Book Clubs on Ethics

The Center for the Study of Ethics in Society is hosting a series of book clubs during the spring 2025 semester. The first 10 people who sign up for each book club will get a free copy of the book. WMU students who attend all scheduled meetings of their book club earn Signature credit. All are welcome.

Life Worth Living: A Guide to What Matters Most by Miroslav Volf, Matthew Croasmun & Ryan McAnnally-Linz. This book, based on the authors’ experiences teaching for Yale University’s Life Worth Living Program, integrates a variety of philosophical, religious and cultural influences to address a set of guiding questions. These include: What constitutes a good life? What should we value most? How should we live in relation to others? What role do suffering and failure play in a meaningful life? Join us in our yearlong exploration of these themes as part of the A Life Well Lived – Kalamazoo series in collaboration with OLLI at WMU and the Kalamazoo Lyceum. Led by Kalamazoo Lyceum Director Matthew Miller. Meetings will be at 6 p.m. Wednesdays January 22, January 29, February 5, and February 12 on Zoom. Register to receive meeting link.

The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt. In this book, the renowned psychologist investigates the consequences of smartphone and social media use for the mental health of kids and adolescents. Do we cheat children from gaining real-world experience by allowing them to use smartphones and social media? Can and should we protect children from harmful influences in digital and online spaces? Explore these and other questions in advance of Haidt’s virtual visit to WMU on March 12. Led by Margaret von Steinen, WMU Government Relations (retired) and former Project Manager for WMU We Talk. Meetings will be at 12 p.m. noon Tuesdays February 4, February 11, February 18, and February 25 in 3120 Sangren Hall. Visitor parking in lots 68 and 69. 

The AI Mirror: How to Reclaim our Humanity in an Age of Machine Thinking by Shannon Vallor. In this book, the award-winning philosopher who used to be Google’s AI ethicist suggests that the best way to think of AI is as a mirror, rather than a mind. When used responsibly, AI can reveal like a good mirror – finding patterns and magnifying data. But AI can also distort and deceive like a bad mirror – producing confident-sounding guesses based on thoughts we’ve already had, yet inviting us to think, mistakenly, that the image we see is other than a mere duplicate. Led by Department of Philosophy faculty David Paul, Chair, and Jon Milgrim, Faculty Specialist. Meetings will be at 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays March 25 and April 1 in 4550 Sangren Hall. Visitor parking in lots 68 and 69; no meter fees after 5 p.m. The author will be giving a virtual talk for WMU at 12 p.m. April 7. Register for meeting link.