Beginner’s Mind with James Valentini

Shunryu Suzuki wrote, “In the Beginner’s Mind there are many possibilities, in the expert’s mind there are few.” Possibilities are presented to us in every experience, and using the framework of a Beginner’s Mind means consciously working to see those possibilities in our thoughts and in conversation with others.

This spring, join James Valentini, Dean Emeritus of Columbia College and Professor of Chemistry, for a series of dinner seminars in conversation with guests from Columbia and Morningside. This series, co-sponsored by Columbia Religious Life, will convene in Earl Hall beginning this September.

Please RSVP using the link below, and stay posted for updates. Thank you!

Schedule

Monday, September 16 at 6:30 PM | Beginner’s Mind: How Can We Think Better?

Columbia alumna Julia Galef (CC ‘05) asks us to consider the following: Do we approach ideas and people as soldiers, sorting friends from enemies and seeking to win a battle? Or do we act as scouts, seeking to learn the truth about what we perceive—even if it is different from what we expected? The Scout Mindset captures an important part of Beginner’s Mind, an approach to life that is open to many possibilities, free from preconceived notions or biases.

Join Deantini for this small-group discussion on how we can think better.

Monday, October 21 at 6:30 PM | Beginner’s Mind: How Should We Hold Our Convictions?

Philosophers Robert Roberts and Jay Wood identify “firmness” as the ideal for holding our convictions. We should aspire to have beliefs strong enough to guide our lives, but flexible enough to change when the evidence demands it. “Firmness” captures well one dimension of the idea of Beginner’s Mind, an approach to life that remains open to unexpected possibilities and truths.

Nathaniel Peters, Director of the Morningside Institute, joins Deantini for this small-group discussion of how we can hold our convictions well.

Monday, November 18 at 6:30 PM | Beginner’s Mind: How Should We Disagree?

Discussion and disagreement are essential parts of university life. But too often angry assertion and fear of offense stamp these out. Shunryu Suzuki's standard—“In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, in the expert's mind there are few"—demands patience and charity from us in our thought and debate. What does real dialogue look like? Is pluralism a strength or a weakness?

Dr. Ian Rottenberg, Columbia’s Dean of Religious Life, joins Deantini for this small-group discussion about how we can disagree well.