Event Details

Public talk

Public talk on Philosophy in Prisons

The prison crisis is a familiar topic in the press; but the media tend to ignore one of the worst aspects of that crisis — the way things are for the people inside. Mostly the prison walls keep them out of sight and out of mind; this invisibility does its own damage. A large proportion of the prison population has already been poorly served by the education system, while those who are highly educated are left to the tedium of their own devices. How can imprisonment ever change things for any of them? Since 2018 Philosophy in Prison has been running philosophy courses in prisons, conducted by conversation, and open to all, whatever their educational background. I shall argue that this may give us a model for rethinking prison education; and it may also illuminate one place for philosophy in public life.