Free Will and the University of the Third Age

I had the absolute pleasure yesterday of presenting on free will at one of my local secondary schools, in their community hub, to the University of the Third Age. My opening talk was then followed by Dr Lorenzo Stafford, a psychology lecturer from the University of Portsmouth, and then Professor Andrew Osbaldestin, head of the Maths Department also at the University of Portsmouth, who both built on the ideas of free will from their perspective. Some secondary school kids came and joined in for the second talk and the break-out session after it, though sadly they missed my piece.

The University of the Third Age is an organisation for retired people, described as:

The University of the Third Age (U3A) movement is a unique and exciting organisation which provides, through its U3As, life-enhancing and life-changing opportunities. Retired and semi-retired people come together and learn together, not for qualifications but for its own reward: the sheer joy of discovery! Members share their skills and life experiences: the learners teach and the teachers learn, and there is no distinction between them. The U3A movement is supported by its national organisation, the Third Age Trust.

I only managed to get through two-thirds of my talk in my allotted hour because of the great questions and discussion that took place on the fly (which is how I love to do my talks). People were buzzing and talking about it throughout lunch, and the break-out groups (split into philosophy, science, psychology and spirituality) were fascinating.

It's just so lovely when philosophy excites people, brings them alive, and inspires them to question things that they wouldn't normally think too much on. The feedback for the day was amazing, both to me personally, and from the organisers. People loved it. Drawing on my teaching expertise, the key to successful public speaking is about stimulating content, but also, importantly, drawing audience members in by using them individually in examples to exemplify the points I make. This really personalises the talk for them. It also gives real world examples, rather than keeping things merely abstract.

A whole day on free will! Not that's heaven...