How To Think Like A Philosopher

with Julian Baggini, Lisa Bortolotti and Rebecca Buxton

This event will be BSL signed

In this relaxed salon discussion, Philosopher Julian Baggini and guests explore how the exemplary habits and principles of the best philosophers can help us to think better. They will take as their cue Baggini’s new book How to Think Like a Philosopher, in which he offers 12 key principles for a more humane, balanced and rational approach to thinking.

Issues on the agenda include the importance and perils of “questioning everything”, the necessity of taking care with language, the requirement to think widely and with others, and of modesty, self-scrutiny and persistence. Find out why good thinking isn’t just a matter of logical rigour and applying critical thinking tools but requires virtues of character such as the desire for sincerity and accuracy.

‘In an age which fetishizes novelty and innovation, there is a need to relearn the greatest lessons from the past and appreciate that what is timeless is always timely,’ says Baggini.

In the first half, Baggini will be joined by Lisa Bortolotti and Rebecca Buxton to revisit the lessons from the past and discuss the key principles for good thinking. After a short break to grab a drink, the audience will drive the discussion of the second half with their questions and suggestions for topics that need a dose of clarity. Learn how to think like a philosopher in live time! The event will be followed by book signing.

Lisa Bortolotti is a philosopher of the cognitive sciences, focusing on the philosophy of psychology and psychiatry. She is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Birmingham, affiliated with both the Philosophy Department in the College of Arts and Law, and the Institute for Mental Health in the College of Life and Environmental Sciences. She is also Editor in Chief of Philosophical Psychology. Lisa’s new book, Why Delusions Matter, is coming out in 2023 with Bloomsbury.

Rebecca Buxton is Lecturer in Social and Political Philosophy at the University of Bristol, specialising in philosophy, ethics and forced migration. She was previously Assistant Professor in Political Theory Department of Politics and International Studies at University of Cambridge and previously studied Philosophy at King’s College London. She writes as a Community Fellow for Refugees Deeply, a news organisation specialising in forced displacement. She is the co-author of The Philosophy Queens with Lisa Whiting.

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Recommended £10.50

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Supported £7.35

This option is lower than the recommended price. It is subsidised by Bristol Ideas / St George’s Bristol and fellow audience members who have booked at the Pay It Forward rate. This price is aimed at people who could do with support to get by