This thread is for discussing Chapter 2: The Year of Eating Locally of Deep Economy. Post here, within this chapter thread, or create your own threads. The choice is yours.
- Member Introductions & Journals
- BookTalk News & Development
- Religion, Philosophy & the Arts
- Politics, Current Events & History
- Science, Nature & Technology
- General Discussion & Miscellaneous Topics
- Book Suggestions, Polls, & Reviews
- Additional Book Discussions
- Godless in America: Conversations With an Atheist - by George A. Ricker
- Interventions - by Noam Chomsky
- Religious Expression and the American Constitution - by Franklyn S. Haiman
- Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future - by Bill McKibben
- The God Delusion - by Richard Dawkins
- The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal - by Jared Diamond
- The Woman in the Dunes - by Abe Kobo
- Evolution vs. Creationism: An Introduction - by Eugenie Scott
- The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals - by Michael Pollan
- I, Claudius: From the Autobiography of Tiberius Claudius, Born 10 B.C., Murdered and Deified A.D. 54 - by Robert Graves
- Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon - by Daniel Dennett
- A Peace to End All Peace: The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle East - by David Fromkin
- The Time Traveler's Wife - by Audrey Niffenegger
- The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason - by Sam Harris
- Ender's Game - by Orson Scott Card
- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - by Mark Haddon
- Value & Virtue in a Godless Universe - by Erik J. Wielenberg
- The March: A Novel - by E.L. Doctorow
- The Ethical Brain - by Michael Gazzaniga
- Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism - by Susan Jacoby
- Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed - by Jared Diamond
- The Battle for God - by Karen Armstrong
- The Future of Life - by Edward O. Wilson
- What is Good? The Search for the Best Way to Live - by A.C. Grayling
- Civilization and It's Enemies: The Next Stage of History - by Lee Harris
- Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space - by Carl Sagan
- How We Believe: Science, Skepticism, and the Search for God - by Michael Shermer
- Looking For Spinoza: Joy, Sorrow, and the Feeling Brain - by Antonio Damasio
- Lies (And the Lying Liars Who Tell Them): A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right - by Al Franken
- The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature - by Matt Ridley
- The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature - by Stephen Pinker
- Unweaving the Rainbow: Science, Delusion and the Appetite for Wonder - by Richard Dawkins
- Atheism: A Reader - edited by S. T. Joshi
- Global Brain: The Evolution of Mass Mind from the Big Bang to the 21st Century - by Howard Bloom
- The Lucifer Principle: A Scientific Expedition into the Forces of History - by Howard Bloom
- Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies - by Jared Diamond
- Demon-Haunted World: Science As a Candle in the Dark - by Carl Sagan
- Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West - by Dee Alexander Brown
- Future Shock - by Alvin Toffler
Ch. 2 - The Year of Eating Locally
| Author | Comment | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Chris OConnor |
Ch. 2 - The Year of Eating Locally |
Lead | ||
|
Indisputable BookTalk Master
Posts: 9511 04/06/07 23:51:57 BookTalk Owner |
Ch. 2 - The Year of Eating Locally This thread is for discussing Chapter 2: The Year of Eating Locally of Deep Economy. Post here, within this chapter thread, or create your own threads. The choice is yours. |
|||
|
|
||||
JulianTheApostate |
Re: Ch. 2 - The Year of Eating Locally | #1 | ||
|
Posts: 254 04/22/07 18:21:23 Smarty Pants |
I'll start the Chapter 2 discussion. Am I the first person to get that far? This chapter does provide less to talk about.
