About us
A laid-back group focussed on good conversation with minimal structure.
We take thought experiments as conversational jumping off points and see how ideas flow from there.
Everyone welcome! The more perspectives, the richer the conversation.
TEiP (THOUGHT EXPERIMENTS IN PUBLIC) was founded in February 2023 by Bonny Astor as THOUGHT EXPERIMENTS IN PUBS. Since then, it has grown into a thriving community and regular series of gatherings in pubs and other relaxed public spaces: galleries, cafes, and parks.
Sign up to hear about upcoming events first 💌
Find us on Instagram for a scrapbook of past events and other thought provoking stuff ❤️
For other events by Bonny, visit: BONNY'S OTHER GATHERINGS
For TEiP events outside London, visit the TEiP NETWORK to discover gatherings hosted by licensed TEiP Hosts.
By joining TEiP by any channel, you agree to our Terms & Conditions.
Upcoming events
9
- £10.00

SOLD OUT: TEiP X DEBATE LONDON • PART 1 | Thought Experiments in Public
The Betjeman Arms, St. Pancras International Station, London, GBThis event is currently full. Please join the waitlist if you'd like to be notified if spaces become available: WAITLIST
A special collaboration between TEiP and Debate London...
We will explore 'debate' through the lens of philosophy and 'philosophy' through the lens of debate in two special events:
PART 1 (this event): On the 14th of September, Debate London will come to TEiP and we will discuss three thought experiments on the theme of 'DEBATE'
PART 2 (listed soon): On the 14th of October, TEiP will visit Debate London to participate in a philosophy inspired debate.
THIS EVENT
We'll meet at one of TEiP's favourite pubs, the beautiful Betjeman Arms in St Pancras Station.We'll explore the topic of 'DEBATE by way of three original thought experiments by Jessica (member of both TEiP and Debate London) and Bonny (TEiP Founder).
They will be posted in the comments below on the day of the event.Spaces are limited and tickets are likely to sell out fast, so get your ticket early if you want to be there!
See what these events are like: @thoughtexperimentsinpubs @debatelondon
The idea: A chance to meet and talk meaningfully about thought provoking topics.
How we'll do it (timings approximate):
- 7:00pm - Arrive at The Betjeman Arms. You can access the pub either from the street (entrance to the right of The St Pancras Hotel entrance) or via St Pancras Station (entrance from the upstairs train platforms). We'll be in the private dining room - ask at the bar if you can't find us.
- Organise ourselves into small groups (3-4 people per group)
- Have a look at the thought experiments (announced on the day of the event)
- 7:15 - First rotation begins - Talk about the first thought experiment, but feel free to veer off topic.
- 7:35 - Optional reshuffle: swap groups, move on to the second thought experiment.
- 8:00 - Optional reshuffle: swap groups, move on to the third thought experiment.
- 8:25pm - Wrap up - hear about upcoming events, feedback/requests for future meetups.
- 8:30 Meetup ‘ends’. But feel free to carry on conversations. We have the room until 10pm and usually a lot of us stay until then :-)
Notes on the general atmosphere:
- The vibe is to let conversation flow rather than stick strictly to one topic.
- While we'd like to talk about 'meaningful things', we also see the value in lighter topics, so don't worry about not being 'deep' enough!
- Feel free to suggest ideas for future Thought Experiments in Pubs meetup groups, both in terms of structure and topics to discuss.
Where we'll meet:
This group will be at The Betjeman Arms. The nearest Tube station is King's Cross St. Pancras. You can access the pub either from the street (entrance to the right of The St Pancras Hotel entrance) or via St Pancras Station (entrance from the upstairs train platforms). We'll be in the private dining room - ask at the bar if you can't find us.Who should come:
Everyone! We believe that the more perspectives, the richer the conversation. This group is not about being experts in Philosophy, it is about doing philosophy. That is, bringing our various life experiences and lenses on the world to group discussions about the human experience, the nature of reality... etc....I'm so looking forward to meeting & talking with you in this beautiful location.
