2019-2020 Think Forum Speakers
Spring 2020 Lectures
Jaron Lanier
March 4, 2020, 6:00 p.m.
Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now
Virtual reality pioneer, author, inventor, and artist Jaron Lanier has long been on the cusp of the technological innovation front. Though social media accounts are ubiquitous, Lanier insists that we’re better off without them. In this timely call-to-arms he offers powerful and personal reasons to leave these online platforms behind. A celebrated technology writer, Lanier is known for charting a humanistic approach to technology appreciation and criticism. He writes and speaks on numerous topics, including high-technology business, the social impact of technological practices, internet politics, and the future of humanism.
For more information, view a resource guide about Jaron Lanier prepared by Case Western Reserve University's Kelvin Smith Library.
Dacher Keltner
April 9, 2020, 6:00 p.m.
21st Century Power: Principles, Practices, and Positive Social Change
F. Joseph Callahan Distinguished Lecture, presented with support from the Callahan Foundation.
Compassion researcher, author, and psychology professor Dacher Keltner studies the biological and evolutionary origins of awe, compassion, and love, as well as power, social class, and inequality. Keltner details the movement towards more collaborative and compassionate models of power, including empathy, gratitude, and stories that unite to earn the esteem of others and stir social networks to effective action. He will address the abuses of power from empathy deficits to impulsivity, and what can be done to promote positive social change in the face of these pitfalls.
For more information, view a resource guide about Dacher Keltner prepared by Case Western Reserve University's Kelvin Smith Library.
Fall 2019 Lectures
Manoush Zomorodi
October 23, 2019, 6:00 p.m.
Course Corrections: Navigating our Changing Relationship to Tech, Work, and Humanity
Author, journalist, podcaster, and entrepreneur Manoush Zomorodi explores our relationship with modern technology and examines how we can preserve our humanity in an ever accelerating world. With forays into neuroscience, interactive media, and civil rights, Zomorodi's research parses how the attention economy, information overload, and digital privacy have changed us as individuals and as a society. She offers everyday tips for finding quiet and sparking creativity as well as macro ideas to help people live better with their technology and think like ethical entrepreneurs.
For more information, view a resource guide about Manoush Zomorodi prepared by Case Western Reserve University's Kelvin Smith Library.
David Henry Hwang
November 5, 2019, 6:00 p.m.
Lost (and Found) in Translation: How I Learned to Write What I Don’t Know
Playwright, screenwriter, television writer, and librettist David Henry Hwang discusses his works, including M. Butterfly and Yellow Face, sharing his writing process and explaining how the artist creates art, but art recreates the artist. Hwang is a Tony Award winner, an OBIE Award winner, and a two-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. He is also the most-produced living American opera librettist, whose works have been honored with two Grammy Awards. His newest work, Soft Power, premiered in California in 2018, and will open in New York in 2019.
For more information, view a resource guide about David Henry Hwang prepared by Case Western Reserve University's Kelvin Smith Library.
Lists of previous speakers can be found on the Past Speakers page.