IT’S a testament to the success of Brighton and Hove Philosophy In Pubs group that the city has been chosen to host the first national conference to be held outside the scheme’s Liverpool home.

Pam Lelliott has been running the discussion group for the last eight years, which currently meets every second Sunday of the month at The Palmeira, in Cromwell Road, Hove.

“We average between 40 and 50 people every month which is more than any other Philosophy In Pubs meeting around the country,” says Lelliott.

“The topics always revolve around the meaning of life no matter what theme we choose. In the past we looked at what is happiness, why art is important, whether equality is possible and why the one you fancy never fancies you.

“We try to make the topics accessible - we are not an academic group of philosophers, we are just people who enjoy talking about the more important things in life.”

The standard Philosophy In Pubs night is based around small discussion groups with only occasional special guests.

But for this national conference event the discussions will be preceded by a 20 to 30-minute talk by an expert guest speaker followed by an hour of round table discussion.

And the theme this year is conflict, to tie in with the centenary of the First World War.

“Conflict is in our lives all the time,” says Lelliott. “The act of being born is a conflict, we are confronted with conflict in our families and relationships. As a child you have to learn to deal with conflict. We have conflict in our minds the entire time we are making decisions.

“Although it’s connected to the First World War we will be looking at ways to deal with conflict throughout our lives.”

Among the guest speakers are Michael Morris, professor of philosophy at the University Of Sussex, on conflict in the mind; science writer and journalist Dan Jones discussing the origins of “us and them”; Bob Brecher, professor of moral philosophy at the University Of Brighton, debating why this is no such thing as terrorism; and Joanna Bourke, professor of history at Birkbeck College on the social life of weapons.

There are also two evening talks by University Of Sussex senior lecturer in law Dr Tarik Kochi tonight from 8pm asking whether war is ever justified, and special guest Julian Baggini, writer and editor of The Philosophers’ Magazine tomorrow night, will be giving a talk under the title Jaw-jaw Not War-war, from 7.30pm. Separate tickets are available for £5 for each.

The programme won’t be limited to the Imperial Hotel though, with Philosophy In Pubs teaming up with Brighton’s Speakers’ Corner Trust to set up an outdoor event by The Lawns Cafe on Hove seafront.

“We’re hoping to get a lot of people coming down,” says Lelliott. “You don’t have to participate, you can just stand and listen to whoever is talking about whatever subject they choose - it won’t have to be about conflict. There will be a time limit, so people won’t be able to get up there and speak forever.”

As for the national conference itself Lelliott admits it may be the only time it makes it this far south, although Philosophy In Pubs is continuing for the foreseeable future.

“One of the highlights for me at every Philosophy In Pubs meeting is watching people engage in conversation with someone they didn’t even know before,” says Lelliott.

“We get a diverse range of people of all ages and walks of life sitting and expressing their own views.”