TOPICS  OFFERED  FOR  SPRING  2017

 

 

Please note that the books listed for each course are only possible candidates. 
Do not buy any book until the pre-meeting and a decision on the common reading is made.

Classes start January 3rd and end April 29th.

Holiday periods are adapted to by individual class voting.

 

 

 

1.         (ALG)      THE  FORMULA:  HOW  ALGORITHMS  SOLVE  ALL  OUR PROBLEMS . . . AND  CREATE  MORE 

Learn about the formulas that are having such an impact on our lives. Worried that computers are getting so smart that they don’t need humans, or about the impact of all that data they are collecting about you then this course is for you.

A fascinating guided tour of the complex, fast-moving, and influential world of algorithms—what they are, why they’re such powerful predictors of human behavior, and where they’re headed next.

The clash between humanists and technologists, between brain power and machine power, is an ancient battle. In his lucidly written account of how this clash has played out in past years and how it will unfold in the future, Luke Dormehl is a tour guide with the breadth of a scholar, the sagacity of a judge, and the clear eye of a good journalist. This important book deserves to be read, and digested, by all who wrestle with, and enjoy -- or worry about -- a world transformed by digital technology.

Algorithms exert an extraordinary level of influence on our everyday lives - from dating websites and financial trading floors, through to online retailing and internet searches - Google's search algorithm is now a more closely guarded commercial secret than the recipe for Coca-Cola. Algorithms follow a series of instructions to solve a problem and will include a strategy to produce the best outcome possible from the options and permutations available. Used by scientists for many years and applied in a very specialized way they are now increasingly employed to process the vast amounts of data being generated, in investment banks, in the movie industry where they are used to predict success or failure at the box office and by social scientists and policy makers.

Luke Dormehl takes readers inside the world of numbers, asking how we came to believe in the all-conquering power of algorithms; introducing the mathematicians, artificial intelligence experts and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs who are shaping this brave new world, and ultimately asking how we survive in an era where numbers can sometimes seem to create as many problems as they solve.

Common Reading:     The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems . . . and Create More, by Luke Dormehl   (November 2014)

 
 

2.         (APP)         Y’ALL  COME . . . TO  APPALACHIA!

Have you watched the TV series: Justified?  Have you read the new book release, The Hillbilly Elegy?  Have you seen the many food articles about Appalachian Regional Cuisine?

There has been a recent surge of interest in the mountain region of the states of: New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Maryland, North and South Carolina, and Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi. Referred to as Appalachia, its geographical boundaries exist not because of any legal boundaries, but because of the shared history, culture, and environment of mountain people in eastern North America.  The birthplace of entertainers (Lucille Ball), musicians (Patsy Cline) authors (Cormac McCarthy) and scholars (Henry Louis Gates Jr.), Appalachia offers a rich slice of American history. But it is often steeped in mythic lore and stereotyped as backward, uncultured and poor. For many generations, the region has grappled with basic survival issues along with environmental and labor exploitation; its residents have been admired as self-sufficient small farmers and ridiculed as hillbillies.

This S/DG will attempt to get beyond the stereotypes of the region and examine the long, complex, difficult and beautiful history of the mountains and the people.  Members will supplement the core reading, Appalachia: A History by John A. Williams, with research and presentations on such topics as strip mining and the coal industry, de-industrialization, folklore, arts and crafts, natural resources, music, innovation, poverty, education.

Common Reading:     Appalachia: A History, by John A Williams  (April 2002)

 
 

3.         (ASA)        ASIA’S  CAULDRON:  THE  SOUTH  CHINA  SEA

The South China Sea.  What is it? Where is it? Why is it suddenly in the news and why should we care?  Robert Kaplan has written a book that addresses these questions and more as tensions mount in a part of the world that we have largely ignored until President Obama recognized the strategic importance of the South China Sea and pivoted our naval defense policy to the area.

Though written in 2014 Kaplan’s book is still timely and echoes of his warnings of the conflicts brewing in the region, and their implications for global peace and security appear increasingly in our news today.

In this course we will learn about the history of this part of Asia and the countries surrounding the South China Sea.  We will learn why they, much like our allies in Europe and the Middle East, regard the United States as an unreliable partner. China’s claims to control of the area - building airstrips on the rocks they are converting to islands, ongoing submarine competition between China and the U.S., fighter plane near misses - all provide tensions that may pose a huge problem for our next President.