The detail descriptions of the Vermont farmer got monotonous, though I know a little about the area because my wife grew up in Vermont and her family is still out there. A good companion to this chapter is Eric's Schlosser's excellent book Fast Food Nation. www.amazon.com/Fast-Food-...0060938455 Schlosser presents a scary picture of agribusiness, though compared to McKibben he focuses more on health & working conditions and less on ecology & economics. McKibben clearly points out the benefits of small local farms. In that light, maybe I should visit the farmer's market more frequently. He makes a good case of how cheap oil and government subsidies assist massive agribusiness. Also, I appreciate his honesty in pointing out the advantages of the current system: cheap food and convenience. Some environmentalists have a less balanced perspective. |
|||
|
|
||||
RaulRamos |
Re: The Year of Eating Locally | #2 | ||
|
Posts: 28 04/23/07 13:07:52 Looks like I'm a regular now! |
I found this chapter was more difficult to plough through' than the first one.
I think this might well reflect how far apart we have grown from anything having to do with agriculture. I wonder: would it have been so dreary for me to read as detailed an account about industrial or political intrigue? I watched an interesting documentary on tv about the growing ignorance citizens have towards the things they eat. People were asked in the streets of a German town where pasta came from. Some of them (teenagers mostly) thought it grew out of trees! They were also shown a variety of vegetables common at a German market (green pepper, onion, cucumber and the like) and then they were blindfolded and asked to name the vegetable after tasting it. What started as a documentary turned into one of the most hilarious comedies I remember seeing. One of the theories presented was that food manufacturers have maimed our palate by adding artificial flavours to food. So, cheese is treated to taste like mega-cheese. To an unaccustomed palate, eating real cheese is like chewing water. So, food manipulation develops a new meaning. Quote: Plus he is fair enough to say eating locally requires some additional effort we are no longer used to. |
|||
|
|
||||
Loricat |
Re: The Year of Eating Locally | #3 | ||
|
Posts: 600 04/24/07 09:17:45 OMG I'm Awesome! |
I'm wrapped up right now in living this...working on a lot of things to get our local Farmers' Market going on May 5th.
Interesting how more and more, 'eating locally' is becoming the new mantra. Last year when I was interviewed for the opening of the season for the newspaper, the article was all about the community event aspect of the Market. This year, after we had a Food Security Forum in November, Vancouver's 100 Mile Diet people have just released their book on living locally for a year...the opening article in the paper was about eating & buying locally, the political aspects of the Market. Part of it was the change in me, but it is also the changes in the media's attitudes. I'm a little worried that this next chapter will be a bit dull for me, 'preaching to the converted'... ah, well. I'll read it today! "All beings are the owners of their deeds, the heirs to their deeds."
Loricat's Book Nook Celebrating the Absurd |
|||
|
|
||||
irishrosem |
Re: The Year of Eating Locally | #4 | ||
|
Posts: 641 04/24/07 10:18:22 OMG I'm Awesome! |
Loricat:
I have a question for you. I've read about your participation with your own farmers' market and I'm wondering if there is some protocol among farmers' markets. I have a great market (the Reading Terminal in Philadelphia) literally two blocks from my office. It's a full city block market with various local eateries/fish mongers/butchers/dairies/random sellers/etc. A whole corner is dedicated to the Amish community that brings their product in from nearby Lancaster and surrounding farms. There's a food co-op and CSA with their own corner of the market. But there is this huge commercial produce section, with product coming from all over the world, just like a regular supermarket produce section. This part of the market certainly does not promote local/sustainable agriculture. Is that appropriate? Is there no self-policing among these markets? BTW, I bought the most delicious locally produced honey the other day. It really does taste differently. Loricat: I'm a little worried that this next chapter will be a bit dull for me, 'preaching to the converted' It was, especially after reading The Omnivore's Dilemma. The only thing McKibben really made me consider was cutting out my morning cereal (Kashi) that I still buy. He gets into the cost of packaging a bit more than Pollan, which made me feel guilty about continuing to buy my cereal. I've cut out almost all industrial food, except my Kashi--it's just the perfect way to start the morning. Do I sound like a commercial? With all the other changes I've been working on since reading The Omnivore's Dilemma, I'm not sure how obligated I feel about cutting out this one product. But I do buy a lot of it. And, according to McKibben, the packaging of a box of cereal is where a lot of the cost to the environment comes. I have learned, and McKibben also references this, that learning to buy locally is more of a gradual process than an all-at-once change. I took one big leap, at first, but now I'm progressing with baby steps. |
