John Stoszkowski · Philosophy

Hello, I’m John.

I’m a reformed academic with a penchant for philosophy. Frankly, I’ve had enough of the doom and gloom.

I’m interested in syntropy: making life richer, more energetic, and more coherent. There’s still plenty to understand, create, and make better.

I write and teach philosophy in that spirit, introducing curious people to thinkers and ideas that help us make sense of things and see what else is possible.

John

John Stoszkowski

Background

A little more about me

I spent fifteen years in academia, researching how people learn, think, and develop judgement. My background is in sport and human development.

Outside my work, I paint, play records, and battle the elements on my allotment in pursuit of perfect fruit and veg.

Qualifications

  • Senior Fellowship (SFHEA), 2019
  • Ph.D. in Social Learning, University of Lancashire, 2015
  • PGCert in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, University of Lancashire, 2012
  • Master of Philosophy, University of Birmingham, 2010
  • B.Sc. in Sports Science, Lancaster University, 2005

Writing

Books

Work

More about working with me

Much of my work happens through Syntropise, which I co-founded. I also teach philosophy one-to-one, shaped around the things you’re curious about.

We might explore what makes a good life, how we come to see the world as we do, or what it means to create something worthwhile. I introduce different thinkers, explain their ideas, and explore them with you through conversation.

There’s pleasure in understanding something for its own sake. Sometimes an idea also gives words to an experience, unsettles an assumption, or opens up a possibility you hadn’t noticed.

You don’t need to have studied philosophy before. Wanting to learn is enough.

If that sounds like your kind of thing, write to me and tell me what’s on your mind. You can also take Thinking Fit to see if we’d work well together.

Influences

Some of my favourite thinkers, painted by me
Heraclitus, painted by John Stoszkowski
William Blake, painted by John Stoszkowski
Arthur Schopenhauer, painted by John Stoszkowski
Friedrich Nietzsche, painted by John Stoszkowski
Henri Bergson, painted by John Stoszkowski
Alfred North Whitehead, painted by John Stoszkowski
Rudolf Steiner, painted by John Stoszkowski
Ernst Bloch, painted by John Stoszkowski
Lao Tzu, painted by John Stoszkowski
Martin Heidegger, painted by John Stoszkowski
Owen Barfield, painted by John Stoszkowski
Hannah Arendt, painted by John Stoszkowski
Clare Graves, painted by John Stoszkowski
Ray Peat, painted by John Stoszkowski
Mae-Wan Ho, painted by John Stoszkowski
Iain McGilchrist, painted by John Stoszkowski

My philosophy

A few things I believe

  • Reality is always richer than our descriptions of it.

    What disappears when you think you’ve named something?

  • Perception comes before prescription.

    What becomes possible when you learn to see differently?

  • Wisdom matters more than knowledge.

    What’s the difference between knowing something and knowing how to live?

  • Education should make you your own authority.

    At what point does learning become thinking for yourself?

  • Freedom comes with responsibility.

    Can you be free without becoming answerable for what you choose?

  • Life should still feel like an adventure.

    What happens to a life when nothing genuinely unexpected is allowed to enter it?

  • Coherence matters more than certainty.

    Does a life have to be certain to hang together?

  • The good life is participatory.

    What kind of life emerges when you stop standing outside it?

Allotment

My favourite place
The plot before cultivation, with neighbouring sheds and houses beyond.
A wide view of the allotment before the beds were prepared.
Freshly turned soil beside the allotment sheds.
A newly dug bed seen across the low fence.
Laid-out beds and paths across the allotment.
Freshly prepared beds divided by paths.
Young plants in grow bags inside the greenhouse.
Rows of young plants emerging from the soil.
The prepared beds and greenhouse in late spring.
Green netting around beds filling with summer growth.
Flowering potato plants beside the shed.
Green allotment beds in early summer.
A tray filled with freshly picked red and dark berries.
A handful of beetroot pulled from the allotment.
Bowls of berries beside a courgette and a freshly pulled root vegetable.
Freshly dug red and pale potatoes spread over the soil.
Apples, berries, beetroot and courgettes gathered in bags and baskets.
A colourful harvest of courgettes, potatoes, carrots, tomatoes and berries.
Beetroot, courgettes and berries gathered beside the bed.
An orange pumpkin ripening among its leaves.
Beetroot, yellow courgettes, cucumbers and berries arranged in a tray.
A wide view across the allotment in full summer growth.
A dog beside a bowl of freshly picked raspberries.
A dog beside bowls of strawberries, raspberries and currants.
A dog on the allotment path beside growing pumpkins.
Rows of freshly harvested red and pale onions drying on a board.
Ripening pumpkins among green leaves.
Apples growing on a tree in the allotment.
A box of potatoes, onions, leeks and berries.
A dog beside trailing squash plants.
Beetroot, potatoes, leeks and a few raspberries laid out after picking.
An orange butterfly resting on a round pale flower head.
Freshly harvested carrots with their leafy tops.

Contact

john@johnstoszkowski.com