In 2012 we'll examine several paradigms or practices - "Sacred Cows" - that are resistant to criticism or change; systems that deliver mixed results for long periods of time, but somehow retain a powerful hold our society and imaginations. Democracy, jobs, education, health care, and national defense - it's hard to argue that these five systems aren't immensely important to society. But when it comes to action, there's a fundamental disagreement on their purpose.

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FEBRUARY 1, 2012 | 7pm | First Congregational Church

     

DEMOCRACY: Christopher Phillips

Energized by the initial optimism surrounding Obama's presidency and concerned with the increasingly fierce nature of the partisanship infecting Congress, Phillips' latest project is Constitution Cafe (2011), an effort to engage everyday Americans in constructive dialogue and debate about the nature of our government, the meaning of citizenship and our most important political documents. Phillips has taught at New York University and is the founder and executive director of the Constitution Cafe and the Society for Philosophical Inquiry (SPI).

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February 24, 2012 | 7pm | First Congregational Church

     

JOBS: Juliet Schor

Juliet Schor is Professor of Sociology at Boston College. Schor's research over the last ten years has focused on issues pertaining to trends in work and leisure, consumerism, the relationship between work and family, women's issues, and economic justice. Her latest book, Plenitude: The New Economics of True Wealth, offers a groundbreaking statement about the economics and sociology of ecological decline, suggesting a radical change in how we think about consumer goods, value, and ways to live.

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March 20, 2012 | 7pm | Lincoln High School

     

EDUCATION: Diane Ravitch

Diane Ravitch is Research Professor of Education at New York University, a historian of education, and educational policy analyst. From 1991-94 she was Assistant Secretary of Education and led the effort to promote the creation of voluntary state and national academic standards. In her most recent book, The Death and Life of the Great American School System, Ravitch examines her career in education reform and repudiates positions that she once staunchly advocated, including standardized testing, privatization, restructuring schools.

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April 18, 2012 | 7pm | First Congregational Church

     

HEALTH CARE: Wendell Potter

Following a 20-year career as a corporate public relations executive, Potter left his position as head of communications for CIGNA, one of the nation's largest health insurers, to help socially responsible organizations achieve their goals. His new book, Deadly Spin: An Insurance Company Insider Speaks Out on How Corporate PR is Killing Health Care and Deceiving Americans, is an expose on health insurers and a stark warning that corporate spin is distorting our democracy.

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May 9, 2012 | 7pm | First Congregational Church

     

NATIONAL DEFENSE: Illahee Panel with Regional Defense Experts
If an adversary were ever to threaten our national security, we'd want to defend it. But what constitutes our national security beyond defense of our borders? Access to resources? The ability to trade and convene with collaborators? And what constitutes a threat? Please join Illahee for a special panel of regional experts discussing defense issues as they relate to the Pacific Northwest.

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May 16, 2012 | 7pm | Venue TBA

Special Event

Andrew Bacevich
The Oregon Humanities Center
2011-12 Kritikos Lecture in the Humanities
Free and open to the public 

A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, Andrew J. Bacevich is a leading commentator on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. His essays and reviews have appeared in a wide variety of newspapers, magazines and journals. Bacevich is the author, most recently, of Washington Rules: America’s Path to Permanent War (2010). He is Professor of International Relations and History at Boston University and received his Ph.D. in American Diplomatic History from Princeton University.