Fellow Interintellects — both hosts and attendees — have undertaken a great and beautiful task: to create a new platform on which better, kinder, more patient and more constructive public engagement can take place. One that builds understanding, friendship and cooperation. One where knowledge is increased both about the world and ourselves.
In order to make this possible, we abide by five simple rules which every one of our events — whatever the topic, format, geography or language — must respect.
In sum, every Interintellect event is….
Table of Contents
Open
As much as possible, we try to welcome the wider world to our salons. We articulate our topic, make sure the news reaches those interested in it, and create an environment newcomers can enjoy too. This way we find new “fellow Interintellects,” make new friends, and extend our horizons — continuously.
Our special combination of safety (reliably repeated format, faces you’ll see again, personable host, etc.) and novelty creates the magic of ii salons!
Nonpolitical
This is a shorthand for “ii salons don’t have agenda”—we don’t engage in missionary work for political, religious or marketing goals. In fact, our events don’t have any goal beyond themselves: we gather as in an infinite game, on a playground for thinking, an arena to share and exchange our thoughts. (Our “goal” — as in Carse’s system — is simply to keep playing.)
Naturally, as we discuss life, we also discuss history, business, political science, philosophy, faith, etc., as key topics for understanding ourselves and the world around us. But, as we say, our hosts’ job is to “keep things complicated”: to keep the arena safe for play for everyone.
Balanced
As much as possible, we strive to make equal speaking time possible for all attendees. It’s not mandatory, of course: we offer it, but any attendee can decide they prefer to be more reserved or vocal during a salon.
The “minimum” participation we expect from ii attendees, as specified in the Code of Conduct, is that they use their real names on Zoom, introduce themselves, and turn on their camera when they speak.
Multidisciplinary
In the ii, we enjoy combining different areas of knowledge. We as a community are not multidisciplinary in the sense that we “put an engineer and a psychologist next to each other”—rather, every individual in our midst has varied interests themselves! This manifests in our salons and other events being less siloed into academic or professional disciplines, and more like a labyrinth of interesting paths offering surprising bridges.
Accessible
Interintellect events are approachable for any level of knowledge in any topic.
Our neuroscience gatherings are attended by famed practitioners and also laypeople reading about the human mind for the first time. Our ethics conversations include people exploring the study of morality without any prior education! When we say “bridges,” we truly mean it…