Common Reading:     Asia’s Cauldron:  The South China Sea and the End of a Stable Pacific, by Robert D. Kaplan    (March 2014)

 
 

4.         (ATL)       COVERING  THE  ATLANTIC  MAGAZINE

The Atlantic covers a full range of topics.  Some of the cover stories from 2015:  Cruel and Unusual? (Botched execution of Clayton Lockett), Can Starbucks Save the Middle Class?, Technology will Soon Erase Millions of Jobs. Could that be a Good Thing? (The end of work), What ISIS Really Wants and how to stop it, Why do the Best Soldiers in the World Keep Losing?, Can America Put Itself Back Together?, Is it Time for the Jews to Leave Europe?

Inside of each issue is an eclectic assortment of articles as well.  Any one of the articles could be expanded upon and brought up to the present.

Past issues of magazines are available in the library and most if not all articles are available online.

Common Reading:     Current issues of The Atlantic Magazine.

 
 

5.         (BSN)      THE BEST AMERICAN SCIENCE AND NATURE WRITING 2016     

The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2016 (due out Oct. 2016)—this course has been offered at least 3 times in the last few years (it comes out yearly) and is always popular.  The articles are from such publications as the New Yorker, Scientific American, Outside, Orion, the Atlantic, Discover and other such magazines.  According to Amazon the 2016 edition covers everything from “a Pulitzer Prize winning essay on the earthquake that could decimate the Pacific Northwest to the astonishing work of investigative journalism that transformed the nail salon industry.”  The reason the course has been popular is first, the diversity of articles and second, almost everyone comments that they have learned something new or learned something more about something they were already familiar with.  Each edition has about 25 articles to choose from so it works well with a SDG.  As an added bonus, the makeup of the class is often very diversified from science experts, to others with a more general education.  Editors each year are different.  2016 is Amy Stewart, an author best known for books on horticulture and the natural world

Common Reading:     The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2016 by Amy Stewart and Tim Folger  (Due out October 4, 2016)

 
 

6.         (CAC)        CALIFORNIA’S COUNTIES 

The state of California is divided into 58 counties. The region was first divided into twenty-seven counties on February 18, 1850. These were further sub-divided to form sixteen additional counties by 1860. Another fourteen were counties formed though further sub-division from 1861 to 1893. The last, Imperial County, was formed in 1907. California is home to San Bernardino County, the largest county in the contiguous United States, as well as Los Angeles County, the most populous. . .” - Wikipedia

How and why did California’s counties become what they are today?  How many are totally anonymous to most of us?  What are their products, personalities, problems, dysfunctionalities?  How are they involved in the overall politics of California?

There is no book for this, but Wikipedia undoubtedly has more information than we need.  We would have to agree on whether or not to tackle all 58 counties, or just the ones of personal interest, and so forth.

No Common Reading

 
 

7.         (CEH)         CROSS-EXAMINING HISTORY  

From Amazon: “Talmadge Boston seeks to find out what it was that made our major presidents tick and what caused their historic lives to play out as they did. In Cross-Examining History, Boston interviews presidential insiders including Pulitzer Prize winners and finalists, Emmy Award winners, New York Times best-selling and ‘Notable Book’ authors, scholars of the highest order, and a few newcomers well on their way to gaining national public recognition, all in hopes to provide insights about America's past that can help us better understand our present situation and provide a more informed expectation about our future.”

Perhaps it is possible to learn from history to correct the political problems we experience today. Presentations could be various as the author covers a multitude of topics. In his recent speech to the Commonwealth Club he presented several questions which he explores in his book: Why has historical appreciation for Eisenhower risen lately and how should we grade him with McCarthyism, Civil Rights and Vietnam? Did Lincoln violate the Constitution during the Civil War and if so was that unforgivable? Was John Roberts sufficiently vetted for the Supreme Court by the Bush team? Explain the hypocrisy of Thomas Jefferson who wrote the Declaration of Independence but owned hundreds of slaves? Is it OK to penalize Andrew Jackson and Thomas Jefferson for how they thought in their time, considering their environment? Why did Washington stand head and shoulders above the rest? Why did Adams support the Sedition Act? Why was Wilson, who was deeply religious, such a racist and hatemonger? How did FDR defy polio and use it as a driving force for his political rise? How does the separate lives of FDR and Eleanor compare to the Clintons?

