The World in a Phrase: Philosophy and the Aphorism featuring panelists James Geary, A.C. Grayling, and John Lloyd.
The aphorism - a world of thought compacted into a single phrase - is the oldest written form of literature on the planet. The aphorism is also the oldest form of philosophical writing, dating back to the earliest moral and cosmological musings of the ancient Egyptians and Chinese. Yet there remains no manner of thinking better suited to contemporary times - and this one-day symposium will explore why.
Poets, professors, artists, philosophers, psychologists and comedians (and aphorists!) from Europe and the U.S. will gather to discuss and celebrate the aphorism as a privileged vehicle for grappling with the deepest questions facing our world - and will show how the aphorism is just the ticket if you are tired of ideologies but haven't given up on truth- Institute of Philosophy
Bio
James Geary
James Geary is an American-born, London-based writer and the former Europe editor of Time.
His most recent book is Geary's Guide to the World's Great Aphorists which he claims to be the largest collection of aphorisms in the English language, and follows on from his previous volume on aphorists and aphorisms, The World in a Phrase (published in the UK - but now out of print - as We Are What We Think). The World in a Phrase has also been published in Brazilian Portuguese - as O Mundo em una Frase - as well as Korean.
Previous literary efforts include a popular science book called The Body Electric, a survey of cybernetic projects attempting to replace or enhance human biological senses (also published in Spain as El Cuerpo Electrónico, and two much earlier books of poetry written while he was a student in San Francisco, 17 Reasons Why and Words for Refrigerator Doors.
Geary publishes a blog about aphorisms, All Aphorisms, All The Time, via his website. He is also a regular speaker at literary festivals where he gives a largely unscripted lecture on aphorisms which includes his juggling routine.
Among his journalistic credits, apart from his work at Time, Geary is Editor at Large for Ode magazine and writes online for The Huffington Post, Salon.com and the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc's Newsletter.
A.C. Grayling
A.C. Grayling is professor of philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London. He is a fellow of the World Economic Forum and the author of Meditations for the Humanist.
John Lloyd
John Hardress Wilfred Lloyd is a British comedy writer and television producer.
Lloyd was born in Dover and educated at West Hill Park School (Titchfield, Hants), The King's School, Canterbury and Trinity College (Cambridge). Here he befriended, and later shared a flat with Douglas Adams. He then worked as radio producer at the BBC 1974-1978 and created The News Quiz, and The News Huddlines. He co-wrote the fifth and sixth episodes of the first radio series of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy with creator Douglas Adams (who wrote all the rest solo), and was involved in the TV series as Associate Producer.
He also wrote Hordes of the Things (as J. H. W. Lloyd) with Andrew ("A. P. R.") Marshall. He worked as a TV producer at both the BBC and ITV 1979-1989 and created Not the Nine O'Clock News and Spitting Image; he also produced all four Blackadder series. He also coauthored two episodes of Doctor Snuggles with Douglas Adams.
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