What is a Colloquium?

A colloquium is modelled on the method of inquiry associated with Socrates. Participants discuss a common text together, guided by a moderator who poses questions and draws out close engagement with the readings. The aim is not to reach consensus, but to deepen understanding through careful reading, critical thinking, and respectful discussion.

Discussions at the colloquium follow a code of conduct that encourages participants to listen attentively to others' thoughts, concerns, and questions. This helps deepen their understanding of both the issue and each other.

What is the Topic?

This colloquium is on knowledge. The readings explore how knowledge is created, communicated, and used in society, and what its characteristics imply for markets, expertise, and institutions. The readings draw on economics and related fields to examine how dispersed, partial, and often tacit knowledge shapes decision-making, coordination, and institutional design. Rather than offering a theory of knowledge in the abstract, the texts discuss how real-world constraints on what people can know affect the way societies organise production, science, and governance. 

We will read F.A Hayek, Thomas Sowell, Ludwig von Mises, Michael Polanyi, and a variety of other thinkers to try and understand the topic.

Key Highlights

• Shared exploration of a curated reader.
• The moderator guides discussion without imposing personal interpretations.
• Focus on personal inquiry and open dialogue.

To participate, you must register and pay the participation fee to confirm your seat. A few weeks before the event, CCS shares the reader, an organised set of articles, book chapters, op-eds, and blog posts that establishes a clear flow for understanding the theme. Participants are expected to read and reflect on these texts carefully in advance, as they form the basis for all discussions during the program.

Since participants are responsible for the content of the conversation, the quality of the colloquium depends entirely on their preparation.

Essential Requirements

• Register and pay the participation fee.
• Read the complete reader before the program.
• Come prepared to participate actively in discussions.