How We Got Here

On the 8th April 2023 the Pinner Philosophy Group turned 21 years old!

Paul Skidmore reflected back over those 21 years.

People often ask me how we began. 

It really goes back to September 2000, when a two-term WEA class in Philosophy was held at Pinner. The course was run by Dr Joseph Sen, who was still in his twenties and had recently gained his PhD in an aspect of Plotinus’s philosophy. Joe, who travelled up from Pimlico, took an historical perspective and we worked through from the pre-Socratics, ending with Sartre at the end of the second term. Joe was prodigiously knowledgeable in philosophy and we enjoyed the course very much. The class members got on well and, when the course ended in early March 2001, a number of us continued to meet in each other’s homes to discuss other philosophers and aspects of philosophy.

In September 2001, we were expecting Joe to return for a further course and many of us from the previous year signed up again. Unfortunately, in the end, Joe was unable to run the course and instead a two-term course in Philosophy of Religion was arranged. Again, we had an excellent lecturer. When that course ended, in late February 2002, I suggested that we do something similar to the year before and continue to meet to discuss philosophy. So about eight or nine of us met for a few weeks. During this time we considered starting a philosophy group entirely independent from WEA, and on 8th April 2002 we did! 

Our model was similar to now, with a member giving a talk followed by, or interspersed with, discussion. In those days we met on Mondays, but after a while changed to Wednesdays to avoid interruptions due to bank holidays. We were very pleased that Joe Sen was able to come back to talk to us on two occasions.

In autumn 2003, as our number grew to about 16, we decided to change our name to Pinner Philosophy Group. (If you are a member of our Pinner Philosophy Group Forum, you can access all our programmes, right back to April 2002.) Although we meet in Pinner, then, as now, people came from a wide area; at that time including: Harrow, Wembley, Bushey, Watford, Ruislip, Golders Green and one person regularly came from Southgate.

From 18th March 2020, due to the Coronavirus pandemic, we ran our terms and sessions on Zoom with considerable success and I am very pleased that this enabled distant members and ex-members to re-join the group. More recently we have moved to a hybrid system, with physical presence in the room and simultaneously on Zoom, enabling distant members and those medical conditions to continue to take part in our meetings.

I am now the only one still in attendance from the original April 2002 group.

I was delighted that Alan Johnson who was a member of the original 8th April 2002 group, was able to re-join us on Zoom from his home in Norwich. Sadly, Alan died in November 2021.

Since 8th April 2002 we have given approximately 680 high quality weekly presentations!

I’m looking forward to the next 21 years of PPG!

Best wishes,

Paul