Roundtables: 2018

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Our roundtable format is designated the Theaetetus Table, an extempore discussion among five participants, all leaders in their respective fields, and named for the classical Greek mathematician and eponym for the Platonic dialogue investigating the nature of knowledge, who proved that there are five regular convex polyhedra, or Platonic solids. Each Theaetetus Table aspires to emulate the dialogue’s unhurried search for wisdom; and, like the five Platonic solids held to be the fundamental building blocks of the classical elements, the contributions of our five participants become the fundamental constituents of interdisciplinary insights emerging in the alchemy of the roundtable, insights that, in turn, transform the elemental thinking of those participants. The gathering of five discussants also symbolizes the five interrelated qualities of mind our interdisciplinary forums are intended to facilitate in our participants, and inculcate in our audience: curiosity, playfulness, inspiration, reflection, and wonder.

Sat
Feb 10th
2018
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Mind Matters: Past, Present, and Future

This roundtable traces the evolving understanding of mind from ancient philosophical and theological conceptions to contemporary accounts grounded in neuroscience, cognitive science, and computational models. It considers how advances across multiple scientific disciplines have reshaped ideas of mental phenomena, while also reflecting on the continuing roles of metaphysics and theology in interpreting the nature, limits, and future of mind, including speculation on how the concept of mind itself may change in the next century.
Sat
Mar 10th
2018
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Transhumanist Predictions and the Human Predicament

This roundtable brings together perspectives from multiple disciplines to examine transhumanism—the prospect of using technologies such as genomics, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, robotics, and prosthetics to enhance and transform human bodies and minds. It explores visions of radical life extension, digital forms of consciousness, and the idea of a technological “Singularity,” while also considering the broader scientific, philosophical, and cultural implications of moving beyond current conceptions of the human.
Sat
Apr 21st
2018
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Boredom

This roundtable brings together scholars from literature, psychiatry, neurology, cultural history, and law to examine boredom as an aversive yet compelling psychological and cultural state. It explores how boredom is defined, experienced, and understood across disciplines, and invites participants to deepen and expand their perspectives on its meaning and significance.
Sat
May 12th
2018
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The Completeness of Physics

This roundtable examines whether science’s empirical success implies a universal account of reality, or whether reality is better understood as consisting of multiple ontological levels and a plurality of scientific frameworks. It considers tensions between reductionist and pluralist views, and reflects on the implications of these positions for the status of the humanities, the possibility of a unified theory of reality, and the limits of human cognition in grasping such unity.
Thu
Jun 14th
2018
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Creative Turbulence

This roundtable brings together artists and scientists to explore turbulence as both a scientific challenge and a source of artistic inspiration, examining its visualizations, underlying physics, and broader theoretical and philosophical implications. It focuses on the intersection of art and science in understanding complex, self-organizing systems.
Sat
Dec 15th
2018
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The Animal Human Continuum

This roundtable explores the continuity between human and animal minds, examining emotions, consciousness, and behavior across species through perspectives from neuroscience, philosophy, and history. It considers the ethical implications of how we understand and relate to animals, and how these insights inform both science and our treatment of other living beings.

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