Prometheus and the Prehistory of AI with Professor Adluri
Think Olio is an ongoing experiment in lifelong learning.
We are a community of open-minded people who gather to exchange ideas with new friends and connect over art, literature, and philosophy.
What is an Olio?
An Olio is what we call the social learning events that we’ve been organizing since 2015.
Not quite a lecture and not quite an open discussion, an Olio is an interactive and intimate conversation led by a teacher who loves sharing their passions.
Our goal is to foster a change in perspective, ignite curiosity, and enjoy ourselves socially—an alternative to the typical nightlife options.
Challenging the Gods: Prometheus and the Prehistory of Artificial Intelligence
This Olio explores the myth of Prometheus and the deeper, more unsettling implications of the fire he stole from the gods—not only as a gift that inaugurates civilization, but as a symbol of a power that illuminates and deceives at once. We’ll revisit the moment Zeus condemns Prometheus to eternal punishment and consider what this ambivalent fire truly offered humanity.
Could this ancient flame signal more than progress? Could this fire symbolize more than progress—perhaps an artificial construct that distorts wisdom and obscures the full spectrum of truth from human perception?
Drawing on Aeschylus, Plato, and artistic portrayals across history, we’ll examine the dual nature of Promethean fire: a generative, world-shaping force that also misleads and seduces. In its flicker, we may find a prehistory of today’s technological dilemmas.
Join us for a journey through myth, philosophy, and art as we reconsider whether the first spark of civilization anticipated the complex, uncanny technologies now emerging in our own age.
Our Teacher for the Evening:
Vishwa Adluri is a Professor in the Philosophy Department at Hunter College, New York. His work focuses on the reception of ancient thought—both Greek and Indian—in modernity. He is the author of Parmenides, Plato and Mortal Philosophy: Return from Transcendence, The Nay Science: A History of German Indology, and Philology and Criticism: A Guide to Mahābhārata Textual Criticism.
Adluri holds a PhD in Philosophy from the New School for Social Research, New York, a PhD in Indology from Philipps University, Marburg, and a PhD in Sanskrit from Deccan College, Pune.
He teaches courses on: Approaches to Religion, Indian Philosophy, Christian Theology, Mysticism, Hinduism, art history and The Religious Meaning of Death. He has been thinking about Space, Time, and Death since he was 5.
What to expect:
(a damn good time)
7:15pm – Doors open, so settle in, grab a drink, and meet a friend. Come on time so you can check out our brand new venue!
7:45pm – The Olio will kick off, and we'll be immersed in an intimate and interactive lecture for the next hour.
8:45pm – Instead of the traditional Q&A, we create a social experience for the last half hour or so, allowing you to discuss burning questions with others in the room. The professor will often join in and float around to the different groups.
The Olio Lighthouse
The Lighthouse is a third space to be in the company of people who seek to actively question and intentionally affect the world around them in positive ways. Welcome!
Please note: unfortunately, we are not ADA accessible, as our venue is on the second floor without elevator access.