Celebrating 80 Years of Encounter Through the Thomas More Discussion Method
Interview with course leaders: Valerie Amyot, Claire English, and Joseph Vietri
Interviewers: Irene Menear and Daniel Schouela
Experience dialogue in action! The first portion of the evening will be a discussion led in the Thomas More Institute style by Valerie Amyot, Claire English, and Joseph Vietri. We will discuss excerpts from Agnes Callard’s recent book Open Socrates: The Case for a Philosophical Life, which places importance on the “outer” space of conversation over the “inner” space of solitary thought. Please read the material that will be sent to you upon registration and come prepared to discuss!
In the second portion of the evening, two long-time members of the Thomas More Institute community, Irene Menear and Daniel Schouela, will interview course leaders Valerie, Claire, and Joseph on the experience of leading discussion and the connections they see between Callard’s work and what we do at the Thomas More Institute. By examining the ways we listen, speak, and interpret together, we will explore how respectful questions asked in community can enable us to attain insights we would not be able to reach in isolation.
Date: April 29, 2026
Time: 6:30 - 8:30 pm
Location: 3405 Atwater Avenue, Montreal
Price: 25$
For students studying for credit at an educational institution, call 514-935-9585 for pricing details.
About the TMI 2026 Spring Series:
As we celebrate the Thomas More Institute’s 80th anniversary, we keep returning to the question that has guided us since 1945: How can we enrich public life through deeper understanding and shared inquiry? We seek to do this through our core programming, as well as by hosting the Annual Spring Interview Series. Launched in 1956 to celebrate the Institute’s tenth anniversary, and initially a single annual lecture, the event soon expanded into a multi-part series of talks and later into an interactive format that paired lectures with open discussion. By the mid-1990s, this evolution culminated in the Annual Spring Interview Series, bringing leading scholars into direct conversation with the public. The series has long supported scholars, emerging scholars, and leading educators by offering a forum for exchange and connection with others in related fields of study.
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