What we’re about
So how do we know that?
Come join people who are curious, thoughtful, and use evidence-based thinking to better understand the world around us and ourselves. We will explore this through the wide spectrum of books or videos chosen. These discussions will be guided by the monthly topic and they will be engaging and far-ranging to encourage participation from all attending.
Upcoming events (4)
See all- The Contagion of Liberty: Politics of Smallpox in the American RevolutionIrondequoit Public Library, Rochester, NY
The Contagion of Liberty: The Politics of Smallpox in the American Revolution by Andrew M. Wehrman
The Revolutionary War broke out during a smallpox epidemic, and in response, General George Washington ordered the inoculation of the Continental Army. But Washington did not have to convince fearful colonists to protect themselves against smallpox--they were the ones demanding it. In The book describes a revolution within a revolution, where the violent insistence for freedom from disease ultimately helped American colonists achieve independence from Great Britain. Inoculation, a shocking procedure introduced to America by an enslaved African, became the most sought-after medical procedure of the eighteenth century. Across the colonies, poor Americans rioted for equal access to medicine, while cities and towns shut down for quarantines. This offers a new dimension to our understanding of both the American Revolution and the origins of public health in the US. The miraculous discovery of vaccination in the early 1800s posed new challenges that upended the revolutionaries' dream of disease eradication, and Wehrman reveals that the quintessentially American rejection of universal health care systems has deeper roots than previously known.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TbKrwd4c-0 2 min
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIsAkL1ipCM 40 min
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSiPeMJ_nCs 60 min
https://dailystoic.com/andrew-wehrman-on-why-it-is-crucial-to-study-pandemics-of-the-past (scroll down to listen)
https://www.andrewwehrman.com/events (different podcasts available)
1 copy in library system, 7 copies available from host - Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel KahnemanIrondequoit Public Library, Rochester, NY
In 2002, Kahneman won the Nobel in economic science. What made this unusual is that Kahneman is a psychologist.The author explores the nuances of our two-system minds, showing how they perform in various situations. Psychological experiments have repeatedly revealed that our intuitions are generally wrong, that our assessments are based on biases and that we hate doubt and despise ambiguity. Striking research showing the immense complexity of ordinary thought and revealing the identities of the gatekeepers in our minds.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqXVAo7dVRU 9 min
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PirFrDVRBo4 6 min
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjVQJdIrDJ0&t=9s 62 min
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYYkRaU0xh8 22 min
21 books, 4 audio books on CD in library system - The demon-haunted world: science as a candle in the dark by Carl SaganIrondequoit Public Library, Rochester, NY
One of the ironies of the century is the steady revival of beliefs of ages past. Dark-age worldviews are making a comeback. In this beautifully written book, Sagan laments this dismal state in which the general public has not been touched by science. He talks about intelligent people believing in Atlantis and Nostradamus and of tabloids spreading canards such as the discovery of temple ruins on Mars, and bemoans the periodic reports on aliens and UFOs. He warns about the antiscience forces that are becoming more and more assertive. Though many people hear about spectacular discoveries in science, there is widespread illiteracy as to the nature and goals of science, and its framework and methodology. Surveys show that although science has imparted benefits through medicine and technology and has added to our creature comforts, its potentials for elevating the human spirit, endowing us with intellectual joys, and ridding the mind of stifling superstitions have not reached most people. There is a vast body of pseudoscientific literature that is appealing, understandable, and cheap, that entertains and deludes. People need some excitement, and the massive output of pseudoscience is out there to satisfy. Pseudoscience not only titillates but makes everything easy and understandable.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JpQFVXGzUI 20 min
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9pFcWYYrSA 30 min audio only
10 books, 1 audio book on CD in library system