Bonny :-)
Relevant links:
SUBSTACK - read more about this community and other related stuff
MAILING LIST - backup in case meetup goes down
INSTAGRAM - see what our events look like
WHATSAPP GROUP - very occasional announcements29 attendees - £5.00

TEiP BATTERSEA • S1E7: WISDOM II | Thought Experiments in Public
Hawkins Forge, 110 Battersea Rise, London, GBOpen minded discussions and the opportunity to learn from each other ❤️
This episode will explore the topic of 'WISDOM' by way of three original thought experiments written by TEiP founder, Bonny. They will be posted in the comments below on the day of the event.
IMPORTANT: Meetup frequently glitches (and hikes organiser fees) so I've created a backup means of communication if we ever need to leave this platform. Please join! Comms will be minimal and you can unsubscribe at anytime: MAILING LIST
Hawkins Forge embodies our values: warm, welcoming, convivial, and a home to deep thinkers.
The pub has boardgames and cards for the after party, and they’ve also kindly offered us a deal on their Arrowsmiths Darts experience: 30 minutes free for anyone who buys a drink after the event.Spaces are limited, so get your ticket early if you want to be there 😊
The idea: A chance to meet and talk meaningfully about thought provoking topics.
How we'll do it (timings approximate):
- 7:00pm - Arrive at Hawkins Forge. We'll be in the private dining room - ask at the bar if you can't find us.
- Organise ourselves into small groups (3-4)
- Have a look at the thought experiments (announced on the day of the event)
- 7:15 - First rotation begins - Talk about the first thought experiment, but feel free to pursue tangents and anecdotes.
- 7:35 - Optional reshuffle: swap groups, move on to the second thought experiment.
- 8:00 - Optional reshuffle: swap groups, move on to the third thought experiment.
- 8:25pm - Wrap up - hear about upcoming events, feedback/requests for future meetups.
- 8:30 Meetup ‘ends’. But feel free to carry on conversations. Usually a lot of us stay until late :-)
Notes on the general atmosphere:
- The vibe is to let conversation flow rather than stick strictly to one topic.
- While we'd like to talk about 'meaningful things', we also see the value in lighter topics, so don't worry about not being 'deep' enough!
- Feel free to suggest ideas for future Thought Experiments in Pubs meetup groups, both in terms of structure and topics to discuss.
Where we'll meet:
This group will be at Hawkins Forge, 5 minutes walk from Clapham Junction. We'll be in the private dining room - ask at the bar if you can't find us.Who should come:
Everyone! We believe that the more perspectives, the richer the conversation. This group is not about being experts in Philosophy, it is about doing philosophy. That is, bringing our various life experiences and lenses on the world to group discussions about the human experience, the nature of reality... etc....I'm so looking forward to meeting & talking with you in this beautiful location :-)
- Bonny
Relevant links:
SUBSTACK - read more about this community and other related stuff
MAILING LIST - backup in case meetup goes down
INSTAGRAM - see what our events look like
WHATSAPP GROUP - very occasional announcements35 attendees - £15.00

SOLD OUT • 4TH THOUGHT EXPERIMENT WRITING WORKSHOP: cultivate curiosity :-)
The Fitzroy Tavern, 16 Charlotte Street, W1T 2LY, London, GBThis event is full. If you'd like to hear about the next one, please sign up to the WRITING WORKSHOP MAILING LIST
This workshop: a creative process to free your mind, and explore fresh perspectives.
Over the past 3 and a half years, I've written over 300 thought experiments (tiny stories that raise big questions). Here's a bit about why I enjoy the practice.
