Sober Philosophy: Genesis chapters 6-9 (Robert presents)

# The next time you observe the downtown Seattle skyline, picture a heap of ice the height of the Space Needle. Then use your imagination to double the height of that heap. Then double it all again. Then add yet another six hundred feet of ice on top of that. It might seem like a fantastical image, maybe even an impossible one. But in fact, just 17,000 years ago during the last Glacial Maximum, the entire Puget Sound region was buried under that much ice. So were most of what would become the northern contiguous United States, along with Alaska, Canada, and Greenland. So were northern and western Europe, and southern South America. Extensive ice caps and massive ice streams filled valleys across the Himalayas and Central Asia. Even tropical and subtropical peaks hosted substantial glaciers, including African mountains, the New Guinea highlands, and the tropical Andes. The Antarctic Ice Sheet was also significantly larger and thicker than it is now. So much of the water on Earth was glaciated that global sea levels averaged 400 feet lower than today. For over one hundred millennia, ice absolutely dominated vast swathes of the surface of our planet. Then, within a span of just a few thousand years, virtually all of it melted.

One of the most widespread motifs in world mythology is “the World Flood.” Variations on the theme appear across continents, between cultures that developed in compete isolation from each other. In Mesopotamian mythology, Utnapishtim is warned of a divine plan to drown humanity in a flood. He builds a massive ark to preserve animals and seeds, and survives a devastating storm before grounding on Mount Siris. In Greek tradition, Zeus decides to wipe out wicked humanity with a massive deluge. Deucalion and his wife Pyrrha alone escape, by building a floating chest, and then go on to repopulate the world. In Andean mythology, the creator god Viracocha drowns a race of evil giants with a great flood. Mesoamerican cosmology describes a ancient era that ended in a catastrophic deluge. A single couple survives in a hollowed-out log. In Indian mythology, Manu, the first man, survives and earth cleansing flood (with the aid of a talking fish) by taking refuge on the peaks of the Himalayas. In Chinese legend, Yu the Great spends thirteen years cutting channels through mountains and dredging rivers to drain the floodwaters back into the sea.

Despite originating independently in different cultures, these myths often share striking similarities. The flood is often framed as a divine retribution against human sinfulness or disobedience. A single figure or small family is spared, usually due to their moral standing, or because they were warned by a sympathetic deity. Life is preserved inside an enclosed space (an ark, a chest, a hollow log, a high mountain peak). The story culminates in the establishment of a new world order, or a new relationship between divine forces and humanity.

This Sunday at the Graduate, Sober Philosophy will read and discuss chapters 6 through 9 of the Book of Genesis. These chapters contain the story of Noah’s Ark, the best known of the world flood myths. It will be the fourth of a projected five-part discussion series about the Primordial books of Genesis, and the ways in which they may be true.

Symptom-free (of potentially contagious disease) people with the capacity to listen considerately to diverse viewpoints are invited to attend after successfully RSVPing.

We begin the meeting at 1:00 pm sharp at the mezzanine above the lobby of the Graduate Hotel in the University District: 4507 Brooklyn Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98105.

Directions for first-timers at the Graduate Hotel:
From the front hotel entrance go to the right. Turn left around the corner to enter through the north valet entrance. If the valet questions you just say you're here for the philosophy group. Go straight to the main lobby and turn right behind the large bookshelves before the elevators. Enter the stairway on your left, go up one flight, and go through the first door you encounter to enter our meeting area.

2-MINUTE OPENING ROUNDTABLE FORMAT (2ORF):

1. The topic presenter begins the discussion by taking up to two minutes explaining why they are interested in the topic and some introductory thoughts on it.
2. Each participant in turn going clockwise from the presenter has up to two minutes to describe their general thoughts on the topic.
3. If one is not ready to speak they can just say “pass” and the next person speaks.
4. After we've gone around once anyone who passed will get a second chance to comment.
5. Once everyone has given opening remarks or passed twice, Opening Roundtable is completed and the meeting shifts into TDRF>4 below.

TIMED DIRECTION FORMAT (TDRF>4):
If there are 4 or less people present we will have unstructured discussion, otherwise we will use the format below.

1. We will divide up the timed direction discussion time by the number of participants plus one (for a buffer). A timer will be set for this amount of time.
2. Each participant in turn will become a Discussion Director and lead the group discussion.
3. If one is not ready to direct they dimply say “pass” and the next person becomes the Discussion Director.
4. Anyone who arrives after step 1 (above), may participate but will not get a turn as Discussion Director.
5. The Discussion Director can make statements or ask questions, or interrupt or redirect the discussion at their discretion.
6. The discussion participants can state their own opinions only when asked by the Discussion Director, not Interrupt others and accede to the Discussion Director’s interruptions or redirections.
7. When the timer goes off the person speaking finishes their thought and then the next participant clockwise becomes the next Discussion Director.
8. After we've gone around once anyone who passed will get a second chance to direct.

At the end of the meeting, participants will have an opportunity to vote on the topic and format for the following meeting.