The primary objective of The Helix Center for Interdisciplinary Investigation is not to obtain knowledge, per se, but to aspire to an unhurried search for wisdom, emphasizing the centrality of a sense of wonder in this endeavor. Philosophically, we stand against the trivialization of thought and the balkanization within and between the sciences and the arts. Fundamental to our promotion of these views is our roundtable format of open, spontaneous discourse, one facilitating novel encounters of questioning and understanding among participants. Each program endeavors to expand the boundaries of inquiry by facilitating a creative encounter with uncertainty in the face of scientific and artistic advances. To further nurture opportunities for creative social and intellectual exchange, we also sponsor musical performances, poetry readings, film screenings, and other opportunities for imaginative experience. Visit https://www.helixcenter.org for more!
This roundtable explores the power of words across brain development, medicine, and community, while highlighting the importance of critical thinking in the age of AI and screens.
This roundtable examines how AI is transforming medicine, from genomic modeling to clinical tools used in healthcare systems. It focuses on challenges of trust, evidence, and equity, including how to evaluate AI, ensure fairness, and responsibly integrate data-driven decisions into patient care.
This roundtable explores how traditional intellectual movements and paradigms have fragmented in the postmodern era, challenging the idea of coherent disciplinary progress. It considers how the internet, social fragmentation, and AI are reshaping how knowledge is organized, produced, and understood.
This roundtable explores the motivations and purposes behind writing, challenging the idea that words simply convey facts. It examines how writing can express ambiguity, emotion, intention, and persuasion, shaping both meaning and experience.
This roundtable explores the meaning and value of failure, examining whether persistence leads to growth, success, or its own kind of reward. It considers how cultural, psychological, and philosophical perspectives frame failure as an essential part of the human experience.
This roundtable explores how memory, neuroscience, and storytelling intersect, highlighting memory as a dynamic process that shapes identity, healing, and self-understanding. It examines how art and science together can help us reinterpret and reshape our personal narratives.
This roundtable explores the resurgence of psychoanalysis, examining its enduring appeal despite scientific criticism and changing therapeutic practices. It considers how Freudian ideas continue to influence therapy, the humanities, and contemporary debates in the age of AI.
This roundtable explores the concept of neurodiversity – recognizing variations in neurological function – challenging conventional notions of deficit and considering empathetic approaches to support individuals with diverse cognitive experiences.
This roundtable critically examines the widespread practice of mindfulness meditation, exploring both its potential benefits and emerging concerns regarding commodification, efficacy, and possible adverse effects on mental wellbeing.
This roundtable explores the profound connection between music and human experience, investigating its mathematical foundations, neurological impact, cultural significance, and ability to evoke emotion and community.
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.
This roundtable discusses the concept of Otherness, its origins, significance, and its role in current political polarization, with insights from philosophers, psychoanalysts, social theorists, and historians.
This roundtable brings together poets, psychoanalysts, critics and a translator to discuss the relationship between dementia and language, the impact of aging on reading and writing poetry, the distinction between lived experience and the lyrical, and the role of poetry in aging.
This roundtable discusses various philosophical and scientific perspectives on consciousness, focusing on the theories of Eliminativism and 4E Cognition.
The roundtable discusses the evolution and impact of sound and vibration, particularly in relation to speech and music, and how it influences our emotions and perception of space.
This roundtable explores the evolution and role of taste and discernment in human life, from basic survival to refined pleasure and art, and discusses its implications in aesthetics and practical reason.
This roundtable explores the complex role of olfaction in our lives, from its influence on our emotions and memories to its impact on cultural history and personal interactions.
This roundtable explores the intricate relationship between vision and attention, the role of vision in our perception of truth and falsehood, and the implications of these concepts on our understanding of animal consciousness, sensory perception, and cultural evolution.
This roundtable discusses the impact of media, particularly social media and AI, on society and how it shapes our understanding of reality, based on the ideas of Marshall McLuhan.
