Archived book clubs
2024
Yellowface by R. F. Kuang. Paul Pancella, professor of physics, and Victoria Vuletich, founder of Ethics Squared based in Grand Rapids, will lead the discussions. In this acclaimed novel, a young, white female aspiring author obtains a completed, but unknown, draft of a potential best-selling novel from an Asian-American colleague who dies unexpectedly. She decides to revise, complete, and publish it as her own work. Ethical issues include plagiarism, dishonesty, racism and “cancel culture.” This book is the Kalamazoo Public Library’s Reading Together 2024 pick. The author will give a talk at Chenery Auditorium on March 23. Meetings at 6-7 p.m. Mondays January 29, February 5 and February 12 in 3120 Sangren Hall. Visitor parking available next to Sangren Hall in Lots 68 and 69.
Unshrinking (2024) by Kate Manne. Noa Dahan, a part-time instructor in the Department of Philosophy, will lead the discussions. Manne highlights fatphobia as a social justice issue that has received insufficient attention. The book tackles ethical questions in arguing that harmful treatment of (and biases against) others on the basis of body size is a moral and political problem on the societal level. The book will argue that the solution to the harms of fatphobia will not be individualistic self-love, but instead will require societal transformation, like other social issues. Meetings at 5-6:30 p.m. Wednesdays March 13, March 20, March 27 and April 3 in 3014 Moore Hall. Visitor parking available behind Moore Hall in Lot 77.
The Women Are Up to Something (2022) by Benjamin Lipscomb. Daniel Kosacz, a part-time instructor in the Department of Philosophy, will lead the discussions. This book traces the lives and ideas of four philosophers — G.E.M. Anscombe, Philippa Foot, Mary Midgley, and Iris Murdoch — who were instrumental in the revival of virtue ethics during the mid-20th century. The book explores their view that the virtues —such as courage, discernment, justice and love —are key to living a good life. Meetings at 5-6:30 p.m. Tuesdays March 26, April 2, April 9 and April 16 in 3014 Moore Hall. Visitor parking available behind Moore Hall in Lot 77.
2023
Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation that Starts in Your Yard by Douglas Tallamy. The book explores ways that we can address wildlife decline at the individual level regardless of government policy. And the principal answer, that we should plant more native species, is a way to engage with environmental ethics that cuts across the political divide. The book gives specific suggestions for creating conservation corridors in your back yard. Discussions led by Jonathan Milgrim, faculty specialist, and Fritz Allhoff, professor, both in the Department of Philosophy. Meetings at 6-7:30 p.m. Thursdays Sept 28, October 12 and 26 in person at this is a bookstore/Bookbug, 3019 Oakland Drive.
Wretched of the Earth by Frantz Fanon. This book was reissued in 2021 on the 60th anniversary of its publication with a new introduction by Cornel West. It has been a central text for interrogating racism and colonialism and their harmful impacts, including violence, trauma and mental illness. Fanon’s text covers the means of struggling against those who profit from racism and colonialism, as well as the obstacles to creating alternative forms of knowledge and social relations. Discussions led by William Santiago-Valles, retired associate professor emeritus of Africana Studies. Meetings at 5:30-7 p.m. Wednesdays Oct. 4, 11 and 25 online on Webex.
The Idea of Prison Abolition by Tommie Shelby, Caldwell Titcomb Professor of African and African American Studies and of Philosophy at Harvard University. Some reformers advocate for the end of prisons, given the prevalence of inhumane conditions, the devastating costs of mass incarceration for Black communities, and other ethical problems. Shelby examines the case for prison abolition, building on the work of Angela Davis and other Black activists and prison reformers. Shelby concludes that we can greatly reduce incarceration by attending to the structural injustices that contribute to crime and the harms it causes even if prisons remain. Discussions led by Ashley Atkins, associate professor of philosophy. Meetings at 5-6:30 p.m. Mondays November 13, 27, and December 4, in person in 2401 Sangren Hall in preparation for a lecture by Shelby on December 8.