The rise of grassroots philosophy:

a talk at the British Arts Festivals Association (BAFA) 11/2012

by Jules Evans, www.philosophyforlife.org

Philosophy groups are mushrooming all over the world

850 philosophy groups on meetup.com, in 384 cities across 25 countries, with a combined membership of 125,000

London Philosophy Club

2,500 members Talks, debates, reading groups, socials Weve done events at HTLGI, Voewood, Latitude, Galway

The Skeptics
Started in late 1970s, committed to scientific and rational thinking

Now huge grassroots movement

41 Skeptics in the Pub around UK Events like TAM and Night of 400 Billion Stars Transformed sci-com

Lots of grassroots groups across UK

Philosophy In Pubs, Liverpool

And many in schools and universities too..

Philosophy Now magazine, Philosophy For All

Commercial ideas events organizers

School of Life

Intelligence Squared
Idler Academy

5X15
TED

Wilderness, Port Eliot, Latitude, HTLGI etc

Mainstream philosophy magazines

Helping to organize events like the Month of Philosophy in Holland, the Modena philosophy festival in Italy, Les Nuits de Philosophie in France

Internet giving talks and events a global reach

Why the rise of grassroots philosophy?

 50,000 people
Museum +
gallery attendance up 100% from 2000 to 2010

festivals in the UK Rise of the mass intelligentsia in book clubs in UK

Expansion of % going to university in the UK

Classic FM
most popular commercial radio station

Decline of traditional religion and desire for new forms of community

School of Life Sunday Sermon

The crisis has got people thinking and talking...

The New Putney Debates: did inequality cause the recession?

People are hungry for more public and social philosophy

Michael Sandel giving a talk to 5,000 people in South Korea this year

People are hungry for new ideas, new values, new experiences and forms of togetherness

Cafe Otos 24-hour Zizek-athon

People are interested in well-being / art of living

Where next for philosophy festivals?

Dream big! Philosophy should blow peoples minds

Akhram Khans Desh, complete with animated elephant

Think multi-media
Ideas best connect with people in combination with other media, like art / animation (think of the RSA Animate videos); stories and narratives (think of Sophies World or Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance); photography (Alain de Bottons books), comedy (Woody Allens films), and music /

Wanye McGregors FAR, a choreography based on Roy Porters Flesh In the Age of Reason

Think interactive...and international

Grassroots philosophy is becoming more internationallyconnected And philosophy in general is becoming more interactive. The distance between the intellectual and the masses has been reduced - the masses have wised up, and dont want to be spoken down to.

Thank you! Get in touch at www.philosophyforlife.or g and @julesevans77