Common Reading:     Cross-Examining History: A Lawyer Gets Answers From the Experts About Our Presidents, by Talmage Boston and Ken Burns (September 2016)

 
 

8.         (CHN)         AGE OF AMBITION – CHINA   

What is the real story about China?  With almost 19% of the world’s population within its borders, will they continue to develop and raise their standard of living while restricting the individual/personal access to ideas beyond its borders?  The author of the reference book lived in Beijing for 8 years while acting as a correspondent to The New Yorker and witnessed political, economic, and cultural upheavals.  He describes the possible collision course that is facing that country:  the clash between the rise of the individual and the struggle for the Communist Party’s struggle to retain control.

S/DG discussion and presentation topics can be pulled from many news aspects on this country, the people, the culture, and its growing impact on the world events.

Common Reading:     Age of Ambition: Chasing Fortune, Truth, and Faith in the New China, by Evan Osnos (May 2014)

FYI regarding the book….

·      Pulitzer Prize in General Nonfiction finalist

·      Winner of the 2014 National Book Award in nonfiction

·      An Economist Best Book of 2014

·      Winner of the bronze medal for the Council on Foreign Relations’ 2015 Arthur Ross Book Award

 

 

9.         (CYB)      THE  CYBER  EFFECT:  HOW  HUMAN  BEHAVIOR  CHANGES ONLINE 

This S/DG is an exploration of how cyberspace is changing the way we think, feel, and behave.  How the Internet is shaping development and behavior, societal norms and values, children, safety, security, and our perception of the world?  What is the impact of online experiences on the developing child, what about the explosion of teen sexting, and the acceleration of compulsive and addictive behaviors online (gaming, shopping, pornography).  And what do we know about cyberstalking and organized cybercrime in the Deep Web. The class will learn about and discuss these and related subjects following recent research presented in the text.

Common Reading:     The Cyber Effect: A Pioneering Cyber psychologist Explains How Human Behavior Changes Online, by Mary Aiken (August 2016)

 
 

10.      (DOC)      THE DOCUMENTARY MOVIE

Not long ago, if you wanted to see a documentary film, you had to take a course, go to a movie festival, or catch it on PBS.  Nowadays we can find documentaries on our TVs through the magic of the Internet, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and other on line sources or from our libraries. While your basic Hollywood studio movie is primarily made to make money, a documentary is the expression of its creator's personal passion.  This S/DG will explore the world of modern masters of the documentary.  Presenters will choose a film that class members can view at home before each class session, and then present for discussion whatever facets of the film they choose – the contents or subject, the techniques, the background, the director’s focus on the subject, and its effect on public opinion.  Many Omniloreans after taking this class have been amazed at the diversity of what is available and how many of these films are unexpectedly enriching.

No Common Reading.

 
 

11.      (EAR)      HALF-EARTH:  OUR  PLANET'S  FIGHT  FOR  LIFE 

In order to save the earth we need to know more about the problems facing our planet’s fight for life. Edward O. Wilson provides that road map.

Half-Earth proposes an achievable plan to save our imperiled biosphere: devote half the surface of the Earth to nature.

In order to stave off the mass extinction of species, including our own, we must move swiftly to preserve the biodiversity of our planet, says Edward O. Wilson in his most impassioned book to date. Half-Earth argues that the situation facing us is too large to be solved piecemeal and proposes a solution commensurate with the magnitude of the problem: dedicate fully half the surface of the Earth to nature.

If we are to undertake such an ambitious endeavor, we first must understand just what the biosphere is, why it's essential to our survival, and the manifold threats now facing it. In doing so, Wilson describes how our species, in only a mere blink of geological time, became the architects and rulers of this epoch and outlines the consequences of this that will affect all of life, both ours and the natural world, far into the future.

