Jul 19
In his book, Making Toast, journalist and essayist Roger Rosenblatt wrote about the death of his thirty-eight-year-old daughter, Amy. In his latest book, Kayak Morning, he offers a “personal meditation on grief itself.” This year at Chautauqua, the famed lecture series founded in 1874, he talked about his book and about his grief with John …
Aug 29
Is creativity something only some people are born with? No, says George Kembel, you’ve got it right now. The cofounder and executive director of Stanford University’s school of design, the d.school, believes that “creativity is a profound, latent human capacity available to all of us if we know how to awaken it.” Kembel’s talk at …
Aug 24
Intuition is more important than logic; mistakes are good; nobody can predict the future or reason the root causes of past events. While these concepts sound like the makings of an Esalen workshop or self-help retreat, they were, in fact, the basis of a speech delivered by a West Point colonel. On August 17, the …
Aug 19
For over a hundred years, the Chautauqua Institution has been America’s incubator of great ideas. With the nation’s lengthy economic downturn and many asking whether the American Dream is dead, how will this “most American thing in America” show us the way to continuing prosperity and global leadership? Next week FORA.tv will present a series …
Aug 16
To truly understand Iranian Islamic politics, Westerners need to leave behind their preconceived notions of modernization, religion and revolution, says Karen Armstrong, contemporary and historical religion’s most prolific author. She spoke at the Chautauqua Institution on August 5. Revolution in the West, she said, is historically a transitional phase that goes from a religious view …
Aug 09
Before Egypt, Syria, or even Tunisia, Iranians in 2009 launched a revolt against their incumbent government that would inspire Arab uprisings across the Middle East, yet autocrat Mahmoud Ahmadinejad remains in power. Iran hosts the second-largest natural gas reserves in the world, yet its politicians insist they must pursue nuclear energy. Iranian Islamic leaders ideologically …
Aug 05
A rare glimpse into the inner workings of the Methodist church, and two of the world’s foremost thinkers on Islam – we can’t imagine a more informative week for those interested in world religion. Here’s what to watch. August 4-8 – World Methodist Conference With 76 denominations in 132 countries representing 75 million people, the …
Aug 05
In Somalia – a land torn by violence, starvation, Islamic extremism, and now its worst drought in 60 years – Dr. Hawa Abdi stands strong, providing free land, healthcare, and food and shelter to 100,000 people in need with her Dr. Hawa Abdi Foundation (DHAF). But in her ravaged country it takes more than a …
Jul 26
Have you got a Bachelor of Arts diploma – in English, History, maybe Psychology – moldering in the back of your closet? Are you kicking yourself for not having studied something more applicable to the job market, like Computer Science? Never fear, says Stanley Fish: liberal arts education needs no justification. Indeed, he believes that …
Jul 22
The world is thinking, and at FORA we’re following every thought. Below are three conferences to keep an eye on next week. July 26 — Stanley Fish at Chautauqua The Chautauqua Institution’s commitment to delivering the brightest world thinkers continues with the next installment in their riveting summer speaker series. On Tuesday New York Times …