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Dear Octet,
We are experiencing a complex and momentous season in our nation’s history. No matter our affiliation or community, the need for constructive listening has never been greater. In Life Together, his classic exploration of Christian community, Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote,
“There is a kind of listening with half an ear that presumes already to know what the other person has to say. It is an impatient, inattentive listening, that despises the brother and is only waiting for a chance to speak and thus get rid of the other person. This is no fulfillment of our obligation, and it is certain that here too our attitude toward our brother only reflects our relationship to God.
"It is little wonder that we are no longer capable of the greatest service of listening that God has committed to us, that of hearing our brother's confession, if we refuse to give ear to our brother on lesser subjects… But Christians have forgotten that the ministry of listening has been committed to them by Him who is Himself the great listener and whose work they should share. We should listen with the ears of God that we may speak the Word of God.”
At Octet, humble listening in service of understanding others is central. Such a simple act can change our world—restoring relationships and communities. Will you join us in this transformative work?
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Mia Chung-Yee
Executive Director
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- A recap of our most recent Diálogos event, plus previews of the spring's events!
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Octet's IAP offerings this January range from seventeenth-century art to the economics of the tech industry. Read more below...
- Plus, if you're getting ready for course registration, consider Octet's spring course on A Better Future!
- Read Nathan Barczi on the strangely good news of being human.
- And more!
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Good News! You're Only a Creature
by Nathan Barczi, Senior Theologian
Our senior theologian Nathan Barczi dives into the hard part of being a human—our limitations. Many days, we wish we didn't have the constraints that come from being human. We wish that pushing beyond our capacities didn't leave us tired, irritable, and sick.
But Nathan wants us to remember that it is good to be a creature. Maybe our limits point us to something beyond ourselves . . .
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Fall Diálogos: the role & work of the university
Octet was delighted to host Professor Kavin Rowe of Duke University and President Sally Kornbluth of MIT for our fall Diálogos event on November 4. After a delicious meal with the MIT community, Professors Rowe & Kornbluth shared a thoughtful conversation about the university's vocation and challenges.
We're grateful for the ways these colleagues and friends modeled civil discourse on campus!
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And our Diálogos plans for the spring... | |
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You won't want to miss our spring Diálogos offerings, which will continue to build on the ethical questions raised by Professor Rowe & President Kornbluth.
Geneticist Praveen Sethupathy of Cornell University will join us on February 18 to consider the role that faith may have to play in the life and work of the university.
And OpenAI Head of Policy Planning David Robinson will join us on April 22 to explore the promises and pitfalls of generative AI technologies.
Mark your calendars, and keep an eye on your inbox for more details!
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If you're hoping to hear more from the wonderful Kavin Rowe, take a listen to this conversation between Prof. Rowe and Mia Chung-Yee from 2020. Dr. Chung-Yee interviewed Prof. Rowe on his book Christianity's Surprise.
If you're curious about the ways that Christians can surprise the world, listen to Prof. Rowe's wise words or read his lovely, accessible book.
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Spring Course with Ros Picard & Nathan Barczi
Students, as you plan for spring pre-registration, consider adding Octet's spring course to your schedule, A Better Future (MAS.S60).
Co-taught by Professor Rosalind Picard and Nathan Barczi of the Octet Collaborative, this course explores multiple philosophical and faith traditions to explore ultimate questions, followed by case studies of how to apply such questions within specific areas of science and engineering.
If you're curious about how this course has looked in the past, check out the course website from Spring 2024.
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This winter, Octet is offering three delightful interdisciplinary sessions during IAP. | |
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Awe & Wonder
Meeting online and in-person, 1/25 and 2/1, 1–2:30 ET.
Two interdisciplinary sessions exploring how beauty connects to our everyday lives.
Session 1: Music & Neuroscience — the ordinary and extraordinary ways that music literally rewires our brains.
Session 2: Rembrandt & the Schooling of Desire — unexpected wisdom from a seventeenth-century Dutch painter about how to pay attention to the right things.
Register here for Awe & Wonder!
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Science, Technology, and Ethics in the Real World
Meeting online and in-person | 1/11 and 1/18, 1–2:30 ET.
MIT has given you tools to change the world. But wait—what kind of changes are actually good for the world? And what happens when your hopes and dreams collide with the realities of the job market?
In these sessions, we’ll explore the practical ethics of scientific & technological industries. Participants will learn about and discuss the complex economic incentives that make ethical choices in industry so difficult, considering real-world case studies of the moral dilemmas that arise in a tech career.
Register here for Science, Tech, & Ethics!
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Disagreeing Well
Meeting in-person | Wednesdays (January 10–January 29), 11a–1p ET | W11 Main Dining Room.
In these polarized times, what does it mean to disagree well? Come participate in a workshop equipping you with skills of empathic intelligence, enabling meaningful dialogue across difference.
This mini-course builds on a curriculum developed by the Ideos Institute, experts in empathic intelligence and producers of the documentary film “Dialogue Lab: America.”
Register here for Disagreeing Well!
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Contemplative Prayer Lunch continues
Every Wednesday, students, staff, and faculty gather to eat, pray, and consider Scripture together. It's just one quiet hour in the middle of the week, but we've found that the fruit of stillness and fellowship persists even after we go our separate ways.
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Want to join us? Text JOIN to (833) 459-3187 to receive details by text. | |
- Our friends at the Veritas Forum are launching their inaugural Veritas Graduate Conference taking place July 7-10, 2025! The conference supports Christian Ph.D. students considering careers in the academy by connecting them with faculty mentors and high-caliber peers in their disciplines around a broad vision of academic vocation.
- The Veritas Forum is also seeking a detail-oriented, reliable college senior for a paid part-time Media Production internship this spring.
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MIT Baptist Student Fellowship is hosting a gift-packing party for Operation Christmas Child this week! Reach out to ganatra@mit.edu for more information and to join in the charitable festivities of packing gifts for children in need.
- The Christian Mind Project is hosting a conference for Christian undergraduates in the humanities and social sciences. More info here.
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Connect with the Octet Collaborative
on social media!
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The Octet Collaborative seeks to serve the MIT community and will gratefully consider featuring your event, news, and work. If you'd like to feature something within A View from the Dome, please reach out to the appropriate contact below.
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