From 16-17 September 2026, in St. Louis Missouri, the Lyceum Institute is hosting our first in-person event, Human Formation in the Digital Age: a conference asking how we must respond to our changed and rapidly changing technological environments in seeking to retrieve and foster a genuine formation of the human person. Here we announce our keynote speaker:
Read Mercer Schuchardt
Read Mercer Schuchardt is Associate Professor of Communication at Wheaton College. He is the author of Media, Journalism, and Communication: A Student’s Guide, co-author of Understanding Jacques Ellul, and Editor of You Do Not Talk About Fight Club. He earned his Ph.D. in Media Ecology under the invitation, advising, and chairmanship of the late Neil Postman at New York University. He earned his B.A. in English Literature at Swarthmore College. He and his wife Rachel have ten children and twelve grandchildren. In a previous life he published Metaphilm and Second Nature Journal. In his spare time he builds studio-scale replicas of Star Wars filming miniatures and breeds New Zealand White rabbits.
Professor Schuchardt will be presenting: “Lonely At The Top: The Ape, the Angel, the Alien, and the AI”.
Abstract:
For reasons still not clear to history, literature, theology, psychology, or economics, man as a species continues to inquire whether the place he occupies in the universe is unique or shared by other beings. So far, we’ve only found four human characteristics not shared by non-humans: fire, clothing, tools, and speech. In this multi-faceted media ecology presentation, Dr. Schuchardt will unpack the history, evolution, and future of these technologies, and what they suggest are viable pathways for educators trying to teach students not simply to be against the machine but to be, and remain, human forever.
Talks by Prof. Schuchardt
- Media Effects at the Neurochemical Level
- The Reformation as Media Event
- Embracing God’s Will: Physically Present but Mentally Absent
Learn more about the conference and register here!
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