Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

Monday Night Philosophy at The Commonwealth Club celebrates its 14th anniversary by revealing how 20th century scientific knowledge was used to revitalize the power of Pythagorean insights and Platonic ideals. Using ancient Greek principles that promote clear conceptual reasoning, Hammond spent his 20s reorganizing the concepts we all use into a more coherent whole, generating both philosophical wisdom about the patterns in our personalities and perhaps even a better scientific understanding of the universe as well.Just as it did 2,500 years ago, focusing on the existence of the continuum of change and on the unchanging principles inherent in it reveals a cosmos of order rather than an impenetrable chaos. Surprisingly, the same thing can also be said about uncovering the patterns of order in our own individual―and admittedly apparently chaotic—personalities. Join George Hammond on his 70th birthday as he explains why he expects this civilizing force to get a big boost in the near future, and why he continues to focus on clarifying first principles first—and then setting them loose in the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every place we inhabit has its own tapestry of sound, whether you’re hiking through the woods or sitting in a cafe with a friend. And not only are sounds a part of our sensory experience, but they can give us vital information about the health of our ecosystems. As the planet warms and we lose biodiversity, those sounds are changing. The natural world isn’t the only space where the soundscape is changing. Electrifying everything will have a direct effect on the sound of urban centers. What will cities sound like in the future? Will we listen to the messages our world is sending us, or will we tune them out? Guests: Bernie Krause, Soundscape EcologistDan Hill, Director, Melbourne School of DesignFor show notes and related links, visit ClimateOne.org. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The United States prides itself for its maverick soul, but Sathnam Sanghera says it inherited the ambition, brutality and thinking of its empire roots. Sanghera reveals the hidden legacies and modern realities of the British empire and makes the case that to understand America, we must first understand British imperialism.He says the pernicious legacy of imperialism is rooted in our everyday lives yet remains shockingly obscured from view. Sanghera offers a sobering appraisal of Britain and America’s political histories to help us move forward to a more just future.SPEAKERSSathnam SangheraAuthor, Empireland: How Imperialism Has Shaped Modern Britain; Twitter @SathnamIn Conversation with John OliverHost, "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver"; Twitter @iamjohnoliverIn response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on March 6th, 2023 by the Commonwealth Club of California.This program contains EXPLICIT language. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Bill Clinton once called the border between India and Pakistan the most dangerous place on Earth. The two countries have been at war with each other on four separate occasions with numerous skirmishes in between. In 1948, 1965 and 1999 war was fought over Kashmir, and in 1971 it was over East Pakistan, later Bangladesh. There have been numerous peace talks, but in some cases the talks seem to have exacerbated the conflict.Complicating the issues has been access to Middle East oil. The Chinese have embarked on a great road-building effort to bypass the Malacca Straits—through which they get their oil supplies and which can be bottled up by the U.S. Navy in times of conflict—by reviving the old Silk Routes to Asia and beyond. Part of this old Silk Route makes its way through Kashmir and into the Pakistani port of Gwadar, on the Persian Gulf. This also helps China keep India, a potential rival in Asia, on the defensive. Kashmir, containing both the headwaters of the great rivers of South Asia as well as the trade routes linking China to the Gulf, is key. Pakistan sees Kashmir as central to its identity and with China’s support, sees little advantage in seeking peace. India, with its nationalist government, will see any flexibility on its part as a sign of weakness. And the United States is determined to contain China any way it can.Meanwhile the search for enduring peace between these two countries continues.Helping us understand the various sides of the issues and the conditions required for peace are two former ambassadors and two journalists, all of whom have been, at one stage or another, involved with the peace process. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Experience an amazing, uplifting and exhilarating program presented by AfroSolo Theatre Company, a sanctuary for Black arts, culture, intellect and entertainment founded by Thomas Robert Simpson.Our event emcee will be Dr. Brenda Wade, psychologist, television expert, speaker and author.The performance line-up includes an exciting mix of talented performing artists. African drumming by three master drummers, one being a two-time Grammy winner; a mini concert featuring harpist Destiny Muhammad and soprano Jeannine Anderson performing Black spirituals and classical music, a poetry reading by Devorah Major, San Francisco's first Black poet laureate, and a performance by Brian Freeman about the life of William Leidesdorff, one of San Francisco's leading entrepreneurs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bozoma Saint John is no stranger to adversity, and when her husband Peter died of cancer, she made one big decision: to live life urgently.In her book The Urgent Life, she shares the highs and lows from her personal life and what she learned from these tragedies to build a life worth living even in times of darkness and brokenness.She offers a hopeful message about coping with loss and grief and how to live life to the fullest.Bozoma Saint John is an American businesswoman who started her career at Spike Lee’s advertising agency and has gone on to work at Pepsi, Apple Music, Uber, Endeavor, and most recently was the global chief marketing officer at Netflix.NOTESThis program is part of our Good Lit series, underwritten by the Bernard Osher Foundation.SPEAKERSBozoma Saint JohnAuthor, The Urgent Life: My Story of Love, Loss, and Survival; Twitter @badassbozIn conversation with Gary VaynerchukEntrepreneur; Chairman, VaynerX; CEO, VaynerMedia; Creator and CEO, VeeFriends; Twitter @garyveeIn response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on February 23rd, 2023 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Not long ago, it was said that “hydrogen is the fuel of the future - and always will be.” Now, with the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law tagging $9.5 billion for developing a domestic hydrogen