Among the regulars of any establishment, there is often a have-a-go philosopher who is as much a fixture as your pumps and optics, or your pub furniture.
These characters often prop up the end of the bar, sharing their wisdom with other customers, and can be either a blessing or a curse depending on how they affect the overall atmosphere of your venue.
But is there genuine wisdom in the things they say, and in the thought-provoking discussions that take place at tables all around your pub as the hours pass and the night wears on?
A paper presented at the Transvaluation Symposium 2015 in Gothenburg, Sweden, looks at public house wisdom - or 'pub knowledge' - with research from Dr Nick Ferguson of Richmond, the American University in London, and Kyoung Kim of Goldsmiths University of London.
They write: "We identify the notion of night-time idea exchange - half-remembered and not infrequently fuelled by alcohol - that later issues moments of clarity."
"A growing dominance of measurement-culture has, wilfully or otherwise, threatened the dialectic process and relegated the role of the public house and pub knowledge," they add. "We advocate a reconsideration of this shift."
While nobody is suggesting carrying out scientific research in a pub environment - no need to add a chemistry workbench to your next order of pub furniture - the research instead relates to stimulating debate, creativity, and the development of ideas through discussion.
In this context, perhaps the more relaxed environment of the pub is the perfect place for people to speak with less reluctance, even on topic areas they might know little about compared to their companions.
"Should artists be in need of a critical vantage point on the aesthetics of sobriety, or in search of a space for collective and expansive, if not unproblematic making and thinking, 'the local' may well be worth the trip," the authors conclude.
As such, from the moral philosopher at the end of the bar, to the debating pairs and larger groups who occupy pub furniture throughout your establishment, we may all be witnessing a return to the classic development of pub knowledge and night-time wisdom.