#AcademicRunPlaylist - 10/14/24

Author

Ben Waber
October 14, 2024

6 turkeys walking on the road verge on a cloudy day, while one turkey sits on the ground on the lawn on the other side of the sidwalk

Lots of turkeys out today, and while avoiding these unpleasant birds (seriously, if you live here you know) I was able to listen to some talks for my #AcademicRunPlaylist!

First was an excellent conversation with Sam Schirvar on industry on Native American reservations at the Hagley Museum and Library. Schirvar traces tribal government industrial development efforts from the immediate post-WWII period to the 1970s, showcasing the effects and motivations of tribes, the US government, and industry in shaping these initiatives. Highly recommend https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fy30QcwIcv8

Next was a fascinating talk by Ankur Mehta on utilizing material properties to create ingenious cheap, accessible, and robust robots at the Maryland Robotics Center https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlErEmOZmGM

Next was an engaging discussion on the future of the US labor movement at the Burnes Center for Social Change with Seth Harris (šŸ‘‹), Sharon Block, and Bill Samuel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VgLJWrKW4E

Last was "Nicomachean Ethics" by Aristotle. This collection of books on ethics is still included in many legal ethics required reading lists (which is where I found it), and it's easy to see why. These books clearly articulate the still dominant underlying ethical themes in Western thought.

Unsurprisingly, many sections of this book have not aged well - racism and sexism abound. Many of these examinations also strike as common sense today, although Aristotle makes the case for many ethical norms much more methodically than can be found in popular discourse. That and its foundational place in the ethics canon likely makes it still required reading for people interested in this area.