|||
|
|
||||
Dissident Heart |
Re: Ch. 2 - The Year of Eating Locally | #5 | ||
|
Posts: 1868 04/24/07 11:20:34 Indisputable BookTalk Master |
Quote: I think McKibben packs a lot of punch in this small paragraph. The key, as I see it, involves how our economic model determines cost, and what it values as cheap or inexpensive. If the only determining cost factor is what you see at the register, then, our current economic model is very hard to beat. But if you consider the list of concerns McKibben names above, our means of feeding ourselves are profoundly flawed. The selection below is how McKibben defines the cost/value dynamic in his winter experiment of eating locally, and I think it captures the real treasure of this chapter and, truly, the hope of this book: Quote: Preparing for our daily bread as a necessary means to transform an entire economy: becoming fully intentional participants and informed partners in the process of feeding ourselves is crucial to defining economic value. Deep economic revolution requires a daily practice of considering: what does the bite of bread really cost? McKibben also makes it clear that this is not a solitary endeavor geared around rugged individualism and consumer customization. This kind of deep economy requires constant interaction, collaboration, cooperation, engagement, sharing of information: no one really gains unless everyone shares in the effort and sacrifice...and it takes time and labor. There is no easy way to do this. It is inconvenient. But with the effort comes satisfaction: the genuine pleasure of honest exchange and trusted relationships, linked to physical health and an everincreasing knowledge of the wondrous world around us. I fear we (our Nation) are too deep in the Junkie mode: too addicted to short term gratification and unable to imagine that the minor inconveniences demanded by a deep economy will pay off in satisfaction rarely, if ever, experienced. And, the Pushers who control industry and manipulate policy are not going to simply let go of their control of consumer appetites. McKibben's vision, in my opionion, is beautiful. But is beauty enough? |
|||
|
|
||||
JulianTheApostate |
Re: Ch. 2 - The Year of Eating Locally | #6 | ||
|
Posts: 254 04/24/07 23:43:22 Smarty Pants |
DH, don't forget how conservative the US is. After all, George Bush won the 2004 election, despite his disastrous right-wing first term.
Sure, there are lots of people out there who take environmental issues seriously. Still, it will take a dramatic shift for the country as a whole to accept McKibben's arguments. |
|||
|
|
||||
Dissident Heart |
Re: Ch. 2 - The Year of Eating Locally | #7 | ||
|
Posts: 1868 04/25/07 16:51:09 Indisputable BookTalk Master |
Julian: DH, don't forget how conservative the US is
I agree. But I think the very best of American Conservatism is linked to a love and appreciation of the soil and protection of the American farm. I reject the jingoism, patriarchy, militarism, and Christian exclusivism that is expressed by many American conservatives; but I think they are just as disgusted by corporate elites and their tiny segment of the population absconding with the lion's share of wealth. There is a huge portion of American farm culture that is not friendly to the massive agribusiness industries that hold entire villages, cities, counties and agricultural regions hostage. And, there is a vibrant movement of religious environmentalists who practice a Green Faith that involves progressives and evangelicals working together to foster a more responsible stewardship and love of Creation by Christians everywhere. No matter what our solution, it must include conservative Americans...and if that is true, it needs to take seriously their religious belief systems. Julian: Still, it will take a dramatic shift for the country as a whole to accept McKibben's arguments. As Climate Change increases (with all of its attending crises) we can count on dramatic shifts like we have never seen before. I think McKibben's arguments will speak to the vast majority of middle Americans who come from generations who were tied to the land and depended upon far more frugal lifestyles within close-knit, local economies. Again, I think an important part of this conversation will have to include Religious Environmentalism, as it will connect the deepest notions of identity, moral obligation, and spiritual practice to care and love of Creation. Middle America understands this language and is mobilized by its unconditional demands. |
|||
|
|
||||
irishrosem |
Re: Ch. 2 - The Year of Eating Locally | #8 | ||
|
Posts: 641 04/25/07 17:01:50 OMG I'm Awesome! |
D.H.: No matter what our solution, it must include conservative Americans...and if that is true, it needs to take seriously their religious belief systems.