Half-Earth provides an enormously moving and naturalistic portrait of just what is being lost when we clip “twigs and eventually whole braches of life's family tree.”
In elegiac prose, Wilson documents the many ongoing extinctions that are imminent, paying tribute to creatures great and small, not the least of them the two Sumatran rhinos whom he encounters in captivity. Uniquely, Half-Earth considers not only the large animals and star species of plants but also the millions of invertebrate animals and microorganisms that, despite being overlooked, form the foundations of Earth's ecosystems.

In stinging language, he avers that the biosphere does not belong to us and addresses many fallacious notions such as the idea that ongoing extinctions can be balanced out by the introduction of alien species into new ecosystems or that extinct species might be brought back through cloning. This includes a critique of the “anthropocenists,” a fashionable collection of revisionist environmentalists who believe that the human species alone can be saved through engineering and technology.

Despite the Earth's parlous condition, Wilson is no doomsayer, resigned to fatalism. Defying prevailing conventional wisdom, he suggests that we still have time to put aside half the Earth and identifies actual spots where Earth's biodiversity can still be reclaimed. Suffused with a profound Darwinian understanding of our planet's fragility, Half-Earth reverberates with an urgency like few other books, but it offers an attainable goal that we can strive for on behalf of all life.

Common Reading:     Half-Earth: Our Planet's Fight for Life, by Edward O. Wilson (March 2016)

 
 

12.      (GLO)      FROM  SILK  TO  SILICON  -  GLOBALIZATION  

What do Genghis Khan, Prince Henry, John D. Rockefeller, and Margaret Thatcher have in common?  Globalization.  This S/DG will look at the history of globalization through the lens of individuals who did something transformative, as opposed to describing globalization through trends, policies, or particular industries.  The author of the proposed reference book uses the life and times of ten people who changed the world by their singular, spectacular accomplishments to tell this story.  A review of the common links between these individuals will be considered through critical questions including: How much influence can any one person have in fundamentally changing the world? And how have past trends in globalization affected the present and how will they shape the future?

Possible presentations might cover current individuals who are major influencers in the global economy; companies that are major players; financial and statistical information on where the economy is today; benefits and risks as we depend on greater flow of goods while losing our capability to be self-sustaining.

Common Reading:    From Silk to Silicon: The Story of Globalization through Ten Extraordinary Lives, by Jeffrey E. Garten (March 2016)

 
 

13.      (INV)        INVESTING  IN  A  GLOBAL  ECONOMY

The global economy and Central Banks have changed the personal investing landscape. Individuals, pension funds and endowments are all working to understand and adapt to the changing environment. In our core text Sharma attempts to explain why countries succeed or fail using data and anecdotes. He focuses on which developing nations will succeed.

The presentations will focus on individual investment portfolios and options.

Topics might include: diversification, risk, time horizon, US, developed market, and emerging market equities, US and foreign bonds, options, commodities, real estate, fundamental vs. technical analysis, hedging and hedge funds, Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), foreign exchange, etc., etc.

We may also discuss the effect of debt on a countries growth prospects as well as the unintended consequences of the central banks ‘interference’ in the markets by creating ‘easy money,’e.g., the harm inflicted on savers. Is less than 2% growth in GDP the new normal?

Common Reading:     The Rise and Fall of Nations: Forces of Change in the Post-Crisis World, by Ruchir Sharma  (June 2016)

 
 

14.      (JCH)      THE  SHORT  STORIES  OF  JOHN  CHEEVER  

It is said that “John Cheever was a grumpy old man who wrote like an angel.” His stories, often set in New York City and its suburbs is the milieu in which he writes. Leafy suburbs, summer houses, commuter trains, boarding schools and cocktail parties are all fodder for Cheever's imagination. No one is better than Cheever in character descriptions, Some of his more recognizable stories are the Enormous Radio (used on Twilight Zone), The Swimmer (made into a movie with Burt Lancaster), The Reunion which begins "the last time I saw my father was in Grand Central Station".

Enter his world and you'll be hooked.

