By: Todd E Henley on January 18, 2024
Consider the following headlines, which are all based on true policies: Homeless Shelters Perpetuate Homelessness Drug Busts Increase Drug-Related Crime Food Aid Increases Starvation “Get Tough” Prison Sentences Fail to Reduce the Fear of Violent Crime Job Training Programs Increase Unemployment1 What is going on here? Why do seemingly well-intentioned policies produce the opposite of…
By: Jonita Fair-Payton on January 18, 2024
“It is frustratingly clear to those who seek to eliminate mystery from life that the spirit and soul bring us right up to the edge of some of the most profound mysteries of our existence.”(1) Whew! This discussion about souls is a heavy one. I confess that I have a healthy fear of AI. I…
By: Adam Harris on January 18, 2024
In the original Jurassic Park film, where prehistoric titans are brought back to life and wreak havoc on an island, Dr. Ian Malcom famously says, “Yeah, yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, that they didn’t stop to think if they should.” This question seems to be on a…
By: Jenny Dooley on January 18, 2024
I am a bit chagrined to admit that I haven’t given AI much thought. I am not the most technologically minded person. I find the concepts of AI hard to grasp. My understanding is limited to what I have been exposed to through our reading last semester, the very helpful Zoom session last week with…
By: Cathy Glei on January 17, 2024
“By the time you read this, there will be several more lists of new laws, and the regulation debate will have moved on yet again. but the argument of this book is less about these details and more about how we need to rethink our first principles. Well first generation AI may require Draconian control,…
By: John Fehlen on January 15, 2024
Spoiler Alert: The following post contains spoilers for Eve Poole’s 2024 book entitled Robot Souls: Programming in Humanity, as well as for the 2024 Netflix movie Leave the World Behind starring America’s Sweetheart Julia Roberts. I consumed both at approximately the same period of time (the week after our final Spring semester class), and the…
By: Kim Sanford on January 15, 2024
The title says it all. Robot Souls. In her latest book, Eve Poole explores questions like: What would it take for robots to have souls? In order to answer that question, we have to define what a soul really is, which she discusses at length. [1] Then the next question is, would it even be…
By: Dinka Utomo on January 11, 2024
This gives all of us a moral obligation to listen to each other with full attention and an open mind. But the point of this hard work is communication, not deference -Yascha Mounk- I will commence this article by emphasizing two significant aspects that, from my point of view, should not be casually disregarded.…
By: Mathieu Yuill on January 11, 2024
Yascha Mounk’s, Identity Trap[1], is not just a treatise on the dynamics of identity politics; it’s a mirror reflecting the challenges and opportunities in harmonizing a company’s mission and vision with the richness of its employees’ identities. Complexity of Identity Politics and Company Vision Integration Mounk’s narrative around the complexity of identity politics parallels the…
By: Adam Harris on January 11, 2024
Before there was the “bi-racial” box on examines, as a kid I felt the need to find a creative way to show my race when filling out the pre-information before answering questions in English, science, or math. Most of my friends would simply color in the “white” box. Most expected me to fill in the…
By: Jonita Fair-Payton on January 11, 2024
I want to share a story with you. It came to mind as I read the introduction of The Identity Trap. As I have shared in other blogs, I am a Consultant and I work with non- profit organizations, churches, and charitable foundations. During the pandemic, in July of 2020, I worked with a CEO…
By: Todd E Henley on January 11, 2024
I have always enjoyed preaching, teaching, training, podcasting, and hosting workshops. About 90% of the time, I am asked to speak on topics such as: Trauma’s impact on the body, brain, immune system, or nervous system. How to help the body heal from childhood trauma? How pornography and/or sex addiction wires the brain. Generational trauma…
By: Jenny Dooley on January 11, 2024
The Identity Trap: A story of Ideas and Power in Our Time, by Yascha Mounk, offered a clear perspective on the discord and polarization I encountered when I returned to the USA in 2014. Something had drastically changed over the years that I could not put my finger on and left me fearful of speaking…
By: Cathy Glei on January 10, 2024
“. . . identity synthesis may likely lead to a society that fundamentally violates his most fundamental values and his most ardent aspirations for the future. The lure that attracts so many people to the identity synthesis is a desire to overcome persistent injustices and create a society of genuine equals but the likely outcome…
By: Kim Sanford on January 8, 2024
I first encountered the idea of Identity Politics in the Fall of 2023 when we read Francis Fukuyama’s book Identity: The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment. At the time, the concept of Identity Politics left me with a kind of hopeless feeling. That’s not to say that I saw no good in…
By: John Fehlen on January 8, 2024
My name is John. I identify as a white, straight, upper class, middle-aged male. Therefore, I will just shut up now. Of course, I jest. I’m just kidding. But, I do have to be honest: over the last handful of years I have more than occasionally felt like I just need…
By: Dinka Utomo on December 7, 2023
Grandiose fantasies are a symptom of Resistance. They’re the sign of an amateur. The professional has learned that success, like happiness, comes as a by-product of work. -Steven Pressfield- A piece of advice was given to me by one of the lecturers where I studied theology. The advice reads, “the best written work…
By: Adam Harris on December 7, 2023
Recently, I watched a clip of Rick Rubin, named “One of the Top 100 Most Influential People in the World” by Time magazine, discussing his philosophy and approach to art as well as his creative process. If you’re not familiar with Rick Rubin (not Santa Claus) you have probably heard some of the artists he…
By: Mathieu Yuill on December 7, 2023
When I was younger, I thought of myself as an artist. I loved drawing and writing, spending my summers at art camps and evenings in art classes. My high school was even focused on the arts. But around the age of 16, I started to see things differently. I got into photography and wrote for…
By: Todd E Henley on December 7, 2023
In her book, Jump, Kim Perell talks about what to do with our fears and challenges in life. She says, “Instead of letting it paralyze you, let it catalyze you.”1 In other words whatever has the power to cause resistance in your life, use it to give you insight, wisdom, direction, passion, fire in your…