These solutions absolutely do not have to "take seriously" "religious belief systems." They may need to respect the many different belief systems of the American public; but solutions to the destruction of the earth/society/community by industrial agriculture, and/or the economy as whole, certainly do not need to rely on religion or mythology. D.H.: a vibrant movement of religious environmentalists who practice a Green Faith that involves progressives and evangelicals working together to foster a more responsible stewardship and love of Creation by Christians everywhere My understanding of the conservatives Julian mentions have very little, possibly no, resemblance to the people you cherish describing. |
|||
|
|
||||
Dissident Heart |
Re: Ch. 2 - The Year of Eating Locally | #9 | ||
|
Posts: 1868 04/25/07 18:08:16 Indisputable BookTalk Master |
irishrose: but solutions to the destruction of the earth/society/community by industrial agriculture, and/or the economy as whole, certainly do not need to rely on religion or mythology.
If you are interested in changing the minds and habits of Middle America, which are far more religious than not, then you may want to consider how religion can help. You don't have to endorse anything religious, but if a substantial portion of the challenge involves those who do endorse some sort of religious life...then it stands to reason that religion will be part of the solution. I'm offering one way to get religion into the solution part of the Climate Crisis equation. It's a way that brings different religious communities across cultural and ideological borders onto common ground with secular folk and scientists. irishrose: My understanding of the conservatives Julian mentions have very little, possibly no, resemblance to the people you cherish describing. I suggest we lift up those voices of conservative America that accept the truth of global warming and climate change and the role of human activity in exacerbating both. I think it's important to highlight those conservative Christians who see a moral obligation to turn back the tide of global warming and climate change because of their religious commitment to love and care for creation. I think the combination of those conservatives who cherish the earth and those who love creation will be a substantial force in starting the substantial shift of the country that Julian refers to. |
|||
|
|
||||
RaulRamos |
Re: Ch. 2 - The Year of Eating Locally | #10 | ||
|
Posts: 28 04/26/07 14:49:28 Looks like I'm a regular now! |
I have just posted a comment on the Chapter 1 thread where I defend that apart from the question of how to make McKibben's suggestions true there is the question of whether we all want to see his suggestions become reality. I see in this thread that you also concentrate on how to implement the changes necessary to make McKibben's vision true and I assume - I may be wrong - that it is a vision you identify with. I look forward to the discussion in the following chapters, where I would like to object to the idealized version of a community he presents us with.
Apart from that, I would like to comment a couple of points: Quote: Before reading the following comment please bear in mind that I will refer to change regardless of national borders (I know McKibben centres on the US, however, his discourse can be applied to a certain extent to any part of the rich world.) I agree that even though some of us might not be sympathetic to a vision of life that is tainted by religious belief, we must admit that an important part of the population does, and that the solution to some problems can only be reached through the implication of all of us, whether religious or not, and that to mobilize us we will have to 'speak the language' of each other, i.e. we will also have to resort to the framework of thinking characteristic of religious people to convince them that their religious view of the world is more compatible with an alternative way of organizing our use of resources. However, what I would like to point out is that notions of identity, moral obligation and spiritual practice to care and love of Creation is not exclusively linked to religious belief. Just change the word Creation for Nature or Life, for example, and many non-religious a person will make those notions their own. One more point, related to care and love of Life: I would have liked McKibben to concentrate not just on how harmful the present system is for humans, but also for other animals |
|||
|
|
||||
Dissident Heart |
Re: Ch. 2 - The Year of Eating Locally | #11 | ||
|
Posts: 1868 04/26/07 17:53:06 Indisputable BookTalk Master |
RaulRamos: apart from the question of how to make McKibben's suggestions true there is the question of whether we all want to see his suggestions become reality.
