The Psychology of Alan Watts: Finding meaning in an anxious age

Explore Alan Watts' timeless wisdom and discover what his ideas can teach us about anxiety, meaning, and modern life. Why do so many of us feel disconnected, anxious and constantly in search of something more? Alan Watts spent his life exploring this question. One of the twentieth century's most celebrated philosophical voices, he challenged the idea that we are separate from the world around us, arguing instead that we are deeply connected to nature, to each other, and to life itself. With warmth, humour, and remarkable clarity, Watts offered a fresh perspective on happiness, identity, meaning, and what it means to be human. In this talk, David Bramwell unpacks the philosopher’s big themes and asks: if Watts’ was around today, how might he have responded to our current crisis of conflict, ecocide, culture wars and anxiety? Drawing on Watts' wisdom, humour, and radical way of seeing the world, David explores what his ideas can still teach us about how to live, think, and find our place in an increasingly uncertain age.