FIELD TRIP
On the Equality of All Things: Carlo Rovelli in conversation with Iain McGilchrist
An Evening of Dialogue at the Sheldonian Theatre in Oxford
The Sheldonian Theatre is one of Oxford's great ceremonial spaces — Wren's first major commission, intimate despite its scale. We're using this evening as a gathering point: a chance to meet around ideas that matter, in a place worthy of them.
Carlo Rovelli's new book asks what physics can tell us about the nature of reality — and arrives at something surprisingly contemplative: no final foundations, no hierarchies, only a universe of mutual reflections in which we find ourselves, unexpectedly, at home. Ian McGilchrist is in conversation with him, which means the evening will attend not just to what we know but to how we know it.
The ancient frame Rovelli invokes — Zhuangzi dreaming he is a butterfly, waking to wonder which is the dream — is one we know well.
HOW THE EVENING UNFOLDS
6:30 pm We gather on the Weston Library steps
Time to find each other, settle in, and hold a brief orienting question before the talk. A short walk from the Sheldonian.
7:00 pm Conversation Begins
Carlo Rovelli in conversation with Iain McGilchrist. Sheldonian Theatre, Broad Street.
8:30 pm Talk ends — we reconvene at the Turf Tavern
A few minutes' walk to one of Oxford's oldest pubs, tucked behind New College. We'll hold a short reflection before the evening opens into conversation.
~10:00 pm Evening ends
PRACTICAL NOTES
Event tickets — Booked directly through Blackwell's. Book early — this will sell out.
Contemplative Labs gathering fee — £5, covering coordination and hosting.
Location — Sheldonian Theatre, Broad Street, Oxford. No parking on-site; public transport or park-and-ride recommended.
Field Trips are Contemplative Labs gatherings built around a shared experience in the world.