Escaping the Cave

Escaping the Cave:
Plato in Science, Art and Spirituality

26–27 November 2026

Location: Cambrige, UK

Keynote: Professor Angie Hobbs FRSA
With Dr. Jonathan Allday, Professor Paul Bishop, Mark Vernon

Conference Chair: Professor Alison Liebling

A free public lecture followed by an intimate one-day conference exploring the continuing relevance of Plato’s thought to science, philosophy, art, spirituality and contemporary life.

Jointly sponsored by the Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge and the Pari Center.

Choose How You Would Like to Attend

Thursday, 26 November

Public Lecture with Professor Angie Hobbs — FREE

Flourishing, Character and Justice: Why Plato Matters Now

Attendance is free, but advance registration is required.

Please book a FREE ticket to reserve your place at the lecture.

Following the lecture, there will be:

• 18:30–19:15 Drinks Reception
• 20:00 Optional Group Dinner at a Local Restaurant

If you would like to join us for dinner, please indicate this when reserving your free ticket below so that we can include you in the restaurant booking.

Dinner and drinks on November 26 are not included. Each guest will order and pay for their own food and drinks directly at the restaurant.

[RESERVE YOUR FREE TICKET – NOVEMBER 26]

Friday, 27 November

Escaping the Cave — One-Day Conference

£280 per person

The conference is limited to 22 participants, creating an intimate setting for presentations, discussion and conversation with the speakers.

Your £280 ticket includes:

• Full-day conference attendance on November 27
• Arrival coffee
• Mid-morning coffee
• Lunch
• Afternoon coffee
• Evening arrival drinks at Trinity Hall
• Dinner at Trinity Hall

All of the above is included in your £280 conference ticket.

Places are limited to 22 participants and advance booking is essential.

[BOOK YOUR CONFERENCE TICKET – £280]

Plato’s metaphor of the cave, an underground vault where back-lit humans observe life’s goings on as a play of shadows on a wall, has long held a fascination for thinkers. It suggests that the world we experience in our day-to-day business is not all that there is. Rather it arises from structures that are less substantial to our senses, but equally real, existing in a layer of reality beneath the commonplace. Philosophically, the mainstream has moved away from Neo-Platonism, but suggestions from quantum mechanics, mathematics and other aspects of science, along with the philosophy of mind and some modern thinking on aesthetics, ethics and morality, suggest that Plato’s ideas are worth revisiting.

This two-day event features a keynote presentation by Professor Angie Hobbs FRSA, with the title: ‘Flourishing, Character and Justice: Why Plato Matters Now’ on day one, followed by a single-day conference with other speakers as well as delegate discussions on the relevance of Plato’s thought to modern times. The second day will be limited to 22 attendees and will finish with dinner at a Cambridge college. Lunch will also be provided during the day.

Programme

26th November

17:00 Public Lecture and Keynote Presentation: Professor Angie Hobbs FRSA

To be held at: The Institute of Criminology, Sidgwick Avenue room B3/4

Flourishing, Character and Justice: Why Plato Matters Now

What might it mean to live a flourishing life? And what is the relationship between flourishing and the virtues, especially justice? In this talk based on her recent book, Professor Angie Hobbs explores how Plato can help us with these urgent questions, and how he addresses the key issue of character formation, and why it never benefits us to return wrong for wrong. She shows how she has used his methodology, ideas and arguments in a variety of sectors to address contemporary issues in education, faith–secular debate, health care and the civil service, and invites the audience to discuss with her what further lessons can be applied. We are living in fast-moving and uncertain times and need ancient wisdom more than ever. Plato really does matter, right now!

Why Plato Matters Now (Bloomsbury 2025). angiehobbs.com

18:30 – 19:15 Drinks Reception

20:00 Dinner at local restaurant

By prior arrangement, attendees to pay for their own meals and drinks

27th November
Conference Escaping the Cave

To be held at: The Institute of Criminology, Sidgwick Avenue Boardroom

Dress code: (for dinner in Trinity Hall)

• Ladies: smart casual — relaxed tailoring, smart separates or a day dress
• Gentlemen: smart casual — blazer, flannels and an open-collared shirt; no tie required

09:30 Arrival and coffee

10:00 Welcome and introductions

10:30 Presentation 1
Dr Jonathan Allday: A Realistic Approach to Quantum Reality

The case for an objectively real layer of potential reality

Followed by discussion

11:30 Mid-morning coffee

11:50 Presentation 2
Prof. Paul Bishop: Plato and Politics in the Classroom

Reflections on the experience of using the “Socratic method” to teach political thought.

Followed by discussion

13:00 Lunch

14:00 Presentation 3: Dr Mark Vernon: Perceiving The Eternal: Plato’s Ideas, Blake’s Vision

Followed by discussion

15:10 Afternoon Coffee

15:30 Pannel discussion with audience Q&A

17:00 Closing

19:00 for 19:30: Dinner Trinity Hall, with arrival drinks