A philosopher, author, teacher and musician, Francis Métivier turns philosophy into a living experience through Rock’n’Philo, an original format in which ideas meet live music.
Philosophy beyond the walls
Holding a doctorate in philosophy from Paris IV-Sorbonne and the agrégation in philosophy, Francis Métivier devoted his thesis to Søren Kierkegaard. A secondary-school teacher and a lecturer at the Université de Tours, he has also worked on ethics, aesthetics and questions relating to the business world.
But what sets him apart above all is the way he takes philosophy out of its traditional settings. For him, a song, a film or an everyday situation can become a gateway to Descartes, Spinoza, Kant, Pascal, Sartre, Kierkegaard or Simone Weil.
When philosophy meets rock
With Rock’n’Philo, Francis Métivier has developed an instantly recognisable format: one song, one question, one philosopher, one reflection. Guitar in hand, he performs rock and pop songs himself before relating them to the great philosophical questions.
The Pixies can thus lead to Descartes, Nirvana to Pascal, The Who to Spinoza, Pink Floyd to Merleau-Ponty and Axel Bauer to Simone Weil. The show alternates live music and philosophical reflection in an approach that is at once demanding, accessible and resolutely built for the stage.
Philosophy in the service of contemporary challenges
Francis Métivier does not simply talk about philosophy: he uses it to examine the major transformations of our time.
The leader’s freedom, time, motivation, the meaning of work, ethics, mental health, human relationships, generations, the environment and technology are among the subjects he adapts for companies and organisations.
In particular, he has developed specific programmes on generational conflict at work for Vinci, on the relationship between humans and technology, on the body, on mental health and on the leader’s freedom.
A speaker and a performer
Rock’n’Philo has been running for more than a decade and has been presented at companies, universities, grandes écoles, schools and cultural events.
Francis Métivier has notably performed at UNESCO, the Rencontres Philosophiques de Monaco and Popsophia in Italy, as well as for companies such as Vinci Construction and Boehringer Ingelheim.
His format can be adapted to the client’s context and performed solo, as a duo or with several musicians.
