The Lyceum Movement

10/13/2026

REGISTER https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2000642904784?aff=oddtdtcreator

10/06/2026

Later this month--we often hear today about AI systems 'learning.' But what does true, human learning look like? Join us at Mainframe, October 29. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2000642904784?aff=oddtdtcreator

09/18/2026

Going forward, there will be nothing more timely, and timeless, then conversations like this. Early bird registration open.https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1997641972916?aff=oddtdtcreator

09/17/2026

Join us for a new series with acclaimed philosopher Scott Samuelson this Fall.

Could it be that art holds the key to figuring out who we want to become in the age of AI? This program of three talks by ISU’s award-winning philosopher Scott Samuelson explores what we can learn from how artists have portrayed and embodied active minds engaged with the world. Everybody knows Rodin’s famous Thinker. Everybody has seen the clichés of head scratching and lightbulb a-ha’s. It’s time to delve deeper into art and thinking!

Join Scott Samuelson as he explores true education in the age of AI through Raphael's famous painting "The School of Athens"

09/11/2026

You can now listen to a recording of our fascinating conversation on the ethics of migration from Tallgrass 2026! https://open.spotify.com/episode/1nqaeyV1wVBB866Ud5wBHm?si=d2e1281feb9f4a35A

Welcome to the Lyceum · Episode

08/27/2026

This year at Tallgrass, philosopher Scott Samuelson shared his Seven Puzzles About the Pursuit of Happiness. Read it here!

08/13/2026

We were delighted to have Dr. Alison Lynch of the University of Iowa and Valerie Pavilonis of The Dispatch with us on Saturday discussing causes and responses to the ongoing mental health crisis. If we are meant, in this country, to "pursue happiness" there is a need to address the major causes that impede a significant portion of the population in this pursuit.

08/10/2026

Should the aim of technology be to eliminate suffering, inconvenience, and friction?

There are reasons to think some kinds of suffering might be necessary for a full human life. Growth, whether in the classroom, relationships, or at the gym, can't be obtained without difficulty. At the same time, to be open to relationships and to love is to be open to the possibility of hurt and loss. To eliminate these things with technology might mean to eliminate something essential to human flourishing.

Many thanks to Dr. Ali Hasan from for joining us at the Des Moines Festival of Ideas to discuss the ethics of 'artificial intelligence'!

08/07/2026

Tonight, two Iowa State scholars of politics discuss the meaning of "the pursuit of happiness" followed by a performance by classical pianist Brian Billion. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1983991406705?aff=oddtdtcreator

08/06/2026

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1983991406705?aff=oddtdtcreator
The day is almost here! Still time to register, to defy the culture of isolation, and engage in one of the most truly human things: seeking the truth together.