Philosophers at Royal Holloway have also brought their research to bear on the wider community.
Increasing Mental Wellbeing with Stoic Philosophy
John Sellars is a founding member of Modern Stoicism, a small group of academics and psychotherapists who run Stoic Week and Stoicon. More recently has has been involved in the creation of The Aurelius Foundation, which is devoted to applying Stoic principles to youth development. Sellars has also contributed to the wider public debate on wellbeing via print, broadcast media, and a popular book on Stoicism. Read more about increasing mental wellbeing with Stoic philosophy.
Links
- ‘Want to be happy? Then live like a Stoic for a week’ (article at The Conversation): https://theconversation.com/want-to-be-happy-then-live-like-a-stoic-for-a-week-103117
- ‘Can a new course based on ancient philosophy really transform your life in just one week?’ (Daily Mail): https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-6587241/Can-new-course-based-ancient-philosophy-really-transform-life-just-one-week.html
- ‘Stuck at home, stoic Britons get philosophical’ (The Times): https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/stuck-at-home-stoic-britons-get-philosophical-b0h7jdnrb
- Royal Holloway Seminar Sessions Podcast: http://royalholloway.libsyn.com/episode-5-dr-john-sellars-do-stoics-have-emotions
Rethinking Attitudes to Swearing
Rebecca Roache has transformed attitudes to swearing via public engagement work in the media, discussions with journalists, having her work directly shape public debates, and running a specialist workshop on the topic with key professional stakeholders and policy makers. This focus on swearing has been underpinned by her research into the ways in which social norms, such as those surrounding swearing, contribute to our understanding of mental illness.
Links
- ‘Naughty Words’ (article at Aeon): https://aeon.co/essays/where-does-swearing-get-its-power-and-how-should-we-use-it
- ‘This is Why People Swear Under Pressure’ (The Independent): https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/why-swear-under-pressure-stress-anthony-scaramucci-new-yorker-speech-specialist-a7874466.html
- Philosophy Bites Podcast: https://philosophybites.com/2015/03/rebecca-roache-on-swearing.html;
- Philosophy 24/7 Podcast: https://philosophy247.org/podcasts/passive-aggressive/;
Metaphysics and Pregnancy
Suki Finn has brought philosophy to the public in many forms - through podcast interviews, radio discussions, and magazine articles. She is the editor of 'Women of Ideas' published with Oxford University Press which brings together women being interviewed on the Philosophy Bites podcast. Suki has applied her work in metaphysics and logic to the social realm, and has most notably contributed to the public discourse on the topics of pregnancy and love. She actively works to make philosophy more diverse, inclusive, and accessible, through her work on the committees for the Society for Women in Philosophy UK and the Royal Institute of Philosophy.
Links
- ‘Beyond Reason’, Aeon, www.aeon.co/ideas/beyond-reason-the-mathematical-equation-for-unconditional-love
- ‘Bun or Bump?’, Aeon, www.aeon.co/essays/is-the-mother-a-container-for-the-foetus-or-is-it-part-of-her
- Philosophy Bites interview on ‘nothing’: philosophybites.com/2021/03/suki-finn-on-the-metaphysics-of-nothing.html
- BBC Radio 3 Arts and Ideas episode on ‘pregnancy puzzles’: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p07h3219
