THE TABULA PROJECT: Socratic Dialogues

Our thinking needs to evolve if we are to rise to the scale of the climate crisis.  A series of Socratic dialogues at St Andrews Botanic Garden will explore how we might embrace holistic thinking and develop a response to the climate crisis that creates unity rather than division.

The Tabula Project: A Blueprint for Change calls for new thinking and a transformation of our relationship with the environment on which we depend.  We are wired to focus on immediate self-interest, but the result is a lack of systemic wisdom.  We need to think and act in a global long-term context.  Such a realignment would be profoundly transformative for businesses, governments and across all parts of society.

By examining our current thought patterns and clearing away the main obstructions to progress we can begin the work of building a new paradigm.  The series of Socratic Dialogues corresponds to the three parts of The Tabula Project: Examining Thought, Clearing the Mind and Building a New Framework.

No pre-booking is needed.  The Socratic dialogues are open to all visitors to St Andrews Botanic Garden and will take place at The Tabula Project exhibition venue in ‘The Boiler Room’ at St Andrews Botanic Garden, Canongate, St Andrews, Fife KY16 8RT

PART I: Examining Perceptions | Tuesday 14^th October 14:30-16:00 

Faulty perception is at the root of our suffering and of much of the trouble in the world.  If we can correct this perception the world will radically change.

We need to examine ourselves, the filter through which we perceive the world. This leads to recognition of our fundamental interdependence with each other and the biosphere.

• Are you aware of the main assumptions and preconceptions affecting your thinking, and how they influence decision-making?
• How might we become more honest and self-aware about the rationale for decision making?
• How can we as individuals and as a society develop a more sustainable ethos that would enable us to respond adequately to the climate crisis?

PART II: Clearing Obstructions | Wednesday 15^th October 15:00-16:30

Our minds are often cluttered with repetitive thoughts that make it very difficult for us to be fully present and hinder us as individuals and as a society.  Managing the mind is a key skill, and this includes the discipline at times to be able to switch thought off.

We need to discover the ability to live fully in the here and now.  This is the path to true understanding.

• Socrates once declared “the unexamined life is not worth living”.  How might we learn to observe ourselves with a higher degree of detachment?
• What would you regard to be the main obstacles to greater self awareness?
• How might we overcome the barriers to having a clear mind and to living fully in the present?

PART III: Building a New Paradigm | Thursday 16^th October 15:00-16:30

Art can be a window into higher awareness. The goal is a new integrated framework for thought. The whole mind is in balance, with thoughts, feelings and intuitions working together in harmony.

The mind becomes a tool at our disposal.  Free from incessant thoughts we can become open to new insights and will eventually be able to reach a place of enlightenment.

• “We need a radical transformation of our relationship with the environment on which we depend”. Do you agree with this statement?
• What do you consider to be the building blocks of a new paradigm that would equip us to rise to our serious social, environmental and systemic challenges?
• How might we foster wider recognition and understanding of our fundamental interdependence with each other and the biosphere?

The Socratic Dialogues are part of THE TABULA PROJECT: Events Programme 2025.  A series of Roundtable Discussions will feature contributions from leading figures from the worlds of politics, business and academia.  An exhibition of The Tabula Project will be on display at St Andrews Botanic Garden 13th-17th October and in an online gallery hosted by the Centre for Energy Ethics throughout Autumn 2025.