Join us for this pair of free weekend discussions with leading artists, authors, and thinkers as we explore the physical and the metaphysical aspects of the self. These conversations will be moderated by John Schaefer, host of WNYC’s Soundcheck, and will feature live musical performances that touch on each discussion’s theme.

Both events in the Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse
165 West 65th Street, Tenth Floor
FREE

Seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

The Self

What do we mean when we say “I”? Why are you you and not someone else? Do we have coherent, lasting identities, or is our idea of ourselves just a story we each continuously write anew? Modern science seems tantalizingly close to answering unanswerable questions about the evolutionary and neurological origins of consciousness—and whether we might be able to recreate it in silicon. Panelists include philosopher David Chalmers, psychiatrist Anne Hallward, biographer Edmund Morris, and composer and neuroscientist Dave Soldier. Violinist Jennifer Koh will begin the conversation with a solo performance of Bach.

Saturday, October 22 at 11:00 am

Soul Music

For millennia, the question of the self was inseparable from the question of the soul. In the second half of our conversation series, we explore the idea of our unknowable incorporeal essence, and how music can bring us closer to it. Panelists include archaeologist Alison S. Brooks, philosopher David Chalmers, composer Philip Glass, and shape-note singers Sacred Harp, who will kick things off with music from a uniquely American tradition.

Sunday, October 23 at 1:00 pm