Presentation about the coming water crisis by Mark Owens, a local farmer and rancher, small business owner, and a Republican State Representative.
Presentation by evolutionary biologist Gordon Orians. Charles Darwin completely upended our ideas about causality in the life sciences, bringing about widespread debates that continue to this day. What are the implications of Darwin’s idea that there is design without a designer? Orians is Professor Emeritus of Biology, University of Washington. He has served as its Director of Environmental Studies. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1989 and to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1990. His most intensive research area has been behavioral ecology.
Presentation by John Seager. What are the vital connections between population growth, social justice, environmental challenges, and women’s rights? World population is projected to reach 8 billion in just two years. John Seager has a B.A. in Political Science. He has served as Chief of Staff for a former Congressman from Pennsylvania.
Philosopher Andrew Norman discusses the root cause of mass irrationality. Why are ideologies poisoning public discourse? Why is extremism on the rise? How did we get here, and what can we do about it? We can inoculate minds against unhinged thinking. Andy Norman is the director of the Humanism Initiative at Carnegie Mellon University.