In today’s polarized, contradictory and fragmented information environment, it can be hard to know what to believe. Public figures promote radically different narratives about events, each amplified by media that the public regards as less and less trustworthy. The truth is out there, but in today’s chaotic media ecosystem, where do you find it? Watch…...
This First Friday Lecture explored the figure of Nature in Jean de Meun’s Romance of the Rose and Alain of Lille’s earlier work The Plaint of Nature, as well as the nature of allegory and the relationship between medieval, ancient, and modern views of nature.
The press is the only industry singled out in the Constitution (in the First Amendment) for protection from government interference. The reason is simple: the framers understood the essential role that trustworthy, independent media play in a healthy democracy. Today that role is being challenged by hostile politicians, a mistrustful public and digital competition—and democracy…...
This First Friday lecture explored the Herman Melville’s 1851 classic Moby Dick, a work regarded for its density and difficulty, as well as the context surrounding it. One salient feature of Melville’s 1851 masterpiece is its sheer magnitude. It isn’t that it’s the longest of 19th-century novels. Shorter than War and Peace, The Brothers Karamazov,…...
In recent decades, numerous studies have illuminated a concerning trend: a decline in the role of facts and analysis in public life. The RAND Corporation has been closely examining this trend through an ongoing research series called Truth Decay. Watch our conversation with Michael Rich, President Emeritus of RAND and coauthor of Truth Decay, to…...
Watch our conversation with New York Times columnist and Leadership & Society Initiative (LSI) Senior Advisor David Brooks about longevity, the changing structure of adulthood, and how to design a purposeful “second mountain.” Alongside David, we also speak with two current LSI Fellows about their journeys to design and activate next chapters of purpose.
At the Graham School, we believe liberal education can and should be for everyone. In 2023, we welcomed over 2,000 learners to our liberal arts classrooms and engaged more than 20,000 registrants through our public events. In our year-end video, we feature the voices of students, instructors, and staff examining what makes the Graham community…...
In the Basic Program classroom, students pay close attention to the text, and not so much to the historical context. The First Friday Lectures were designed originally to provide this context. In the December lecture, Kendall Sharp outlines the historical context that explains the significance of the two ancient Greek genres that kick off the…...
This First Friday Lecture is supported by the Anastaplo Lecture Series Fund in memory of Basic Program Instructor George Anastaplo. The history of thought and action in many cultures involves a transition from mythos (stories of gods, goddesses, and heroes) to logos (philosophy and related fields of study). This lecture explored that transition, with special consideration given to ancient Greece.…...
Your Next Chapter Matters is a virtual conversation series with distinguished individuals who have activated encore chapters of leadership for society. In this conversation, Leadership & Society Initiative director Diana Petty speaks with Anne Mulcahy, former Chairman and CEO of Xerox, about her next chapter as Board Chair of the Save The Children Federation.
Watch our conversation with Murat Bozluolcay, Postdoctoral Researcher at the Institute on the Formation of Knowledge, to explore the history of economies. We start with the rise of economics, from liberal political economy to the scientification of economics in the 20th century. With the help of classic texts, we also explore economies of other times…...
Mathematics and astronomy are often taught as packaged universal truths, independent of time and context. Their history is assumed to be one of revelations and discoveries, beginning with the Greeks and reaching final maturity in modern Europe. This narrative has been roundly critiqued for decades, but the work of rewriting these histories has only just…...