Book Clubs on Ethics
Ethics Between the Lines
The Center for the Study of Ethics in Society is hosting a series of book clubs during the Fall 2024 semester. Participants will purchase and read the books on their own, then join the discussion leaders for lively conversations. Participants will receive information about the meetings about one week before the first meeting. The first 10 sign-ups receive a free book.
Students who attend all scheduled meetings of their book club earn Signature credit.
All groups are open to everyone.
Download Fall 2024 series flier.
What Universities Owe Democracy (2021) by Ronald J. Daniels. Kathy Purnell, J.D., Ph.D., trustee at Kalamazoo Valley Community College, director of the Human/Civil Rights Law Center, and part-time instructor in the Department of Political Science, will lead the discussions. The core ethical theme that will be explored throughout the book club will be the ethical obligations of universities to support democratic governance. The book provides historical context for the creation of the university and educational systems in the United States and argues that some of the key obligations of universities include expanding access and mobility to future generations, cultivating a commitment to free inquiry and educating citizens for full participation in a democracy, developing capacity for critical thinking, and engaging in "purposeful pluralism" to ensure that diverse societies encourage dialogue across difference. Meetings will take place at 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays September 18 and September 25 on Zoom.
A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life by George Saunders. In this book, a Syracuse University professor shares what he has discovered about life, values and truth by reading Russian short stories with his students over the years. The discussions will be led by Dini Metro-Roland, professor of educational foundations; Paul Farber, professor of teaching, learning and educational studies; and Jil Larson, associate professor of English. The issues Saunders writes about have a kind of value that, while not timeless, illustrate why reading and writing, art and literature, and evocations of the human condition still matter. Meetings will take place at 6 p.m. Wednesdays October 2, October 9, October 16 and October 23 in 4530 Sangren Hall. This book club is part of the A Life Well Lived events series co-sponsored by the Ethics Center, the Osher Institute of Lifelong Learning and the Kalamazoo Lyceum.
Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI (2024) by Ethan Mollick, Wharton professor and author of the popular One Useful Thing Substack newsletter. David Paul, chair of the Department of Philosophy, will lead the discussions. Among the questions to be explored are: What does this technology mean for the future of work and education, given that AI augments human thinking? Does AI constitute a new form of intelligent life? Meetings will take place 6-7 p.m. Mondays October 21, October 28 and November 4 in 4550 Sangren Hall.
Got an idea for a book club? The Center's advisory board reviews proposals in November and March.
To see a list of previous Ethics Center book clubs, click here.