London School of Philosophy
The London School of Philosophy is an independent adult education college located in London, United Kingdom. It offers part-time non-degree courses on a wide range of topics within philosophy. It was founded in 2010 by lecturers from Birkbeck College. It is based within Conway Hall, in Bloomsbury.
History
In 2009, the long-established School of Continuing Education at Birkbeck, University of London, which specialised in extra-mural studies, was abolished and its activities integrated into the main college. The following year, as part of this re-organisation, the number of part-time philosophy courses for adults was sharply reduced. Seven of Birkbeck's philosophy lecturers responded to the cancellation of their courses by meeting to establish a new college, the London School of Philosophy.The LSP's seven founders organised themselves on a cooperative basis and agreed a constitution in 2010. The first lectures took place in January 2011. A launch event was held on 6 September 2011.
Location
In 2011 the London School of Philosophy announced a collaborative agreement with Conway Hall to base all its teaching activities there.Conway Hall is a large art-deco building on Red Lion Square in Bloomsbury, built in 1929. It is the venue for a wide range of concerts, lectures and other cultural events. The building also houses the Humanist Library, which includes a sizeable philosophy section.
Courses
Courses at the college cover topics such as ‘Philosophy and Theatre’, ‘Philosophy of Love’; ‘Existentialism’; and ‘Philosophy and Biology’ alongside others on ethics, aesthetics and the history of philosophy.Summer Schools
In 2013 the London School of Philosophy for the first time entered a collaborative arrangement with Birkbeck's Department of Philosophy and with Conway Hall, to offer a Summer School on philosophy, which was held over several days at the beginning of July.The LSP's second annual Summer School, in 2014, was a collaboration with Heythrop College and Conway Hall. The speakers included Professor John Cottingham, Professor Keith Ward, Dr Anna Abram, Dr Piers Benn, Dr Stephen Law and Dr Adam Stewart-Wallace, Dr Shahrar Ali, Dr Keith Barrett and Dr Anja Steinbauer and special guest speakers Dr Roger Scruton, Emeritus Professor Richard Norman and Professor Ken Gemes.