Stephen Law, Emma Swinn and Nigel Warburton chaired by Gary Francione

Three philosophers, Dr Stephen Law, Emma Swinn and Nigel Warburton, discuss their approach to encouraging public discussion of philosophical issues and helping to democratise a notoriously inaccessible subject.

Philosophy addresses some of the most important matters of concern to us. Do we have any moral obligations and, if we do, what are they and to whom are they owed? Does God exist? How do we know things? What are the characteristics of a good argument? Much philosophical writing is written by and aimed at specialists and is often inaccessible to much of the public. We will hear from three speakers leading the effort to democratise philosophy and critical reasoning and encourage public discussion.

Law is director of philosophy at the Department for Continuing Education, University of Oxford. His books include Really Big Questions for Daring Thinkers; The Philosophy Gym; The Great Philosophers; and Believing Bullshit. He is also the festival’s major projects director. Swinn is director of operations and development at SAPERE, a charity for philosophical enquiry that helps people improve their learning and lives through philosophical enquiry, and is president of SOPHIA: The European Foundation for the Advancement of Philosophy with Children. Warburton, formerly a senior lecturer at the Open University, co-founded Philosophy Bites, a widely-acclaimed podcast series involving well-known philosophers in accessible conversations about the leading philosophical issues of our time. His books include Philosophy: The Basics; Thinking from A to Z; and Philosophy: The Essential Study Guide.

Discussions are chaired by lawyer and philosopher Professor Gary Francione, whose books Animals as Persons; Why Veganism Matters; and Eat Like You Care, aim to present the issues of animal ethics in accessible ways.