We’re pleased to announce the launch of the Forum’s new blog.

Who?

The Forum is an educational charity that organises and runs a full and varied programme of philosophy and interdisciplinary events in the UK, most of which take place at LSE.

Though an independent charity, the Forum works closely with the School and forms part of the “LSE Philosophy triumvirate” – those of you who’ve visited the website for the Department of Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method may have noticed their events listed on the calendar.

We’re pleased to announce the launch of the Forum’s new blog.

What!?

Another philosophy blog at LSE? How can that be? Well, whilst the LSE Philosophy blog has a very specific focus (as described on our About page), the Forum’s aims are a little broader.

As an educational charity, the Forum’s events feature speakers from all around the world and span the full philosophical spectrum. Their new blog will reflect this. So you’re likely to encounter posts on everything from Ancient Philosophy to Applied Ethics to Phenomenology and back again.

Why?

Here the Forum’s Blog editor, Elizabeth Hannon, explains why they’ve decided to start blogging:

The Forum’s purpose is to provide a platform for thought-provoking, philosophically informed discussion. For the last twenty years, we have been staging events in the LSE that are serious, challenging, but also accessible. These events bring thinkers and their research out into the public. Our programme is neither a platform for specialists to talk down to non-specialists, nor a platform for specialists to talk to other specialists. Without ever dumbing down, our speakers discuss their ideas in ways that are suitable for, and engage with, a general public audience.

Philosophers may worry that there is no public appetite for academic philosophy; the large audiences at our events should put such worries to rest. However, though it’s wonderful to be able to host such events, having our base in London excludes many who would like to engage with our work.

With this blog, we aim to satisfy, at least in part, the appetite of those people enthusiastic about philosophy but who cannot easily attend our events. We have always been concerned to get complex philosophical ideas out to a wider audience; our blog will will take it to an even wider audience. In each post, philosophers will write a synopsis of their research, focused on one or two of their published works that would otherwise be difficult for a non-academic audience to find.

And this is no one-way street. There is an increasing awareness within academia of the importance of communicating one’s research to a broader audience. There is also a discipline in kicking away the crutch of jargon without unduly compromising the complexity of one’s ideas. In writing for us, we hope philosophers and other academics will appreciate the chance to engage with an intelligent but non-specialist audience, as well as the challenge in making their research accessible.

How?

The Forum’s Blog is just one click away…