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138 interdisciplinary discussions spanning 15 seasons, all free and open to the public

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It's About TIME
September 19, 2026

It's About TIME

The roundtable explores the nature of time's arrow -- from David Albert's account of a low-entropy universe unfolding through statistical mechanics toward ever more probable states, to Henri Bergson's insistence on time's continuous, unbroken flow. The discussion asks whether these scientific and...

Claudia Brodsky· Jacob Barandes· Barry Loewer· Maria Balcells· Lila Davachi
Philosophy Physics & Cosmology Consciousness & Mind Memory
Event Details

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All Helix Center Roundtables are free and open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis. No registration required — just show up!

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It's About TIME
September 19, 2026
The Marianne & Nicholas Young Auditorium, 247 East 82nd Street
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Past Roundtables

127 roundtable recordings on the Helix Center YouTube channel, spanning 2013–2026.

It's About TIME
September 19, 2026
It's About TIME
The roundtable explores the nature of time's arrow -- from David Albert's account of a low-entropy universe unfolding through statistical mechanics toward ever more probable...
Philosophy Physics & Cosmology Consciousness & Mind
Claudia Brodsky, Jacob Barandes, Barry Loewer, Maria Balcells, Lila Davachi
Reading and The Brain
May 16, 2026
Reading and The Brain
This roundtable discussion will consider the power of words as evidenced by brain imaging; child development; storytelling in medical settings; reading in community, and, in this...
Neuroscience Education & Knowledge Medicine & Health
Rita Charon, Emily Finn, Nadine Gaab, Susan Neuman
Podcast (1:47:49)
Medicine and AI
April 18, 2026
Medicine and AI
The roundtable examines how artificial intelligence is transforming medicine -- from protein language models that predict genomic variant effects to clinical large language models...
Artificial Intelligence Medicine & Health Biology & Evolution
Tanzeem Choudhury, Nadav Brandes, John F. Crary, Rumi Chunara, Yindalon Aphinyanaphongs
Podcast (1:22:09)
Where Have All the Isms Gone?: On the Evolution of Knowledge
March 7, 2026 · ▶ Video
Where Have All the Isms Gone?: On the Evolution of Knowledge
The roundtable examines how intellectual movements and paradigms have historically organized knowledge within disciplines -- from functionalism and structuralism in anthropology...
Art & Aesthetics Artificial Intelligence Education & Knowledge
Deborah Coen, Brigid Doherty, Gil Eyal, Farzad Mahootian, Jennifer Ratner-Rosenhagen
Podcast
Why We Write
February 21, 2026 · ▶ Video
Why We Write
The roundtable explores motivations behind writing through philosophical and literary lenses. The discussion examines how written words convey meaning, ranging from literal...
Art & Aesthetics Artificial Intelligence Language & Communication
Elizabeth Birkelund, Michael Frank, Paul Fry, Eric Lindstrom, Joseph Luzzi, Honor Moore
Podcast (1:34:15)
Fail Again, Fail Better
November 8, 2025 · ▶ Video
Fail Again, Fail Better
The roundtable explores failure as a fundamental human experience, opening with Samuel Beckett's philosophy: "Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail...
Consciousness & Mind Emotion & Affect Literature & Writing
Michael Coffey, Stuart Firestein, Christopher Lyon, Mark Polizzotti, Nancy Princenthal
Podcast
See Memory
October 4, 2025 · ▶ Video
See Memory
An afternoon exploring art, neuroscience, and storytelling featuring the New York premiere of the expanded 2025 edition of See Memory. This Bronze Telly Award-winning hand-painted...
Art & Aesthetics Artificial Intelligence Emotion & Affect
Viviane Silvera, Daniela Schiller, Cheryl Dolinger Brown, Maura Spiegal, R. John Williams
Podcast (1:08:20)
Resurgence of Freud
September 20, 2025 · ▶ Video
Resurgence of Freud
The event explores why Freud's theories experienced declining influence through the 20th century with advances in psychotropic medications and neurobiology, yet continues to...
Art & Aesthetics Artificial Intelligence Medicine & Health
