Dear friends of The Lenox Institute, |
Welcome to the third edition of The Lenox Dispatch, the newsletter of The Lenox Institute for Advanced Study! The Dispatch features updates, calls for collaboration, and the occasional bit of lore. This edition contains news about two upcoming programs — including our very first course (!) — plus a few words from Emma about her motivations as a co-founder. |
If you know anybody who might be interested in The Dispatch, please forward them this message or direct them to our website, where they can subscribe. Thanks! |
"Does Expertise Matter?: Authority in the Age of Infinite Information" is coming up on Thursday September 24th, 7-9pm at Index Chinatown. This interactive seminar uses frameworks from epistemology, political theory, and digital culture studies to explore how standards of intellectual authority are shaped by the evolution of technology. For more information and to sign up, click here. Tickets are selling fast, so advance registration is strongly encouraged. |
"Is Everything Predictable?: AI, Prediction Markets, and the Philosophy of Foresight" is a six-week investigation into the practical and philosophical implications of AI, prediction markets, and a society built around digital optimization. The course runs Thursday October 29th through Thursday December 10th, 6:30-9pm at Index Greenpoint. Emma will be joined by three guest faculty members — Leif Weatherby, David Z. Morris, and Mario Khreiche — and students have the option of preparing research to present to the public during the final session, which is a showcase of their work. You can learn more about the course and register here. |
Thoughts on our launch phase |
Over the summer, Emma wrote a brief essay about what she's learned during Lenox's early months, as well as her views on its stakes. See this excerpt: |
I don’t view Lenox as a means to advance particular philosophical or scientific arguments. I am interested in creating conditions where all forms of knowledge seem fundamentally relational, regardless of what they express or imply. That is the one lesson I really care about imparting. Anybody who’s committed to learning and thinking has to realize how much we need each other. |
There’s a bit of strategic theory behind this. A world full of strong connections within and between groups is a world where hate finds few structural footholds. By the same token, a world where social bonds are forged from the sharing and elaboration of knowledge is one where knowledge can’t be easily used against the public. As idealistic as this sounds, my cofounders and I are practical about how far this can take us. We aren’t trying to alter the course of history. We will make as much happen as we can with whatever resources we can muster, without compromising on this principle. |
If there’s a politics to this, it’s not politics as usual. The political framework that’s most relevant is prefigurativism, which doesn’t fall on one side of the left-right spectrum, and which has nothing to do with context-specific configurations like parties and caucuses. Prefiguration isn’t about telling people what to think or do; it’s about creating circumstances where certain values are assumed as axiomatic and then letting the chips fall where they may. It gives the individuals you’re hoping to affect a ton of latitude to respond autonomously. You don’t need to have a particular political outlook to believe in it, but you do need an abundance of optimism and trust in human nature. |
Social learning is the value we’re enacting prefiguratively. Not everyone will walk away from a Lenox course with the same opinion about AI, or internet culture, or this or that theorist (etc etc). If we do things right, though, most of our students will come away with the sort of imaginative and intellectual capabilities you can only acquire through sustained interaction with peers and mentors. These capabilities are liberating and unifying in equal measure. |
The rest of the essay is on Emma's blog. |
If you’re interested in teaching for us, please send us your CV. No need for cover letters or course pitches: if we're interested, we’ll solicit additional materials from you directly. We’re also actively scouting social media professionals to help us build our communications strategy. If you know someone who might be a good fit, we’d love to hear from them. Send all inquiries to info@lenoxinstitute.org. |
Last but not least, visibility remains our greatest asset. Please follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn, and if you've appreciated any of our offerings, spreading the word about future programs or leaving us a thoughtful comment on social media is a big help. As a grassroots initiative, the engagement really makes a difference. |
That’s it for now! Looking forward to all the good things to come — |
— Shannon, Ryan, and Emma |
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