I think this is an important distinction: 1. how to bring Deep Economy into actual practice; 2. whether Deep Economy is worthy of emulation. I like what I see about Deep Economy (it's values and vision for how society should be organized as well as its ecological astuteness). I think its important to seek an economic model that actually reflects values I honor and think worthy of emulation. I think McKibben's many examples of how Deep Economy can work are encouraging and make the narrative something more than simply high idealism. RaulRamos: some problems can only be reached through the implication of all of us, whether religious or not, and that to mobilize us we will have to 'speak the language' of each other, i.e. we will also have to resort to the framework of thinking characteristic of religious people to convince them that their religious view of the world is more compatible with an alternative way of organizing our use of resources I think Climate Change implicates all of us. The USA is the leader in fossil fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, thus the prime human agent in Global Warming. In order to reduce their reliance upon fossil fuels, a radical change in their entire economic/technological/lifestyle systems is required. It may be that a profound shift in worldview and belief system is necessary. If we are considering the worldviews, belief systems and lifestyles of the USA, then we need to consider the role of Religion. I think there is sincere opportunity to convince a substantial number of Americans that their religious view of the world is more compatible with an alternative way of organizing their use of resources. I think there are many folk already doing this and have constructed entire theologies, biblical exegesis, congregational structures, ethical systems, and spiritual practices to illuminate the greener side of faith...they are progessive and evangelical, Christian and Muslim and Jew, as well as Buddhist, Hindu and Indigenous. RaulRamos: However, what I would like to point out is that notions of identity, moral obligation and spiritual practice to care and love of Creation is not exclusively linked to religious belief. I agree. I would never argue that the only way to address identity and morality is through religion. But if you are speaking to religious folk, (hoping to change their minds and practices) I think it's crucial to understand how their religion colors their identity and moral universe. By the way, are you endorsing some sort of spiritual approach, but not necessarily religious? If so, care to elaborate? RaulRamos: Just change the word Creation for Nature or Life, for example, and many non-religious a person will make those notions their own. I think this makes good sense. EO Wilson's book, The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth is an excellent example of how to navigate between the two language systems of religious faith and natural science...particularly as it relates to care of the earth and protection of the biosphere. More importantly, Wilson's small book works to find the constant thread of ethical obligation and moral courage between the two worldviews. RaulRamos: I would be glad to read somewhere that the eating revolution he advocates for contemplates a fairer use of animals, and an increased intake of vegetables on our side. I don't have my copy nearby, but I think you are on to something with this line of critique. I don't remember McKibben taking substantial time to discuss our ethical obligations towards animal life. I don't think he makes any arguments for or against vegetarianism...and his year long experiment was clearly an omnivore's adventure. Still, he is clearly opposed to the massive agribusiness livestock processing plants...and the way he describes the relationship between Deep Economic farmer and animal is hardly one of mere commodity. Still, I am interested to see if he does elaborate more upon the rights of animals in a Deep Economy. |
|||
|
|
||||
RaulRamos |
Re: Ch. 2 - The Year of Eating Locally | #12 | ||
|
Posts: 28 04/27/07 16:22:36 Looks like I'm a regular now! |
Quote: My first reaction to your question is to answer in the affirmative. The problem comes when defining what spirituality is. Your connection between my statement and a spiritual approach implies - please correct me if I am wrong - that you see spirituality as one possible source of morality (another or the other one being religion). As far as I have confronted myself with metaethical theories that try to present moral views as objective, I have never been satisfied with their arguments. Not that I am a relativist, or that I don't believe in ethical values, much the opposite. Only that I am not aware of the existence of a theory that objectively justifies ethical duties such as respect for nature. In other words, I cannot say whether my belief in those values depends on myself seeing life through a spiritual perspective. Furthermore, I have friends who would maintain they are not spiritual at all and they would endorse the existence of moral values or the duty to respect nature. When it comes to justifying why, I guess most people resort to one of the many utilitarian arguments. This said, I do have a spiritual approach to life which is based on (a) guts and (b) one principle, namely: that living a life in accordance with notions such as ethical values or respect/love for nature/life is both beneficial to me and to all forms of life around me. In this aspect (not in others) I quite agree with Plato. The exploring of where ethical beliefs come from and how to define them is one of the fields that most interest me. |
|||
|
|
||||
JulianTheApostate |
Re: Ch. 2 - The Year of Eating Locally | #13 | ||
|
Posts: 254 04/29/07 14:57:37 Smarty Pants |
DH: I reject the jingoism, patriarchy, militarism, and Christian exclusivism that is expressed by many American conservatives; but I think they are just as disgusted by corporate elites and their tiny segment of the population absconding with the lion's share of wealth.
