About this Event
We’re launching a book club at Holy Grain & Brew, and we’re starting with a book that was ahead of its time by about 60 years.
In 1961, Stanisław Lem wrote Solaris, a novel about scientists who spend decades studying an alien intelligence they cannot understand, cannot communicate with, and cannot stop thinking about. Sound familiar?
With the Artemis program putting humans back near the Moon in 2026, AI systems that nobody fully understands, and researchers genuinely debating whether machines can suffer, Lem’s questions have never felt more urgent. Or more unresolved.
This is not a typical book club.
We’ll spend the first half of the evening with a short presentation on the book, its context, and the ideas it opens up: from Tarkovsky’s film adaptation to Plato’s cave to what’s actually happening in AI consciousness research right now. Then we open the floor.
Don’t stress if you haven’t read the book. We’ll give a thorough overview, though some spoilers will be unavoidable.
Before the meeting we will send out a cheat sheet: context, key concepts, and discussion questions to get you thinking. Subscribe here to get it: https://mailchi.mp/d72cd86ed70e/sign-up-form
This is the first meeting but we do plan to make sessions regularly.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
unit 2, 2 Ashley Rd, 2 Ashley Road, London, United Kingdom
GBP 0.00
