Think Again

 The votes are in, and we have a schedule for 2012. Next step:  sign up to lead one of these discussions. It really only requires making sure we have some readings and a few good questions to kick off discussion.  You can also nominate people to lead discussions, or suggest guest speakers.  Leave suggestions or volunteer in the comments, or email me (Allie). We'll start with February if that is okay with everyone. February Is politics the new religion? March The Arab Spring April Earth stewardship May The election process in the U.S. June What is happening to men? July Is google making us smarter or dumber? August What is money? Understanding the economy September Human trafficking/modern-day slavery October Presidential candidates and their positions November A culture of isolation – why are we in silos? ...

Leave your votes in the comments.  (... and feel free to flesh out any of these ideas, or to volunteer to lead a discussion!) 1)  What is money? Based on an episode of This American Life called "The Invention of Money." This could cover understanding some basic economic concepts as well as philosophical approaches to what money means/does to people, how it should be handled, and how we as individuals and societies relate to money. Current data show that the millennial generation may be developing habits of thrift reminiscent of those found among the Depression-era cohort -- what does this mean?  2)  What is happening to men? From the cover of the Atlantic to the recent Muppets movie, Americans everywhere seem to be soul-searching about "failure to launch." Women now outnumber men on college campuses, and some studies show that women in the youngest generation are out-earning the men their age. Three-quarters of the jobs lost during the recession were lost by m...

Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday?  Leave your vote in the comments. (Also, if you have a preference on the week of the month -- second week, third week, etc. -- leave that in the comments, too. )

Here are a few ideas to get us started with discussion ideas for 2012.  But we need more!  Add yours in the comments section.  Feel free to look back at posts from previous years to spark ideas. We will collect as many ideas as we can Jan. 2-5.  Then we'll vote on the top 12 from Jan. 6-8. You do not have to lead the discussion on an idea you suggest, but you certainly may if you wish.  If you see another idea from another person that you'd be interested in leading the discussion on, please indicate that.  Also, if you have ideas for guest speakers or other visitors, the sky's the limit here. So here are a few preliminary ideas. Add your own ideas, and feel free to flesh out any of these or take them in a new direction if you like: 1)  What is money? Based on an episode of This American Life called "The Invention of Money." This could cover understanding some basic economic concepts as well as philosophical approaches to what money means/does to pe...

Discussion leader: Jay Griffith Special guests: Eric and Brinn Chipman of the local band Matteo . Recommended readings (and listenings) From Eric: Radiolab: Musical Language What is music? Why does it move us? How does the brain process sound, and why are some people better at it than others? http://www.radiolab.org/2007/sep/24/ The episode is called "Musical Language." It's an hour long, and if you have time, the whole thing is great. If you don't, though, it's worth just listening to the first section (here:  http://www.radiolab.org/2007/sep/24/behaves-so-strangely/ ), which is 20 minutes. We are going to talk a little bit about the differences in the way the Chinese (traditionally) approach music. Below is a video of a GuQin piece, this instrument is the one played by Confucius and is considered the most "sacred" of instruments.  Also below is a sample of what a piece of traditional chinese music looked like, the actual notation that is. http://w...

Discussion leader: Brian Stucki Here, at last, are the readings. They are not terribly long, but I think they provide some good perspective on the fundamental question I wish to discuss: "Can we feed the world without destroying it?" I would also like to suggest to people the films "Food, Inc.", and "Ingredients", which I believe are both available on Netflix instant view. http://www.ecoliteracy.org/essays/pleasures-eating An essay by my FAVORITE writer, Wendell Berry. He has been critiquing the assumptions and absurdities of our food system for longer than just about anyone. http://www.perc.org/files/Local%20Food%20Critique.pdf I wanted to include a contrarian perspective from my own, and this seemed to be the most rigorous attempt I could find to undermine the logic behind local eating. Published by the Mercatus Center. http://www.simplespoonful.com/2008/12/07/myopia-in-mercatus-the-real-cost-of-free-trade/ http://www.simplespoonful.com/2008/1...

Facilitators: Mercedes White and Michael Carey Mainstream Science on Intelligence https://docs.google.com/ viewer?a=v&pid=explorer& chrome=true&srcid= 19eQWUFvfPF4gMNleXE752yv- 9fReNdXGW39xPu6YqR5q9xCCQEuzwn 9Crr8T&hl=en Intelligence and Educational Achievement https://docs.google.com/ viewer?a=v&pid=explorer& chrome=true&srcid= 17AsyXt30orKE5lXGlQ- MSqf72wHQ2jcW368h0nBESoM3XAWam gwV1tAzSZXp&hl=en "The Flynn Effect: people are getting smarter?" http://www.indiana.edu/~ intell/flynneffect.shtml "The glory of God is intelligence" http://lds.org/scriptures/dc- testament/dc/93.36?lang=eng#35 Questions: Is the development of intelligence a necessary part of spiritual growth? Do smart people deserve the fruits of their intelligence, or do they owe society something because of their luck? Is it more important to encourage the most intelligent among us, or to "close the achievement gap"? There are measurable ...