By: Travis Vaughn on January 15, 2024
In 2022, I decided to put the third season of my podcast on hold due to my doctoral studies. At present, I don’t imagine I will return to the studio until AFTER May 2025. But when season three happens, now that I’ve read Eve Poole’s Robot Souls: Programming in Humanity[1] I have an idea of…
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: Jennifer Vernam on January 15, 2024
Some Leaders I Know Leaders that I work with do not have enough time to do their jobs. With every moment of their day scheduled, they are trying to address tensions, labor shortages, and financial constraints unlike any I have seen in my 25 years in the field. These mission-minded individuals are continually asked to…
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: Jana Dluehosh on January 11, 2024
Identity. What a hard concept to nail down and at the same time a key part of every human experience. One of my past teachers stated, “we are the medicine, how well do you know that medicine?”. [1] This is a key part of my “why” I do what I do and who I am. …
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: Scott Dickie on January 11, 2024
On several different occasions I had to remind myself that Yascha Mounk, author of The Identity Trap (1), was a self-identifying progressive and he was seeking to expose ineffective strategies to address real and important issues like racism, inequality, and free speech. At times, I found myself ‘reacting’ to some of his statements which struck…
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: Esther Edwards on January 10, 2024
I entered high school in the late 70s with much apprehension and excitement as most teenagers do. A new high school had been built and my class would be the first class to attend all four years. You see, Cumberland Regional High School was beautifully designed with the hopes of bringing greater relief to the…
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: Pam Lau on January 9, 2024
It was September 2020 when my friend, Adrienne, asked me to go public with our friendship. She wanted to know if we could work out some of our current difficulties in front of others on my podcast and in a workshop. Valuing her friendship more than my comfort zone, I agreed and we recorded an…
By: Russell Chun on January 9, 2024
Вас звільнили! & Велике пробудження, Your fired! & the Great Awokening Vas zvilʹnyly! & Velyke probudzhennya Introduction Part 1 – What my peers are saying. Part 2 – What others are saying Part 3 – What I learned. Epilogue: Meanwhile back at the ranch (in Colorado). Introduction – At our Christmas meal 2023, one of…
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: Tim Clark on January 8, 2024
The United States faced a political and cultural powder keg in 2020. One match that lit a national fuse was the viral video that showed the brutal arrest and death of George Floyd. In many places, racial tension that had been simmering for years instantly boiled over. Los Angeles was one of those places. John…
By: Travis Vaughn on January 8, 2024
In The Identity Trap[1] Yascha Mounk provides an alternative to what he calls “the identity synthesis.”[2] His alternative is liberalism[3], grounded in a philosophy that “humans are driven by their capability to make common cause with people who have different beliefs and origins rather than their membership in specific groups.”[4] Mounk argues for “universal values…
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…
