Seattle Philosophy Club

In The Interpretation of Dreams (1899), Sigmund Freud proposed that modern man had suffered three profound humiliations at the hands of science.

The first was the Copernican humiliation: the discovery that our Earth was not the center of the universe, as we had assumed, but rather an infinitesimal rock orbiting an average star against the backdrop of a universe of incomprehensible immensity.

The second was the Darwinian humiliation: the discovery that humans were not created in the image of an omnipotent God, as their holy books claimed, but rather a species of animal more or less distantly related to every other living thing on Earth, from the ape to the lowest slime mold.

The third was the psychoanalytic, or Freudian humiliation: the discovery that our conscious thoughts represent but a tiny portion of our mental lives, and that the unconscious mind is a dark abyss of hidden drives and desires that we cannot ever fully control or understand.

I can think of one that Freud missed: the humiliation of deep time, or the discovery that civilization, and even the human species itself, had existed for only a small portion of Earth’s history, and that there is every reason to assume that at some point in the future we, like most of the species that have ever existed, will go extinct. (Arguably, the humiliation of deep time is already implied by the Copernican and Darwinian humiliations.)

A fifth humiliation that Freud did not live long enough to witness might be called the algorithmic humiliation. Computer algorithms can generate coherent original text and images, solve problems, play chess or go, explain concepts, calculate, translate, brainstorm, plan, recognize patterns, analyze arguments, and write code. Even in their infancy, computer algorithms can already perform these tasks better than most humans, and much faster than any human could ever dream. The near future will only expand the distance between our capacities and theirs.

Was Freud correct to call such discoveries and developments "humiliations"? If so, would we have been better off without them? Are they occasions for existential despair? Or opportunities for maturity and growth?

Symptom-free (of potentially contagious disease) people with the capacity to listen considerately to diverse viewpoints are invited to attend after successfully RSVPing.

We begin the meeting at 7:30 pm sharp at the mezzanine above the lobby of the Graduate Hotel in the University District: 4507 Brooklyn Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98105.

Directions for first-timers at the Graduate Hotel:
From the front hotel entrance go to the right. Turn left around the corner to enter through the north valet entrance. If the valet questions you just say you're here for the philosophy group. Go straight to the main lobby and turn right behind the large bookshelves before the elevators. Enter the stairway on your left, go up one flight, and go through the first door you encounter to enter our meeting area.

AMAZON FORMAT (AZF):
We will begin the meeting by reading the subject text above silently together.

OPENING ROUNDTABLE FORMAT (ORF):

1. The topic presenter begins the discussion by explaining why they are interested in the topic and some introductory thoughts on it.
2. Each participant in turn going clockwise from the presenter describes their general thoughts on the topic.
3. If one is not ready to speak they can just say “pass” and the next person speaks.
4. After we've gone around once anyone who passed will get a second chance to comment.
5. Once everyone has given opening remarks or passed twice, Opening Roundtable is completed and the meeting shifts into its main format.

TIMED DIRECTION FORMAT (TDRF>4):
If there are more than 4 people present we will use the format below.

1. We will divide up the timed direction discussion time by the number of participants plus one (for a buffer). A timer will be set for this amount of time.
2. Each participant in turn will become a Discussion Director and lead the group discussion.
3. If one is not ready to direct they dimply say “pass” and the next person becomes the Discussion Director.
4. Anyone who arrives after step 1 (above), may participate but will not get a turn as Discussion Director.
5. The Discussion Director can make statements or ask questions, or interrupt or redirect the discussion at their discretion.
6. The discussion participants can state their own opinions only when asked by the Discussion Director, not Interrupt others and accede to the Discussion Director’s interruptions or redirections.
7. When the timer goes off the person speaking finishes their thought and then the next participant clockwise becomes the next Discussion Director.
8. After we've gone around once anyone who passed will get a second chance to direct.

At the end of the meeting, participants will have an opportunity to vote on the topic and format for the following meeting.