Podcast: The Helix Center

Sat
Apr 22nd
2017
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Design in Nature

This roundtable examines the concept of “design” in nature, considering whether the apparent order, efficiency, and aesthetic coherence of natural forms can be understood without invoking external teleology. It explores how ideas of immanent purpose, as discussed in classical philosophy (e.g., Aristotelian thought), relate to modern perspectives grounded in Darwinian evolution and physical first principles, and whether principles from physics, biology, and complex systems can account for the emergence of functional and adaptive structures in nature.
Sat
Feb 25th
2017
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The Displaced and The Other

This roundtable examines the human experience of migration and displacement, both historically and in the present day, in the context of large-scale global crises affecting refugees and displaced populations. It considers the social, ethical, and psychological dimensions of how individuals and societies respond to forced movement, exploring questions of compassion, responsibility, identity, and the conditions that foster either empathy or detachment in the face of human vulnerability and instability.
Sat
Feb 11th
2017
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Pain

This roundtable explores the nature of pain as both a biological signal and a subjective experience, examining how it arises, how it is processed in the nervous system, and how it relates to affect, behavior, and homeostasis. It also considers current scientific approaches to pain management, including the use and risks of analgesics such as opioids, and reflects on the ethical challenges involved in advancing pain research and treatment for both humans and other species.
Sat
Jan 28th
2017
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The Library as Reality and Metaphor

This roundtable explores the significance of libraries across their many forms—physical, digital, and cognitive—as systems for organizing, preserving, and transmitting knowledge. It considers their epistemic and mnemonic roles in shaping how information is stored, accessed, and interpreted, as well as their broader cultural and philosophical importance in structuring individual and collective understanding.
Sat
Oct 22nd
2016
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Embodied AI

This roundtable examines the concept of embodied cognition and its implications for artificial intelligence systems that integrate perception, action, and interaction with the physical world. It considers how technologies such as machine learning and natural language processing, when combined with sensory and motor capabilities, can move beyond abstract computation to engage with real-world environments, augment human abilities, and support complex tasks across domains such as healthcare, industry, and human–machine collaboration.
Sat
Sep 24th
2016
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Happiness

This roundtable explores the concept of happiness from philosophical, psychological, and ethical perspectives, examining how it is defined, measured, and understood across both individual experience and the span of a life. It considers questions about the relationship between pleasure and well-being, the role of happiness in relation to others’ welfare, and how contemporary approaches such as positive psychology influence broader social, economic, and policy frameworks.
Sat
May 7th
2016
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Fear: Wherefore, Whence?

This roundtable explores fear and anxiety as multi-layered phenomena involving neurobiological, physiological, behavioral, cognitive, and unconscious processes. It examines how these states are generated and experienced, compares human expressions of fear with those observed in other animals, and considers how perspectives from neuroscience, psychology, and psychoanalysis contribute to understanding anxiety as a central aspect of mental life and its broader implications for cognition and behavior.