That wasn't my impression after reading George Lakoff's Moral Politics: How Liberals and Conservatives Think and Thomas Frank's What's the Matter with Kansas?: How Conservatives Won the Heart of America, the best two books I've found about US conservative beliefs. There's a lot of overlap between social conservatives and economic conservatives. In addition, the economic conservativism is stronger force in America than social conservativism. Over the last quarter century, the nation as become more socially liberal in many areas, such as gay rights, while the tax system and budget priorities have moved to the right. Large corporations have more impact than the religious Right does. |
|||
|
|
||||
Loricat |
Re: Ch. 2 - The Year of Eating Locally | #14 | ||
|
Posts: 600 04/30/07 09:58:26 OMG I'm Awesome! |
There are a few things I want to respond to, but ironically, I'm busy with getting the details of this weekend's first market dealt with!
But I do want to respond to Rose: Quote: Each 'farmers' market has its own protocol. The one that I manage is run by a Society of the members, with an AGM and a board (I'm the only paid employee), and they have policies that control the number of non-farmers that come in, where you come from (there's a territorial limit), the method in which the products were produced (grown baked etc etc by the vendor), the size of the farm (no huge ones), and the extent of your business (do you have a store front somewhere? other than a fruit stand on the side of the road?). Ours is a defined space (a block of Main street cut off to traffic on Market day), so they do not want to become an artisan's market, or, worse yet, a flea market! Or for there not to be room for the farmers that wish to come! Running concurrently with ours, right next to us, is the Artisans' Market, run by the local Arts Council...to the customers, it all looks like one Market, but it's not. They allow artists to import about 20% of their products -- 80% has to be what they themselves have made (woven, glued, strung, painted, etched, etc....). We have another Market in town, on Tuesday nights in summer, that allows people from out of area, people with storefronts, etc. that are not 'allowed' into the other markets. So, each Market has its own protocol...and then there are the pressures of all the vendors that want in on the action. As soon as one gets a wedge in, it is often the case that the ideal crumbles. At a big market in a public building, the parameters are often decided by the manager(s) of the building, or the city, and if there is space to expand a market, they will -- because it makes money. The more vendors, the more booth/table fees you can collect. So, in the end, the protocol is money, as in everything. "All beings are the owners of their deeds, the heirs to their deeds."
Loricat's Book Nook Celebrating the Absurd |
|||
|
|
||||
garicker |
Re: Ch. 2 - The Year of Eating Locally | #15 | ||
|
Posts: 262 05/02/07 18:29:52 Smarty Pants |
I think this is probably the best chapter in the book. I like McKibben's take on supporting local producers, and I think his critiques of agribusiness with its emphasis on monoculture is spot on.
One thing he didn't mention -- or maybe I missed the reference -- is the impact of monoculture on genetic diversity in the food chain. The reduction in genetic diversity makes crops more prone to fail and more susceptible to epidemics and infestations. McKibben did leave me wondering though. Given all the benefits he cites for "eating locally," why stop with a one-year test? George "Godlessness is not about denying the existence of nonsensical beings. It is the starting point for living life without them."
