Page updated 2nd August 2026

This new group will meet on the second Monday morning of each month in Howard Court.

Aim of the Philosophy Study Group 

To gain insight and understanding about the nature of human existence by applying historical and contemporary philosophical ideas to developments in the modern world.

What is a philosophical approach?

It is an intellectually demanding activity.

It requires us to challenge and scrutinise our own beliefs and opinions.

It’s about adopting and exploring a whole range of perspectives: individual, societal, global, when considering an issue.

It is a rational and critical pursuit of wisdom and knowledge .

It is very different from our own personal philosophy which in a broad sense means one’s general outlook on life.

The Programme for 2026-2027 

A combination of a topic based approach within a philosophical framework.

There is an expectation that members will prepare for each meeting and either lead or assist in one or two monthly presentations.

IF YOU WISH TO JOIN THIS GROUP PLEASE EMAIL PAT GRAINGER

Here are some books that give an introduction to Philosophy.

A good source for these books (second hand) at very reasonable prices is:

https://www.worldofbooks.com/en-gb/collections/philosophy-books

Click on the link below to download a poster about this group.

https://stokesley.u3asite.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Philosophy-poster.pdf

“AI is vastly accelerating breakthroughs in science and medicine but it cannot replace human imagination”

“Philosophy starts with wonder and imagination”
I read an essay recently by Rohan de Silva, a neuroscientist on the achievements of AI, which I found quite thought provoking.
He started with the premise:  “AI is vastly accelerating breakthroughs in science and medicine but it cannot replace human imagination”
He refers to a quote from Einstein in 1929
“Imagination is more important than knowledge.
Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world”
He describes the great achievements of AI which “pushes the frontiers of scientific knowledge from drug development to flood predictions.
However, scientists remain in the driving seat, setting the questions and coming up with ideas to move research forward “
He argues that pure imagination remains a quintessential human superpower. ( another premise/ topic for discussion?)
AI  models can answer our questions with speed but they can’t dream up the questions worth asking.
He concludes “ That spark is ours alone for now and many years to come”

Another article I read claimed  that AI is  good at two things, knowledge retrieval and reasoning.
However, it argued that AI could become a driver of inequality tipping the balance between democracy and authoritarianism, in favour of the latter.
AI could also result in high levels of unemployment.
In the 20th century in the Western world, success was measured by people’s ability to create wealth. This was facilitated by individual freedoms and capitalism.
These freedoms and ability to challenge could become an annoyance to AI. Or those with ownership of AI ?
AI can be a useful tool for oppression and limiting individual freedoms by monitoring citizens and promoting misinformation.
Topic to be framed within a political philosophical framework ?
This such an expansive subject for discussion and debate.

Proposed Programme 2026-2027

Date	Topic	Lead	Assists
12/10/2026	Eastern Philosophies - Part One	Hermione Wappat	none
09/11/2026	Totalitarianism	Dermot Roddy	none
14/12/2026	Eastern Philosophies - Part Two	Hermione Wappat	?
11/01/2027	Artificial Intelligence - Part One	Phil Seth	?
08/02/2027	Belonging, Identity & Nationality	Peter Hadfield	?
08/03/2027	Philosophy of War, Conflict & Human Nature	Pat Grainger	?
12/04/2027	Artificial Intelligence - Part Two	Mark Reed	?
10/05/2027	To be decided	To be decided	?
14/06/2027	Religion, Christianity & Nietzsche	John Harrison	?
12/07/2027	Themes from topics already covered	To be decided	?