Common Reading:     The Stories of John Cheever, by John Cheever (Vintage Publications, reprint May 2000)

 

 
 

15.      (LBR)      LIBRARIES: A WORLD TOUR FOR BOOK LOVERS

Through the ages, libraries have not only accumulated and preserved, but also shaped, inspired, and even obliterated knowledge. Now they are in crisis. Travel through time with us from Boston to Baghdad, from classical scriptoria to medieval monasteries and on to the Information Age. We’ll explore how libraries are built and how they are destroyed: from the scroll burnings in ancient China to the burning of libraries in Europe and Bosnia to the latest revolutionary upheavals of the digital age.  We’ll think about what role libraries play today and into the future after visiting libraries of the Vatican, Vienna’s Jewish ghetto, and ancient Rome.

Our text is written by a Harvard rare books historian and the NYT says it is “engrossingly saturated with fascinating lore, colorful anecdotes and deft portraits.”

Possible presentation topics:

·      The Carnegie libraries

·      Books before invention of the printing press

·      Presidential libraries

·      Art and architecture of famous libraries

·      How does one become a librarian?

·      Tel Aviv’s open air Garden Library

·      University libraries, royal libraries or religious libraries

·      Effects of the Internet on the role of libraries

Common Reading:     Library: An Unquiet History, by Matthew Battles (July 2015)

 
 

16.      (MON)  THE  MONGOLS

The Mongols established the most extensive land empire in the history of the world.  The Mongol conquests, culminating in the invasion of Europe in the middle of the 13th Century, were of a scope and range never equaled.  These nomadic peoples were from central Asia briefly held sway over a territory that stretched from the Pacific Ocean to Germany, from the rivers of the Baltic to the shores of the Adriatic.  No European army was their equal; no European country was able to resist their assaults.  Who were these people?  What drove them on their quest?  Why were they so invincible?  How were they finally stopped?

For possible subjects for research/presentations:  early Mongol peoples, Genghis Khan, Kublai Khan, conquest of China and adoption of Chinese culture, failed invasions of Japan, battle strategy and strategists,  the Mongol soldier, mobility of the Mongol force,  logistics, recent archaeology.    

Our goal will be to learn of the Mongols and their place in history, and how they nearly changed the face of the civilization.

Common Reading:     The History of the Mongol Conquests, by J. J. Saunders (March 2001)

 
 

17.      (NAT)      ARRIVAL  OF  THE  FITTEST:  HOW  NATURE  INNOVATES          

This class will explore the continuing developments in Evolutionary theory. The question "how does nature innovate?" often elicits a succinct but unsatisfying response - random mutations. Andreas Wagner first illustrates why random mutations alone cannot be the cause of innovations - the search space for innovations, be it at the level of genes, protein, or metabolic reactions is too large that makes the probability of stumbling upon all the innovations needed to make a little fly (let alone humans) too low to have occurred within the time span the universe has been around.

Darwin’s theory of natural selection explains how useful adaptations are preserved over time. But the biggest mystery about evolution eluded him. As genetics pioneer Hugo de Vries put it, “natural selection may explain the survival of the fittest, but it cannot explain the arrival of the fittest.”

Can random mutations over a mere 3.8 billion years really be responsible for wings, eyeballs, knees, camouflage, lactose digestion, photosynthesis, and the rest of nature’s creative marvels? And if the answer is no, what is the mechanism that explains evolution’s speed and efficiency?

In Arrival of the Fittest, renowned evolutionary biologist Andreas Wagner draws on over fifteen years of research to present the missing piece in Darwin's theory. Using experimental and computational technologies that were heretofore unimagined, he has found that adaptations are not just driven by chance, but by a set of laws that allow nature to discover new molecules and mechanisms in a fraction of the time that random variation would take.

Consider the Arctic cod, a fish that lives and thrives within six degrees of the North Pole, in waters that regularly fall below 0 degrees. At that temperature, the internal fluids of most organisms turn into ice crystals. And yet, the arctic cod survives by producing proteins that lower the freezing temperature of its body fluids, much like antifreeze does for a car’s engine coolant. The invention of those proteins is an archetypal example of nature’s enormous powers of creativity.

 He then shows some of the fundamental hidden principles that can actually make innovations possible for natural selection to then select and preserve those innovations.

This question “how does nature innovate?” haunted Darwin himself and quoted by Andreas Wagner in his book “To suppose that the eye with all its inimitable contrivances for adjusting the focus to different distances, for admitting different amounts of light, and for the correction of spherical and chromatic aberration, could have been formed by natural selection, seems, I freely confess, absurd in the highest degree.”

