2023 Food for Thought Table Talk Leaders & Topics Announced

Our Food for Thought fundraiser is a limited capacity event with dinner and beverages, entertainment & thought-provoking table talks led by guest scholars. We have a great line-up with some amazing thinkers, each of whom offer a diverse range of perspectives. Learn more & see what they’ll be talking about here!

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How Did We Get Here?: Planet

In this installment of “How Did We Get Here?”, we considered the intellectual history of “planet” with mathematician, physicist, and astrophysicist Kelly Cline. We started with the ancient Greeks, moved to Copernicus, and then sashayed into the 20th century. Along the way we learned about how scientific words and their definitions serve as a specific lens through which we can view the world. By scientifically defining words so that they most closely match real categories that exist in physical reality, this makes it easier for us to understand, investigate, and make sense of the universe. As such, this installment of HDWGH and the evolution of how we understand and use the word planet gave us important insights into the nature of science and the foundations of our modern civilization. Access photos & more here.

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Merlin Awarded $4,000 Grant from Humanities Montana for their 2023 Loss & Legacy Series

Woo-Hoo!!  We just received word that we’re being awarded a $4,000 grant from Humanities Montana for our 2023 Loss & Legacy Philosophy Symposia series. Learn more about the series & what grant funds will help support here!

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What Our 2022 Humanities Montana Grant Helped to Support

Our organization was awarded a $3,750 grant for our 2022 symposia series by Humanities MT and the National Endowment for the Humanities.  Funding from this grant, helped to support five unique community events (a 2-part series in Spring & a 3-part series in Fall), each of which invited discussion and question about the complex terrain of “being human together.” See how funds were used across these programs here!

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Suffering & Scars: A Conversation on the Teach Different Podcast

In this podcast, Steve and Dan Fouts – brothers & co-founders of Teach Different — visit with Marisa Diaz-Waian of Merlin CCC to discuss the role of suffering in shaping our character, enriched by the Teach Different Method. Listen to the podcast here!

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2022 Merlin Mailer End-of-Year Newsletter

Pictures can say 1,000 words. And this newsletter houses a photo album! In it you will find highlights from our programs in 2022 (and be able to access resources from each), learn about our 2021-2023 Student Scholar Fellow, meet some of our volunteers, check out what kinds of activities we have planned for the community in 2023 (we have a lot in queue!), and more! Check it out here!

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Merlin Student Scholar Fellow: Julianna Breit Rounding the Bend in 2023

Julianna Breit is our 2021-2023 Merlin Student Scholar Fellow. Learn more about her and the philosophical work she’ll be doing in & with the Helena community this year.

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Philosophy Workshop: “On Empathy”

In this philosophy workshop led by student scholar fellow Julianna Breit, we explored our roles in empathy, questioning the aim of empathetic interactions, and analyzing what empathy looks like when it’s done well. After looking at the aesthetic foundations of empathy, we considered the interplay between savoring the other’s emotion and mitigating our own emotional overload. Access resources & photos here!

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