MyndworkzPub Philosopher
Apr. 1997 - Oct. 2001London, Auckland, RotoruaI believe I have the honour of being the first Pub Philosopher in the UK. Inspired by the Cafe Philosophe movement as a student in London, I sought to Anglicise it. It was clear to me that there was an opportunity to promote philosophy as an activity rather than an academic subject, but it was unlikely to succeed as a European import. With help from friends on Philosophy Now magazine, we set up the first meeting in the upstairs room of the Glassblower pub near Carnaby street, and I presided as MC and "facilitator" (a term we studiously avoided). This initial meeting was oversubscribed, and more meetings followed, along with a probably disproportionate (and certainly surprising) amount of media interest. With the momentum gained from print, radio and TV interviews I continued with the project, regularly attracting between 30 and 60 people fortnightly in central London for over 2 years. Eventually, finding no one willing to take over the reins while I focussed on completing my thesis, Pub Philosophy was wound down. I have occasionally reprised the role on special request, incuding a whistlestop tour of New Zealand's North Island, sponsored by Guinness NZ, in 2001.
Here's an article I recently stumbled across that was published in the NZ Herald at the time http://m.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=161725