You Can’t Say That: dinner Salon with Dennis Hayes
April 29, 2008
The first of a two part series exploring freedom – with Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
Archive for the 'Video' Category
The Human Footprint — has civilization gone too far?
Tuesday, February 13 2007, 7 to 8:30pm
Theresa Lang Center, The New School
Increasingly we are being warned about doomsday scenarios. Whether it is the depletion of fossil fuels or the rising water levels due to melting of the polar caps, the tenor of the discussion is alarmist. James Lovelock, author of Revenge of Gaia warns us of approaching Armageddon-like destruction if we continue to live the way we do and there are a host of commentators who deplore the idea of progress and development, suggesting that if China and India continue on the path that America and Europe pursued the end will be nigh. From Hurricane Katrina to the 2004 Tsunami we are continually told by serious commentators that we are experiencing ‘nature’s revenge.’ Human hubris is sited as reason for what were once seen as natural disasters that happened from time to time. We are told to switch off our lights, recycle our garbage and try not to have too damaging an impact and ‘footprint’ on the world. Are we really facing such a calamity? What is the role of rational enquiry and science in the debate about the environment? Why does it seem like the debate is often infused with panic and urgency? Should we demand a more sober reflection or are we up against the clock? How is it that we have come to perceive ourselves as the biggest threat to our existence, rather than a solution provider and innovator?
Therapeutic Society or Therapeutic State?
Tuesday, November 14, 2006 , 7 to 8:30pm
Theresa Lang Center, The New School
According to the National Institute of Mental Health over one in four adults suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year and mental illnesses are the leading cause of disability. Are we indeed all vulnerable individuals susceptible to the whims of our emotional reaction? What are the consequences for political democracy of a more vulnerable sense of personhood?
