In anticipation of World Philosophy Day (Thursday 21 November), a group of teachers and students from New Acropolis London went out onto the streets of Islington to hold philosophical dialogues with members of the public. The theme chosen for this year was: “Unity through Diversity: living in a very diverse city, how can we get closer to the sense of unity?”

Passersby were invited to discuss the topic and, after their conversations, to write a short sentence summarizing their conclusions. Young and old participated, from children aged 6 upwards to senior citizens. A child of 6 wrote: “I like being friends with people of different religions and from different bits of the world.” Another aged 10 wrote: “We can get together by spending more time together. And we can be honest to each other.” An older person wrote: “We need to be open to learning about other people’s lives and experience, in order to enrich our own.” Several people mentioned the value of the arts and sport in bringing people together and developing a sense of togetherness. Others spoke of the importance of listening, and in particular, “talking to people, and being okay with not hearing the answer you would like to hear.”

Overall, it was a great way to come into contact with local people and share ideas on how we can achieve a greater sense of unity in such a diverse city as London.