Stephen Dames, Ben Kafka, Cassie Kaufmann, David Russell, W. Craig Tomlinson
Podcast (1:40:46)
Neurodiversity
May 10, 2025 · ▶ Video
Neurodiversity
The roundtable explores how "neurodiversity recognizes variations in neurological function" while challenging deficit-based thinking. It examines empathetic approaches to...
Emotion & Affect Neuroscience Society & Politics
Inge-Marie Eigsti, Claudia Lugo-Candelas, Amy Lutz, Susan Sherkow, David Sulzer
Podcast (1:33:40)
Mindfulness Meditation: Benefits and Dilemmas
April 19, 2025 · ▶ Video
Mindfulness Meditation: Benefits and Dilemmas
Mindfulness meditation is one of the most popular contemplative techniques in the world. Recently, however, a number of influential criticisms of the practice have emerged, many...
Consciousness & Mind Death & Spirituality Emotion & Affect
Mark Epstein, David Forbes, Andrea Jain, Tim McHenry, Catherine Wikholm, R. John Williams
Podcast (1:32:28)
Music and Mind
March 22, 2025 · ▶ Video
Music and Mind
The roundtable investigates "the profound connection between music and human experience," examining its mathematical foundations, neurological impact, cultural significance, and...
Emotion & Affect Music Neuroscience
Jane Ira Bloom, Rosanne Cash, Lydia Goehr, Joseph LeDoux, Joanne Loewy, David Silbersweig
Podcast (1:32:18)
Why War?
January 11, 2025 · ▶ Video
Why War?
This question is nearly always posed rhetorically, as in: there is no 'good' reason for war, is there? But responses to Why War? that grasp it literally are surely also called...
Emotion & Affect Psychology Society & Politics
Richard Betts, Marc Kissel, Dayu Lin, Charles Marmar, Edward Nersessian, Joe Peyronnin
Podcast (1:53:33)
Otherness
November 16, 2024 · ▶ Video
Otherness
The roundtable examines the concept of Otherness through an interdisciplinary lens, exploring its origins, significance, and role in contemporary political polarization. Key...
History & Culture Identity & Self Psychoanalysis
Jessica Benjamin, Janice Edwards, Daniel Goldin, George Makari, Daniel Posner, Eyal Rozmarin, Jasper St. Bernard
Podcast (1:47:23)
The Poetry of Aging
November 2, 2024 · ▶ Video
The Poetry of Aging
The roundtable explores how aging and mortality intersect with poetic expression. It addresses several key questions: "What is the relationship between dementia and language?" and...
Artificial Intelligence Consciousness & Mind Language & Communication
Rachel Hadas, Owen Lewis, James Marcus, Wendy Sloan, Caitlin Snow
Podcast (1:27:03)
Come Out Wherever You Are: In Search of Consciousness
September 21, 2024 · ▶ Video
Come Out Wherever You Are: In Search of Consciousness
The roundtable explores philosophical positions on consciousness through three main perspectives. Panpsychism posits that "consciousness is a property of all matter, large and...
Art & Aesthetics Consciousness & Mind Ethics & Morality
Katalin Balog, Paul Boghossian, Amy Cook, John Hunter, Barbara Montero
Podcast (1:42:47)
Synthetic Consciousness: Seeing and Believing
May 11, 2024 · ▶ Video
Synthetic Consciousness: Seeing and Believing
The roundtable explores the interconnection between vision and attention, examining how these faculties shape our perception of truth and falsehood. Core topics include animal...
Biology & Evolution Consciousness & Mind History & Culture
Elissa Aminoff, Kevin Chan, Paul Linton, Kenneth Miller, Andrew Shum
Podcast (1:37:38)
Striking a Chord: Hearing and Space
April 27, 2024 · ▶ Video
Striking a Chord: Hearing and Space
The roundtable examined how vibration and sound shape human perception and emotion. Topics included the evolution from basic vibration sense to speech and echolocation, the role...
Emotion & Affect Language & Communication Music
Mahan Azadpour, Christopher Cerrone, Edgar Choueiri, Jill Gordon, Tristan Perich
Podcast (1:55:19)
Discovering the What and the Wherefore: Scents and Sensibility
April 13, 2024 · ▶ Video
Discovering the What and the Wherefore: Scents and Sensibility
The roundtable examines olfaction as the first remote sense, exploring how smell creates "a series of pathways laid out on gradients" that orient organisms toward meaningful...
History & Culture
Clare Batty, James Bower, Andreas Keller, John McGann, Dmitry Rinberg, Mark Smith
Podcast (1:48:23)
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