, and music alike? Hegel wrote of Geist and Heidegger rhapsodized over Stimmung, so can an age have a mood too? And if so, how do we read a Zeitgeist or measure the spirit of a time? Join us as we get moody.

 

Speakers
Ben Highmore
Professor of Cultural Studies, University of Sussex
Carolyn Pedwell
Reader in Cultural Studies, University of Kent
Anil Sebastian
Singer, composer, producer
Co-founder and director of London Contemporary Voices choir

Chair
Shahidha Bari
Fellow, Forum for Philosophy
Senior Lecturer in Romanticism, Queen Mary University of London

 

Image credit: Heath Harris, ‘hardday‘ (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

Quick accessibility map here. Full access information for the New Academic Building in general, and the Wolfson Theatre in particular, available here.

 

Coming up at the Forum


7 December 2021

Moritz Schlick

Moritz Schlick

With David Edmonds, Maria Galavotti, and Cheryl Misak

Calendar »

Subscribe to the podcast

Join the mailing list

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The Forum on Social Media

BPS/SWIP Good Practice Scheme

The Forum for Philosophy subscribes to the British Philosophical Association/Society for Women in Philosophy (UK) Good Practice Scheme

All welcome | Free to attend | First come, first served at the door

 

Though often overlooked in discussions of the Enlightenment, Ireland was a vibrant centre for intellectuals of many stripes. Jonathan Swift, Edmund Burke, George Berkeley, and many others made lasting contributions to literature, philosophy, politics, and science. How did the turbulent political times of eighteenth-century Ireland affect this intellectual landscape? Is there something distinctively Irish about this writing? We discuss the thought and times of this remarkable group of thinkers.

 

Speakers
Ian McBride
Foster Professor of Irish History, Hertford College, Oxford
Katherine O’Donnell
Associate Professor in History of Ideas, UCD
Tom Stoneham
Professor of Philosophy, University of York

Chair
Clare Moriarty

Fellow, Forum for Philosophy
Teaching Fellow in Philosophy, UCD

 

In association with the British Society for the History of Philosophy

 

Quick accessibility map here. Full access information for the New Academic Building in general, and the Wolfson Theatre in particular, available here.

 

Coming up at the Forum


7 December 2021

Moritz Schlick

Moritz Schlick

With David Edmonds, Maria Galavotti, and Cheryl Misak

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Join the mailing list

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BPS/SWIP Good Practice Scheme

The Forum for Philosophy subscribes to the British Philosophical Association/Society for Women in Philosophy (UK) Good Practice Scheme

Part of the LSE Festival 2019

 

All welcome | Free to attend | Ticketed

Tickets available on LSE Festival 2019: New World Disorders – Ticket Information

 

In this age of utopian technologies, we can design mechanical limbs for amputees and chemically engineer happiness for depressives. From the fluoride in our water to genetically modified babies, scientific advances pose complex new ethical questions. We explore the major bioethical issues of our time. Is philosophy braced for this brave new world? Are scientists and engineers morally obliged to design a utopia? Or are things best left to ‘nature’?

 

Speakers
Richard Ashcroft
Professor of Bioethics, Queen Mary University of London
David Healy
Professor of Psychiatry, Bangor University
Emily Jackson
Professor of Law, LSE

Chair
Shahidha Bari
Fellow, Forum for Philosophy
Senior Lecturer in Romanticism, Queen Mary University of London

 

Quick accessibility map here. Full access information for Clement House is available here. Hong Theatre has step-free access, wheelchair space, and hearing loop system. Image of theatre here.

 

Coming up at the Forum


7 December 2021

Moritz Schlick

Moritz Schlick

With David Edmonds, Maria Galavotti, and Cheryl Misak

Calendar »

Subscribe to the podcast

Join the mailing list

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The Forum on Social Media

BPS/SWIP Good Practice Scheme

The Forum for Philosophy subscribes to the British Philosophical Association/Society for Women in Philosophy (UK) Good Practice Scheme

Part of the LSE Festival 2019 & in conjunction with the European Institute, LSE

 

All welcome | Free to attend | Ticketed

FULLY BOOKED – RETURNS QUEUE IN OPERATION
Further details available on LSE Festival 2019: New World Disorders – Ticket Information

 

Marx famously wrote in the nineteenth century of the spectre of communism haunting Europe, and the end of the Cold War might be considered to mark its exorcism. But has communism really been laid to rest? Despite the fall of the Berlin Wall, Derrida certainly thought not. He argued that in the ‘new world disorder’, ideologies like neo-liberalism were enmeshed with communism, haunted by the spectre of communisms yet to come. Is Derrida’s analysis still applicable to the post-9/11 world? And have new spectres appeared in our midst?

 

Speakers
Robert Eaglestone
Professor of Contemporary Literature and Thought, Royal Holloway, University of London
Simon Glendinning
Professor of European Philosophy, LSE
Maja Zehfuss
Professor of International Politics, University of Manchester

Chair
Danielle Sands
Fellow, Forum for Philosophy
Lecturer in Comparative Literature and Culture, Royal Holloway, University of London

 

Quick accessibility map here. Full access information for Clement House is available here. Hong Theatre has step-free access, wheelchair space, and hearing loop system. Image of theatre here.

 

Coming up at the Forum


7 December 2021

Moritz Schlick

Moritz Schlick

With David Edmonds, Maria Galavotti, and Cheryl Misak

Calendar »

Subscribe to the podcast

Join the mailing list

Podcast Archive

The Forum on Social Media

BPS/SWIP Good Practice Scheme

The Forum for Philosophy subscribes to the British Philosophical Association/Society for Women in Philosophy (UK) Good Practice Scheme