How Do We Know What We Know?

Moderated by Mandalit del Barco, Arts Correspondent, NPR West

As a child, Los Angeles artist Daniel González, creator of Luceros y Penumbras, the world’s largest pop-up book, absorbed knowledge in the library, from his grandmother, and from the stars. Today, in this age of deepfakes, alternative facts, truthiness, and “doing my own research,” it is harder to know where people are finding their knowledge and whether we share common sources.

Many pine for a time when entire cities read the same newspaper, everyone tuned in to the same few broadcast channels, and most research took place in the library’s reference section. But knowledge has always been a product of the people who make it. Some cultures find knowledge in the sky or the land; some pass it down via pulpits or paper; and some encourage individuals to discover it on their own. What happens when different types of knowledge come into conflict? When we can no longer believe what we see or read? Or when institutions we rely on for guidance reveal their weaknesses and bias?

Join Zócalo and the Los Angeles Public Library to experience Luceros y Penumbras: The World’s Largest Pop-Up Book and an artist talk with Daniel González, who will discuss the work’s origins, inspiration, and themes of learning and knowledge. Following the artist talk, a panel of thinkers, including computer scientist and misinformation expert Saadia Gabriel, social psychologist Norbert Schwarz, and scholar of religion and Soto Zen Buddhist priest Duncan Ryūken Williams will explore the ways that science, spiritual traditions, and technology shape what we know and believe.

We invite our audience to continue the conversation with the speakers and each other at a reception in the library’s courtyard, with complimentary drinks and small bites.

This program is inspired by the exhibition Luceros y Penumbras: The World’s Largest Pop-Up Book, on view at the Richard J. Riordan Central Library until January 17, 2026.

Info: Check in with Zócalo staff and view the exhibition "Luceros y Penumbras: The World’s Largest Pop-Up Book", on view at the Richard J. Riordan Central Library

Info: A panel of thinkers, including computer scientist and misinformation expert Saadia Gabriel, social psychologist Norbert Schwarz, and scholar of religion and Soto Zen Buddhist priest Duncan Ryūken Williams will explore the ways that science, spiritual traditions, and technology shape what we know and believe.

Info: Enjoy light bites and beverages on us!

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Los Angeles Central Library, 630 West 5th Street, Los Angeles, United States

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