Andreas Wagner’s book certainly succeeds in dispelling that absurdity not only by showing how nature innovates but also how these two complementary forces of nature - innovation and natural selection interact and balance to create, sustain, and evolve life with all its rich complexity. There are a large number of topics in the book that need further discussion in presentations.

Common Reading:     Arrival of the Fittest: Solving Evolution's Greatest Puzzle by Andreas Wagner  (October 2014)

 
 

18.      (NJC)      THE  NEW  JIM  CROW   

A large new under-caste of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people has been created by the War on Drugs. They are subject to legalized discrimination in jobs, housing, public benefits and voting, and are disproportionately black and minority. The author states that this system was created as a consequence of the law and order backlash against the civil rights movement. The Federal government gave incentives for enforcement of the drug war by local police, who concentrated their arrests in poor minority communities. Harsh sentences and questionable search procedures were allowed by the Supreme Court. The author suggests ideas for how this caste system should be dismantled so it is not replaced by yet another method of racial control.

Presentation topics could involve statistics, law cases, current trends in justice and drug penalty reform, and the black lives matter movement.

Common Reading:     The New Jim Crow – Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, Revised Edition by Michelle Alexander & Cornel West  (January 2012)

 
 

19.      (ROB)      MACHINES  OF  LOVING  GRACE

As robots are increasingly integrated into modern society—on the battlefield and the road, in business, education, and health—the suggested reading raises an important question for our age: will these machines help us, or will they replace us?  The past decade brought tremendous technological advancements and where will the next decade takes us as computing power increase in capability and further use in daily life.  This SD/G will look at where we have been, where we are, and where we could go in integrating robotics and transforming our lives.

Possible presentations include: economic considerations as jobs become automated; ethical questions about decision making by automation; what uses are being made of automation and robotics in various sectors of business and industry doing jobs too dangerous for humans; willingness to give up current technology; and benefits of technology.

Common Reading:     Machines of Loving Grace: The Quest for Common Ground Between Humans and Robots, by John Markoff  (August 2015)

 
 

20.      (SHK)      SHAKESPEARE:  ALL  THE  WORLD’S  A  STAGE …

The Omnilorean New Globe Players plan a January-April 2017 season, continuing our usual pattern and reading one each of the Bard’s Histories, Comedies, and Tragedies.  With players standing and with a few props, we propose to do reading walk-throughs of Henry VI Part 3 (continuing our excursion through the 8 contiguous History plays, this being the 7th), plus a Comedy and Tragedy to be proposed by the Fall SHK class and confirmed at the pre-meeting in December.

In this SDG you will learn how to research all perspectives of Shakespeare’s works — sources of each play upon which the Bard builds rich characters and enhances the plots, how to play each character “in character,” themes, symbols, images, motifs, commentary on issues of the day, and all manner of rhyme and reason.  Class members each serve on one play’s Board of Directors, responsible for casting roles for the repertory and leading discussions based on the research  optionally adding videos, music, and costumes.  For a glimpse of how we live the Bard in this S/DG, check out http://omnilore.org/members/Curriculum/SDGs/16c-SHK-Shakespeare to view the Winter/Spring Shakespeare class’s website of links to references relevant to our plays and downloadable organizing artifacts.

There are no prerequisites, theatrical or otherwise.  You will find that the Bard of Stratford-on-Avon will teach us, just as he’s taught others for four hundred years.  With plenty for the novice as well as the veteran, it is a foregone conclusion members will leave this class with a fuller understanding of the masterful story construction, realistic characters with depth and humanity, and the rich, evocative language which have earned William Shakespeare the title of greatest writer in the English language.

Common Reading:     Selected Plays

 
 

21.      (STN)      THE  STONE:  NEW  YORK  TIMES  ESSAYS  IN  MODERN PHILOSOPHY  

In 2010 the New York Times established a philosophy column, The Stone, moderated by Simon Critchley and featuring the writing of contemporary philosophers and other thinkers on issues both timely and timeless. First appearing as an online series, the column attracted millions of readers through the accessible examination of universal topics like the nature of science, consciousness, and morality, while also probing more contemporary issues such as the morality of drones, gun control, and the gender divide. The column emancipated contemporary philosophy from its academic closet where it had been the province of ivory-tower professors and college classrooms.  Now the essays from this column have been collected and published in a book, The Stone Reader.