Godless in America by George A. Ricker |
|||
|
|
||||
garicker |
Re: Ch. 2 - The Year of Eating Locally | #16 | ||
|
Posts: 262 05/03/07 13:19:49 Smarty Pants |
Here's a story about the collapse of honeybee populations and the potential consequences to our food supply: www.commondreams.org/arch...05/03/952/
Obviously, it's too early to know how this will play out, but it does point to something important. Whatever else may be said for our various schemes of economics and governments, events that are unexpected and sometimes just totally random can kick all our plans onto the scrap heap and leave us scratching our heads and wondering, "What now?" That doesn't mean we shouldn't try to plan, by the way. It does suggest we ought to do so with a bit more humility. George "Godlessness is not about denying the existence of nonsensical beings. It is the starting point for living life without them."
Godless in America by George A. Ricker |
|||
|
|
||||
Loricat |
Re: Ch. 2 - The Year of Eating Locally | #17 | ||
|
Posts: 600 05/04/07 09:20:24 OMG I'm Awesome! |
Thanks George. I printed that up to give to my vendors who raise honey bees.
Lori "All beings are the owners of their deeds, the heirs to their deeds."
Loricat's Book Nook Celebrating the Absurd |
|||
|
|
||||
- Member Introductions & Journals
- BookTalk News & Development
- Religion, Philosophy & the Arts
- Politics, Current Events & History
- Science, Nature & Technology
- General Discussion & Miscellaneous Topics
- Book Suggestions, Polls, & Reviews
- Additional Book Discussions
- Godless in America: Conversations With an Atheist - by George A. Ricker
- Interventions - by Noam Chomsky
- Religious Expression and the American Constitution - by Franklyn S. Haiman
- Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future - by Bill McKibben
- The God Delusion - by Richard Dawkins
- The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal - by Jared Diamond
- The Woman in the Dunes - by Abe Kobo
- Evolution vs. Creationism: An Introduction - by Eugenie Scott
- The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals - by Michael Pollan
- I, Claudius: From the Autobiography of Tiberius Claudius, Born 10 B.C., Murdered and Deified A.D. 54 - by Robert Graves
- Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon - by Daniel Dennett
- A Peace to End All Peace: The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle East - by David Fromkin
- The Time Traveler's Wife - by Audrey Niffenegger
- The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason - by Sam Harris
- Ender's Game - by Orson Scott Card
- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - by Mark Haddon
- Value & Virtue in a Godless Universe - by Erik J. Wielenberg
- The March: A Novel - by E.L. Doctorow
- The Ethical Brain - by Michael Gazzaniga
- Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism - by Susan Jacoby
- Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed - by Jared Diamond
- The Battle for God - by Karen Armstrong
- The Future of Life - by Edward O. Wilson
- What is Good? The Search for the Best Way to Live - by A.C. Grayling
- Civilization and It's Enemies: The Next Stage of History - by Lee Harris
- Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space - by Carl Sagan
- How We Believe: Science, Skepticism, and the Search for God - by Michael Shermer
- Looking For Spinoza: Joy, Sorrow, and the Feeling Brain - by Antonio Damasio
- Lies (And the Lying Liars Who Tell Them): A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right - by Al Franken
- The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature - by Matt Ridley
- The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature - by Stephen Pinker
- Unweaving the Rainbow: Science, Delusion and the Appetite for Wonder - by Richard Dawkins
- Atheism: A Reader - edited by S. T. Joshi
- Global Brain: The Evolution of Mass Mind from the Big Bang to the 21st Century - by Howard Bloom
- The Lucifer Principle: A Scientific Expedition into the Forces of History - by Howard Bloom
- Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies - by Jared Diamond
- Demon-Haunted World: Science As a Candle in the Dark - by Carl Sagan
- Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West - by Dee Alexander Brown
- Future Shock - by Alvin Toffler
