Sat
Nov 18th
2017
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American Poetry Today

This roundtable brings together contemporary poets to discuss the evolving nature, role, and significance of poetry today, considering its relationship to other forms of communication and expression such as fiction, journalism, and film. Framed by reflections from figures such as Ezra Pound and William Carlos Williams, the discussion explores how modern poetry engages with diverse aesthetic, sociopolitical, and psychological concerns, and what unique forms of meaning, perception, and experience it offers in an age of media saturation and rapid cultural change.
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
Sep 21st
2019
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Lying

This roundtable explores the nature of truth and lying, examining how statements can be true, misleading, or shaped by omission, belief, and context. It considers psychological and philosophical perspectives on deception, including how and why individuals construct and believe falsehoods.
Sat
Sep 23rd
2023
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Emotion

This roundtable explores the nature of emotion as a fundamental yet paradoxical aspect of human life, examining its roles in the brain, behavior, and evolution. It considers whether emotions can be understood, controlled, or even replicated in AI, and what they reveal about consciousness and human experience.
Sat
Jan 11th
2025
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Why War?

This roundtable delves into the complex roots of warfare, examining psychological, sociological, and political factors – from innate aggression to social oppression and nationalism – in pursuit of understanding how to mitigate conflict.