Video
The Human Footprint — has civilization gone too far?
Tuesday, February 13, 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?
Parenting — why are we afraid to let go?
Tuesday, September 19, 2006, 7-8.30pm
Theresa Lang Center, The New School
Parenting is fast becoming an activity organized around fear. Whether it is angst about some external threat or worry about the unintended psychological consequences of their own actions, parents are under pressure as never before. Why has raising children become so fraught with difficulty? How did we come to view childhood as so dangerous? What are the consequences of insulating children from risk?
Is There a ‘Culture of Corruption’ in Politics and Business?
Wednesday 21st June 2006, 7.00pm - 8.30pm
New York Society for Ethical Culture
The NY Salon proudly announces Is There a ‘Culture of Corruption’ in Politics and Business?, a public debate featuring Robert Pollock, Matthew Continetti, David Callahan and Daniel Ben-Ami, and moderated by NY Salon’s James Matthews. From Abramoff to DeLay, many claim Washington is riddled with corrupt practices. At the same time, confidence in Corporate America has yet to fully recover from the blows of Enron and other scandals. This apparent explosion of corruption has led some to wonder if our political and business institutions face a deep-rooted problem of illegal and unethical behavior.
Reflections Of The Future - Politics in the 21st Century
Friday 30 September 2005, 6.30 pm.
CUNY Graduate Center
The NY Salon proudly announces Reflections on the Future, a public debate featuring renowned authors Russell Jacoby, Richard Sennett, and Frank Furedi, and moderated by WNYC’s Brian Lehrer. Reflections on the Future will examine the nature of politics at the start of the 21st Century. It seems that the traditional conception of Left and Right means less than ever. This trend was vividly apparent in the 2004 election, when few on either side were excited by their party’s own platform. Political positions were defined negatively. Liberals were rarely for Kerry so much as against Bush. Conservatives were not so much united behind Bush as they were against liberals. Even the categories ‘liberal’ and ‘conservative’ seemed increasingly meaningless amidst independent, libertarian, neoconservative, moderate, or simply apathetic voters.