In brief, writing thought experiments gives you the opportunity to:
- investigate ideas (old and new)
- work your imagination
- write creatively and playfully
- produce compelling conversation starters that you can share with friends and strangers to provoke meaningful discussions
In this workshop, I'll share my process and together we'll create new thought experiments by:
- Identifying areas of interest
- Gathering ingredients for thought experiments
- Imagining scenarios
- Constructing narratives
- Generating relevant, thought provoking questions
By the end of the evening we'll have
- had some thought provoking conversations
- become familiar with a new method for creative thinking
- written our own original material for future group discussions :-)
Although we’ll be learning a new technique we'll also be aiming to have an enjoyable evening, with good humour and fun. This will be less like school and more like a fun TEiP night out with an additional creative twist.
Who should come:
Everyone! We believe that the more perspectives, the richer the conversation. This group is not about being experts, it is about thinking creatively together and learning new ways to develop and communicate ideas.Tickets
Space is limited (15-20 people) and tickets are £15.
I'd like to make this event accessible, so if cost is a barrier, please send me a DM.Where we'll meet:
The Fitzroy Tavern in Fitzrovia. The nearest Tube stations are Goodge Street and Tottenham Court Road. We'll be upstairs in the Private Dining Room.Looking forward to meeting & talking with you!
BonnySUBSTACK - read more about this community and other related stuff
MAILING LIST - backup in case meetup goes down
INSTAGRAM - see what our events look like
WHATSAPP GROUP - very occasional announcements#philosophyinpubs #inclusivity #openmindedness #creativewriting #community #newskills
17 attendees 
TEiP ON THE HOUSE • PORTOBELLO S4E7: LOYALTY | Thought Experiments in Public
The Earl of Lonsdale, 277-281 Westbourne Grove, London, GBThe BIG FREE Friday night episode of THOUGHT EXPERIMENTS IN PUBLIC*
Join us to imagine out loud with an openminded group of people from all walks of life.
*formerly just pubs, now meeting in lots of places
IMPORTANT: It is likely that TEiP will move off Meetup at some point in the future. Please join the mailing list if you'd like to stay in the loop (comms will be minimal and you can unsubscribe at anytime): MAILING LIST
October's theme is TBC. Whatever it is, we will explore it with three original thought experiments (posted in the comments below on the day of the event)
The aim of this meetup: meet new people and have different, thought provoking conversations.
How we'll do it (timings approximate):
- 6:30 - Arrive at the pub, find us in the dining room
- Organise ourselves into small groups (4-7ish...recent research finding: apparently 4 is the best number for a good conversation!)
- Have a look at the thought experiments (posted in the comments on the day of the event)
- 6:45 - First rotation begins - Talk about the first thought experiment. If you don’t want to talk about that one, move on to another one. Feel free to veer off topic.
- 7:10 - Optional shuffle: swap groups, move on to the second thought experiment.
- 7:35 - Optional shuffle: swap groups, move on to the third thought experiment.
- 8:00 - Votes - optional moment to express your views on some of the questions of the evening.
- 8:05 - Wrap up - hear about upcoming events.
- Organised part of the meetup is over, feel free to carry on conversations (many of us stay until the pub closes!)
Notes on the general atmosphere:
- The vibe is to let conversation flow rather than stick strictly to one topic.
- While we'd like to talk about 'meaningful things', we also see the value in lighter topics, so don't worry about not being 'deep' enough!
- Feel free to suggest ideas for future episodes of Thought Experiments in Public*, both in terms of structure and topics to discuss.
Where we'll meet:
This group will be at the Earl of Lonsdale Pub on Portobello. The nearest Tube station is Notting Hill Gate.Who should come:
Everyone! We believe that the more perspectives, the richer the conversation. This group is not about being experts in Philosophy, it is about doing philosophy. That is, bringing our various life experiences and lenses on the world to group discussions about the human experience, the nature of reality... etc. etc....You can get a sense of what the events and community are like here.
Looking forward to meeting & talking with you soon!
Bonny
Relevant links:
SUBSTACK - read more about this community and other related stuff
MAILING LIST - stay in the loop
INSTAGRAM - see what our events look like
WHATSAPP GROUP - very occasional announcements#everyonewelcome #newideas #newpeople #inclusivity #openmindedness #greatconversations
35 attendees
Past events
155


