About
About The Socrates Project
The Socrates Project is a dynamic hub for interdisciplinary collaborations, creative exploration and public engagement with the pressing issues of our times. The Project is intended to deepen the connection between the University and the wider society. Since it was launched in 2018, the Socrates Project has welcomed over 10,000 individuals to more than 60 events – lectures and debates that spark debate and illuminate ideas to virtual reality presentations and live performances that move audiences and shift perceptions.
Guests and events have included Masha Gessen, Cindy Blackstock Tafelmusik, Hugh Segal, The Kronos Quartet, David Johnson, Peggy Baker Dance Projects, Mark Blyth, Jeremy Dutcher, Cynthia Enloe, and many more.
Foundation of the Socrates Project
The Socrates Project is grounded in the conviction of its donor, McMaster alumnus and Chancellor Emeritus Lynton (Red) Wilson, that “we must constantly work to better understand who we are – our histories, our communities, our cultures, ourselves – if we are to realize our goals and make sound decisions about our nation and our place in the world.”
Explore our four series: Living Democracy, Human >< Nature, Future of Work, and Critical Culture.
Our programming
Asking Questions. Pushing Boundaries. Finding Common Ground. Find out how we apply this philosophy in our work.
Living Democracy Learn More
Democracy can be strengthened or weakened, made anemic or vital. This series assumes democracy must be tended and offers differing, sometimes competing, ways of doing so.
Future of Work Learn More
Dramatic changes in technology, the economy, and climate concerns are shifting how, where, when, and why we work. This series looks at some of the major factors influencing the nature of work in the 21st Century.
Human >< Nature Learn More
Some are calling this The Anthropocene Age. This series explores the impact of humans on nature, and of nature on human societies, from animal studies to climate change.
Critical Culture Learn More
Creativity is a powerful route to an enlightened view of the world, to the development of critical thinking, and to the visionary responses to the opportunities and challenges ahead.