The Assembly: The Empathy Gap
Schedule
Sun Apr 12 2026 at 11:00 am to 01:00 pm
UTC-04:00Location
29995 W 12 Mile Rd, Farmington Hills, MI 48334-3901, United States | Farmington Hills, MI
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Sunday Assembly Detroit is a secular congregation that meets to hear great talks and generally celebrate the wonder of life. It’s a service for anyone who wants to live better, help often, and wonder more.This free event is in beautiful Farmington Hills. We'll listen to a talk then enjoying a meal during the event.
**Speaker**
We don't have clergy; instead, we have local community leaders and thinkers. This month, Andrew Cyburt, will be giving a talk on The Empathy Gap: Overcoming Our Built-in Biases.
He will explore the psychological barriers that prevent us from understanding each other. It's based on personal observations mixed with behavioral science. He will unpack concepts like "egocentric bias" and "motivated reasoning" to explain why some people seem trapped in their own worlds. He will offer suggestions on how we can each do better to be aware of our biases, and how we should interact with people that struggle with expanding their worldview.
**Our Program**
1. Welcome and Gathering Statement
2. Quick agenda outline
3. Speaker and speech introduction
4. Speaker gives a talk
5. Dismissal for food
6. Everyone comes back to the table(s)
7. Brief toast/address, including some short recognition of "life happens" (ie. Birthdays, other news)
8. We dig in! Feel free to chat about whatever.
9. Cleanup and taking leftovers home
**Childcare**
Families with children are encouraged to attend! There is free childcare during the talk.
**Radically Inclusive**
We are a radically inclusive community and we welcome our LGBTQIA+ brothers, sisters, and siblings.
We also welcome everyone along the secular/religious spectrum. Whatever your degree of religion, spirituality, or utter lack thereof, you are welcome here. As an organization, we don't do religious, spiritual, or supernatural things, but we don't dwell on that -- rather, we focus on Humanism and its associated values.
**We can't wait to see you!**
If you're looking for an inviting and positive community, you've come to the right place. We look forward to getting to know you if you're new and welcoming you back home if you've been before.
**About the speaker**
Raised in a Catholic family, Andrew attended public schools through middle school. attended University of Detroit Jesuit for high school, and the friends and environment there opened him to be more social and open-minded. He started deconstructing near the end of senior year (2013), by 2016 he identified as an agnostic, and by 2018 he identified as atheist. He enjoys participating in communities that promote healthy skepticism (like the Center For Inquiry) and secular/humanist ideals. Currently, he's on the Harper Woods Library Board, organizes and host Michigan Humanist meetups, organizes block parties for his neighborhood, volunteers for political canvassing, and more.
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Where is it happening?
29995 W 12 Mile Rd, Farmington Hills, MI 48334-3901, United StatesEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
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