Philosophy Draws a Crowd

In this episode of The Thought Project, host Tanya Domi speaks with Eno Agolli, assistant director of the Saul Kripke Center at the CUNY Graduate Center, about bringing philosophy out of the ivory tower and into public conversation. Agolli is helping expand the reach of the Saul Kripke Center, named for the late Saul Kripke, a former distinguished professor at the Graduate Center who is considered one of the greatest American philosophers of the last half-century. One of Agolli’s newest initiatives is the Analytic Salon, a public series designed to make analytic philosophy accessible, lively, and welcoming. The salons require no homework and no background in philosophy. Instead, participants gather to consider big questions, about artificial intelligence, skepticism, morality, knowledge, and free will, through clear, jargon-free discussion. The salons are carried out in the spirit of Kripke’s own philosophical practice, centered on sharp puzzles, rigorous reasoning, and questions that can be stated clearly in ordinary language. The response has been striking. The salons, capped at 35 people, have filled quickly, sometimes within minutes, and draw many repeat attendees. For Agolli, that enthusiasm points to a real public hunger for philosophy, and for spaces where people can think together.