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Kant’s Cave: Philosophy & AI: Does AI Make Us Better Thinkers?

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Explore whether AI strengthens independent thought or encourages cognitive dependency at this hybrid philosophy discussion in London.

On Tuesday 8 September 2026, from 7:30pm to 9:00pm BST, Philosophy For All London brings its Kant’s Cave series to St Hilda’s East Community Centre in Shoreditch, with the option to attend online via Zoom. The central question is both practical and philosophical: does AI think for us, or can it help us think better for ourselves?

Thinking with,or through,AI

Philosophy For All’s Alexandra Konoplyanik and Anja Steinbauer will be in conversation with Tom Berman, founder of RationalGrid. Together, they will examine the growing concern that relying on machines for answers, explanations and arguments could weaken our ability,or willingness,to reason independently.

Rather than assuming that AI is either inherently harmful or automatically beneficial, the discussion will consider how outcomes may depend on our habits and on the design of the tools themselves. General-purpose chatbots and systems created specifically for exploration and critical thinking may affect their users in very different ways.

Questions explored during the event include:

  • Does outsourcing cognitive work necessarily mean outsourcing thought?
  • When does AI support thinking, and when does it replace it?
  • Is the real danger found in AI itself or in the habits we develop around it?
  • How does an AI tool’s design shape the kind of thinking it enables?
  • Can AI expose assumptions, objections and possibilities we might otherwise miss?
  • What separates receiving a good answer from genuinely understanding something?
  • Could AI encourage passivity while also helping us become more questioning and reflective?
  • What would an AI genuinely designed to improve human thinking look like?

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