The authors of the essays like Peter Singer, Edward O. Wilson, Steven Pinker are leading contemporary thinkers who engage closely, critically and analytically with the affairs of the day, including economic inequality, technology and racial discrimination. The essays help reveal the power of philosophy to help shape our viewpoints on nearly every issue we face today.

Using the 133 essays from the series in The Stone Reader book as a starting point, this S/DG will spend the trimester choosing topics and engaging in discussion.  Members will select a topic, assign certain essays to be read, present some supporting philosophical thought and lead discussion.

This S/DG will demonstrate the breadth of philosophical ideas and their relevance to how we lead our lives.

Common Reading:     The Stone Reader: Modern Philosophy in 133 Arguments 1st Edition, edited by Peter Catapano and Simon Critchley  (December 2015)

 
 

22.      (TRT)         THE  ROAD  TAKEN    

America’s roads and other infrastructure have been deteriorating for years, but we have done little to fix the problem. But, what is the problem. Is it lack of money, political will, cooperativeness, what? Americans consumed over three billion gallons of gasoline as they sat in gridlock for almost seven billion hours, at a cost of $160 billion in wasted fuel and time. It would seem that there are savings enough available to eliminate the issue of cost of taking appropriate action. In 2009, Obama signed an $800 billion stimulus bill that appears to have been used for temporary tax cuts for individual, and other political misuse, with very little going to maintain infrastructure. So, it seems that a poor sense of direction is at least partly at fault. Europe spends about 5% of its GDP on infrastructure while USA spends only 2%. Clearly, Americans are not adequately concerned. Perhaps a better governmental structure would help, such as creating a department specifically concerned. But, we already have too many federal departments. What should we do?

This S/DG will look at this oft cited problem with the aid of a new analysis as a common reading.

Common Reading:    The Road Taken: The History and Future of America’s Infrastructure, by Henry Petroski  (February 2016)

 
 

23.      (UNV)      THE  HIDDEN  DIMENSIONS  OF  THE  UNIVERSE

There was a time in the recent past when we believed that our Milky Way galaxy was the extent of our universe. Today, after many decades of astronomical and astrophysical research and exploration, we know for certain that our galaxy is only one among billions of others. We now even speculated that there may be other universes “out there” besides our own; commonly referred to as the “multiverse”. Yet with all that we have discovered, there are many major aspects of our universe which are hidden to our immediate perception and detection. This SDG will explore those hidden dimensions.  Suggested topics for presentations might include: dark energy, dark matter, strings, gravitational waves, other universes (“multiverse”), the holographic principle, among others.

Dr. Brian Greene is a well-known and published professor of physics and mathematics at Columbia University. He received his PhD at Oxford University and is a Rhodes Scholar. He has written numerous other books about the universe: The Fabric of the Cosmos, The Elegant Universe among others and has produced a number of popular videos. He is considered by many to be a consummate presenter of programs about our universes and the possibility of other universes as well as the “unseen-hidden” aspects of our own Milky Way.

Common Reading:     The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos, by Brain Greene (November 2011)

 
 

24.      (WIL)       WILDER’S  TREASURE  TROVE

Billy Wilder’s work is a treasure trove of flesh and blood individuals, all wonderfully alive.  In his canon of work are fall down laughing comedies, stinging character studies, social satire, true suspense, aching romance…..the best in life, the sad and the giddy, the ironic and harrowing all have equal weight in his work.  Films such as: “The Apartment,” “Some Like It Hot,” “The Fortune Cookie,” “Witness for the Prosecution,” “The Spirit of St. Louis,” “The Seven Year Itch,” “Stalag 17,” “Sunset Boulevard,” just to mention a few.  Learning from the great Ernst Lubitsch, perhaps that is why, years later, more than that of any of his contemporaries, Billy Wilder’s work stands today as a portrait of the way people are.  In this class, presentations will be chosen for all to view at home, questions will be formulated by the presenters in order to discuss in class.  It will indeed be a stellar experience.

Common Reading:     Conversations with Wilder, by Cameron Crowe  (November 1999)