BROOKINGS – The Brookings Public Library will begin “The Misinformed in an Age of Disinformation and Conflict” lecture series at 6:30 p.m. Monday, March 2, in the library’s Cooper Room.
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BROOKINGS – The Brookings Public Library will begin “The Misinformed in an Age of Disinformation and Conflict” lecture series at 6:30 p.m. Monday, March 2, in the library’s Cooper Room.
These lectures will continue on Mondays throughout March and will end on April 6.
Local scholars will examine the fraught world of information in the current age. The lectures will focus on major recent books on the subject, followed by questions and answers.
On March 2, Robert Burns will discuss “How America Lost Its Mind: The Assault on Reason That’s Crippling Our Democracy” (2019) by Thomas E. Patterson. This lecture will consider the many forces at work today that pose a threat to an informed citizenry by fostering the spread of disinformation and manufacturing conflict, leading to a misinformed and angry bloc of voters.
On March 9, Larry Rogers will discuss “A Deadly Wandering: A Tale of Tragedy and Redemption in the Age of Attention” (2014) by Matt Richtel. The book follows the aftermath of a tragic car accident, the police investigation that followed, the prosecution of the driver of the truck, and the emerging science about the impact of technology on the brain that informed the trial. The lecture will focus on how these topics influence misinformation.
On March 16, Mac Harris will discuss “The First: How to Think about Hate Speech, Campus Speech, Religious Speech, Fake News, Post-Truth, and Donald Trump” (2019) by Stanley Fish. The lecture will address Fish’s question of whether the First Amendment is a value or a principle and whether it works. Topics will include tech companies and their control of content, the rampant rise of fake news, and the problems university administrators face in mediating between free speech and student demands for safe spaces.
On March 23, John Miller will discuss “The Death of Truth: Notes on Falsehood in the Age of Trump” (2018) by Michiko Kakutani. This lecture will look at how Nazism, fascism, communism and other dictatorial regimes have thrived on people’s inability to distinguish truth from falsehood, and how the U.S. is not immune from the threat. A slew of problems will be addressed, from the influence of postmodern thinking to tribalism and political polarization.
On April 6, Nels Granholm will discuss “On a Farther Shore: Life and Legacy of Rachel Carson” (2012) by William Souder. This lecture examines the way in which disinformation was the key strategy used by pesticides industries, the United States Department of Agriculture and others following the 1962 publication of Rachel Carson’s “Silent Spring.”
For additional information about the programs and services of the Brookings Public Library, visit www.brookingslibrary.org and follow the library on Facebook @bkglib.
The mission of Brookings Public Library is to provide materials and information contributing to the education, recreation, and quality of life for the Brookings community.