economy, this simplest of all elements is increasingly being discussed as a viable pathway for long-distance trucking, shipping, and hard-to-decarbonize industries like cement and steel. But how clean is clean hydrogen, really? And what will it take to make green hydrogen a cost-competitive option in applications like manufacturing, transportation, and grid-scale energy storage?Guests:Julio Friedmann, Chief Scientist, Carbon DirectSunita Satyapal, Director, Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office, DOE Alan Krupnick, Senior Fellow, Resources for the Future For show notes and related links, visit https://www.climateone.org/watch-and-listen/podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A renowned scientist and environmental advocate looks back on a life that has straddled the worlds of science and politics.Acclaimed as a public scientist and as a spokesperson on pressing environmental and equity issues, Paul R. Ehrlich reflects on his life, from his love affair with his wife Anne, to his scientific research, public advocacy, and concern for global issues. Interweaving the range of his experiences—as an airplane pilot, a desegregationist, a proud parent—Ehrlich’s offers valuable insights on pressing issues such as biodiversity loss, overpopulation, depletion of resources, and deterioration of the environment. A lifelong advocate for women’s reproductive rights, Ehrlich also helped to debunk scientific bias associating skin color and intelligence and warned some 50 years ago about a possible pandemic and the likely ecological consequences of a nuclear war.His new book Life: A Journey Through Science and Politics, focuses on the human predicament, including problems of governance and democracy in the 21st century, and insight into the ecological and evolutionary science of our day. It is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding global change, our planet’s wonders, and a scientific approach to the present existential threats to civilization.Paul Ehrlich is the Bing Professor of Population Studies, Emeritus, and president of the Center for Conservation Biology at Stanford University. He has carried out field, laboratory and theoretical research on the dynamics and genetics of insect populations, the evolutionary interactions of plants and herbivores, the behavioral ecology of birds and reef fishes, the effects of crowding on human beings, human cultural evolution, and health problems related to industrialization. He is author and co-author of more than 1,100 scientific papers and articles and more than 40 books. Ehrlich is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the American Philosophical Society and a Foreign Member of the Royal Society. Among his many other honors is the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Crafoord Prize. He has appeared on more than 1,000 TV and radio programs and was a correspondent for NBC News.This Program Contains Explicit Language. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Numbers and mathematics were in use long before Pythagoras was born in the mid-sixth century BC, but few if any suspected that beyond practical use these were keys to unlock doorways to vast hidden knowledge. The discovery made by Pythagoras or his earliest followers—that there is pattern and order hidden behind the apparent variety and confusion of nature and that it is possible to understand it through numbers—was one of the most profound and significant discoveries in the history of human thought.   Humanities West highlights this fundamental shift by focusing on that initial jolt of intellectual energy, even though most of the details have been lost or distorted, and on three exemplars of the Pythagorean emphasis on math and on logic: Philolaus, Archytas and Plato.    The Pythagorean intellectual revolution spread by these early pioneers progressed until the advances in math and in detailed observation reached a critical mass, causing one scientific revolution after another—accomplished by scientists such as Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, Bacon, Descartes, Newton, Einstein and Heisenberg, who were all influenced by Pythagorean ideas (including the idea of not trusting traditional explanations―even Pythagorean ones).We know very little about the man Pythagoras and the philosophy he lived by and taught, but the revolutionary influence on human thinking of one great insight, carried forward by such geniuses as Philolaus, Archytas and Plato, has shaped our world ever since. Humanity has only rarely crossed such a threshold.Kitty Ferguson will speak on "What Do We Really Know about Pythagoras?"; Edward Frenkel will speak on "From Pythagoras to Plato: Philolaus and Archytas"; Joshua Landy will speak on "Plato’s Use of Irony: How does Plato Really Teach us?"NOTESA Humanities Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums.In association with Humanities West.SPEAKERSKitty FergusonAuthor, The Music of Pythagoras: How an Ancient Brotherhood Cracked the Code of the Universe and Lit the Path from Antiquity to Outer Space, and Pythagoras: His Lives and the Legacy of a Rational UniverseEdward FrenkelProfessor of Mathematics, University of California, Berkeley; Author, Love and MathJoshua LandyAndrew B. Hammond Professor of French, Professor of Comparative Literature, co-director of the Literature and Philosophy Initiative, Stanford University; Co-Host, "Philosophy Talk"George HammondAuthor, Conversations With Socrates—ModeratorIn response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on February 24th, 2023 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What, exactly, is a philosophy of life? Who needs it, and why? Noted philosopher Massimo Pigliucci will discuss these questions with us by focusing on one of the most influential philosophies of antiquity, stoicism. That philosophy, which underlies much of modern personal growth teaching, is experiencing a comeback in the 21st century for the simple reasons that it resonates with fundamentals of the human condition, and that it works in practice. As Dr. Pigliucci says, "Stoicism isn’t about feats of indifference, but about enduring pain without being overwhelmed, while enjoying pleasures without losing our heads."We will see how stoicism can offer a compass to navigate life, to set priorities for what is important, and to become better citizens of the world.Bring your questions to the streaming chat for what will be an enlightening discussion!MLF ORGANIZERJohn FiegelSPEAKERSProf. Massimo PigliucciPh.D., K.D. Irani Professor of Philosophy, City College of New York; Author; Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science; Fellow, Committee for Skeptical InquiryJohn FiegelModeratorIn response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on February 16th, 2023 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices