The Morningside Institute

In this seminar, Professor Gareth Williams (Columbia) explores how the Roman philosopher-politician, Lucius Annaeus Seneca (c. 2 BCE-65 CE), reflects in his Latin philosophical writings on the value of time in life, the importance of dwelling on the fact of our mortality through the different stages of our existence, and on how that perspective affects our ethical life-choices and outlook. Seneca was of course a privileged member of an aristocratic class in a slave society, and his life-reflections therefore presuppose an elite modus vivendi. But how might his writings still inform our own 21st-century lives in an age of AI, deep social unrest, economic stresses, and the hyper-speed of our existence?On Wednesday, October 14, at 6 PM, Morningside welcomed Dr. Gareth Williams (Columbia) for this talk on Seneca and time as the second part of our Great Books for the Age of AI series. Seneca on Time & Mortality Gareth Williams Download

The rise of AI has revived longstanding debates about the nature of art and the roles the mind, the body, and the soul play in the creative act. In some ways, moreover, AI seems to be changing the terms of those debates. David Hajdu, professor of journalism at Columbia and music critic of The Nation, asks, “What's wrong with slop?”On Wednesday, February 4, at 6 PM, Morningside welcomed David Hajdu (Columbia) for a dinner discussion of the nature of art. Can Machines Make Art? David Hajdu Download

Russian cultural history can be described as the conflict between the radical intellectuals, who imagined they had the ideological key to life and society, and the great writers, who viewed the world as far too complex for any single solution. It was the confrontation of certainty with wonder. The radical intelligentsia seized control in 1917, and from that time on, the great writers faced a totalitarian regime. The very extremity of their situation allowed them to address life’s ultimate questions—already the concern of the pre-revolutionary writers—in a new, illuminating way.On Thursday, September 11, at 6 p.m. Morningside and the Galileo Center at the Columbia Law School welcomed Gary Saul Morson (Northwestern) for a lecture on that dialogue of wonder and drawing a few lessons for intellectuals today. Wonder Confronts Certainty, Then and Now Gary Saul Morson Download

Solidarity is a much-used, not to say over-used, slogan these days, both in Catholic Social Teaching and in popular activism. Does it have a clear meaning or is it just an emotive term? In this lecture, Rowan Williams argues that in the context of Christian theology, as St. Augustine's City of God suggests, it does indeed have a strong and distinctive meaning that challenges a lot of what we (Christians and others) assume about human life in society today, raising questions about the common good, common work, and the risks of looking for common enemies.On Monday, September 8, Morningside and the Earl Hall Center for Religious Life at Columbia welcomed the Rt. Rev. Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury, for a lecture on solidarity and the City of God in Columbia University’s Pulitzer Hall lecture room. Solidarity, Communion, and the City of God: Rowan Williams Rowan Williams Download Watch the talk’s live-stream: https://youtu.be/AigmPsVWSD8

In her talk, “Remembering America: The High Stakes of Memory and Moral Imagination in Civic Life,” Angel Adams Parham explores how narratives of the American past, especially those concerning slavery and racial segregation, influence civic unity. She proposes the "integrated blues mode" as a new way to approach American history, which acknowledges the difficult aspects of the past while working towards reconciliation. Parham contrasts this with the "nefarious origins" and "triumph of ideals" perspectives. She illustrates these ideas through local examples from St. Francisville, St. Augustine, and New Orleans, highlighting the importance of engaging with complex histories at a community level. Ultimately, Parham advocates for a nuanced historical understanding that embraces both the challenges and positive aspects of the past to foster civic friendship and a more inclusive American identity.The Morningside Institute hosted a two-day conference on April 4–5, 2025. On its first day, the conference examined some of the radical changes that Western societies are undergoing. On the second day, we explored in greater detail historical examples of how communities have navigated periods of intense cultural change and even devastation. For more information about Living Well at the End of a World, please visit https://www.morningsideinstitute.org/living-well. Remembering America: The High Stakes of Memory and Moral Imagination in Civic Life Angel Adams Parham Download