Philosophy Club “Salento” is a free English-speaking philosophy group in Lecce, meeting twice a month for open discussions about philosophical questions.
The idea is to create a place for deep, impromptu conversations with strangers about questions that we rarely have enough occasion to discuss in everyday life. We talk about morality, freedom, meaning, belief, nihilism and other philosophical problems starting from questions emerging from contemporary research.
The project is partly influenced by my experience with practical philosophy abroad and by the wish to bring something of that experience to southern Italy. At the same time, the meetings are closely connected to academic philosophy and current research. As an analytic philosopher working and publishing internationally, I want to bring some of the work that normally remains inside academic conferences into a setting where anyone can understand and discuss it.
Our aim is to bring scientific work out of the ivory tower and back to the people, for free, in the true spirit of Socrates. Making philosophy accessible does not mean abandoning expertise or treating every opinion as equally well founded. It means making that expertise available to people who would otherwise have little reason or opportunity to encounter it.
When we discuss Nietzsche, for instance, we can draw on critical editions of his works and on some of the best contemporary scholarship devoted to him. The same applies when a meeting begins from a problem in epistemology or another area of philosophy. The research provides us with the tools and the background knowledge. We then bring these into an open discussion and ask what follows from them and what we ourselves have reason to believe.
No previous study of philosophy is required. Part of the purpose of the meetings is precisely to make difficult ideas understandable and to give people some of the instruments needed to think about them independently. Philosophy can help us become better at defending our ideas, understanding why we believe what we believe and enriching our perspective by being open to new possibilities.
The meetings take place in Lecce and are held entirely in English. They are open to locals, expats, international residents, Erasmus and other international students, philosophy enthusiasts and anyone interested in taking part in an English-speaking event in Lecce. They can also be a good opportunity for people who are learning English and would like to practise through a real conversation about interesting questions rather than through a formal language exercise.
You are very welcome to come alone. Many people do. Do not worry, you don’t need to arrive knowing someone or feel that you have to speak in front of a large group. Most of the discussion takes place in smaller groups, and meeting people usually happens naturally through the conversation itself.
Some people come because they want to learn more about philosophy. Others want to improve their ability to argue, debate, persuade or think more clearly. Others are looking for English-speaking events in Lecce, want to meet new people or would like to connect with people from different countries and backgrounds. Salento Philosophy Club brings these interests together around deep intellectual discussions.
How does it work
At each philosophy meeting in Lecce, participants are divided into smaller groups and each group discusses a philosophical question.
The question may concern a classical philosophical problem, a particular philosopher or a debate in current academic research. Before the meeting, the topic is prepared using relevant philosophical literature and scholarship so that the discussion can begin from a serious understanding of the problem while remaining accessible to people without an academic background in philosophy.
There is no answer that participants are expected to reach. What matters is giving reasons for what we think and being willing to examine those reasons. Participants can question one another, raise objections, test arguments, make distinctions and reconsider their position when an objection succeeds. The aim is to move beyond simply exchanging opinions and to understand which arguments actually work and why.
You do not need to know philosophical terminology beforehand. When a concept, philosopher or piece of research is necessary to understand the discussion, we try to explain it clearly. This is also part of the purpose of public philosophy, that is making serious philosophical knowledge available without assuming that everyone has already spent years studying it.
A moderator is appointed for each group and helps keep the discussion focused on the question. At the end, the moderator summarises the main arguments, conclusions and disagreements that emerged. We then come together for a short final discussion and compare what the different groups have found.
The meetings are free, take place twice a month in Lecce and are conducted entirely in English.
To hear about the next English philosophy meetings in Lecce, new topics, changes of time or venue and other important news, you can join the WhatsApp group or follow Salento Philosophy Club on social media.
Next English Philosophy Event in Lecce:
Sunday, 4 October 2026: 6:00 pm, “Martinucci” Café, Lecce: “What should we believe? Evidentialism, Pragmatism and Alienation”
Past Events
Sunday, 13 September 2026: 6:00 pm, “Belloluogo” park, Lecce: “Is being good the same as being weak? Nietzsche’s radical critique of morality
In this past event we considered a question arising from the most controversial of Nietzsche’s work, namely “The Antichrist (Der Antichrist, w. 1888). There, by turning on its head our received moral values, he argues that compassion preserves and increases human suffering, and that morality, far from being innocent and detached from our nature, results from the instinctive urge to revenge and punish. What are your thoughts? Is it too extreme? Or does it track some kernel of truth? What does it mean to be good? Why should we behave morally (if we should at all)? Is it because of the consequences on others, because it is good for us, or just because we can’t help but act morally? All opinions are welcome, so far as they are supplied by reasons! Can’t wait to see you!
23 August, Parco delle Cave, Lecce: “Nihilism about the Meaning of Life: Negative, Neutral or Sunny?”
We will consider a question arising from the work of Professor Emeritus David Benatar (University of Cape Town), namely ‘The Human Predicament (2017, Oxford)’. The question is whether the fact that the universe lacks a purpose, and that therefore our lives are insignificant from a cosmic perspective, makes them worse off. In response to his view some have argued for a sunny nihilism, namely that our lives are better off without a meaning, whereas others, such as James Tartaglia, have argued that cosmic insignificance is a neutral fact having no direct consequence on the evaluation of our lives.
We look forward to seeing you.
💬 WhatsApp group https://chat.whatsapp.com/Ba4XBuIbnUiHeUnedm8Aa7?s=cl&p=a&mlu=0
👥 Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1Ff3vBJTEQ/
👥 Instagram page https://www.instagram.com/salento.phil.club/
Executive director: Ivan Catanzaro, M.A. (https://www.instagram.com/ivan.catanzaro)
Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/company/philosophy-club-salento/