History & Current Affairs   

Our primary purpose is group dialogue. We begin and end with The Good Society. What is it? How is it attained/sustained? We discuss contrasting concepts of moral law from Hammurabi to Ayn Rand. This leads us into discussions of natural law v. positive law, the silver and golden rules, absolute and relative morality, sources of laws, good and bad laws, racial questions, founding national myths, Thomas Jefferson, history of American slavery, Dred Scott, emancipation, Constitutional Amendments 13, 14 & 15, racial laws in housing and drug enforcement and the success and failure of laws.

Celebrate Canada Day by learning more about our northern neighbors. Do they really eat beaver tails, call their currency the "loonie" and play football on a larger field with more players? Did more pigs than humans die in the Pig War in the San Juan Islands? When was the last time that Canadian armed forces fought along side Americans? What's their approach to First Nations' issues? Where is Canmore and why is it becoming Sedona's first sister city? We'll look at these and a host of geographic, demographic, economic, political and cultural questions.

Yuval Noah Harari’s writes big history, offering a broad perspective on human development, technology and the future. Join us for a critical discussion of "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind," telling the story of humanity from the cognitive revolution to the present emphasizing our unique ability to cooperate and create shared values; "Homo Deus,” focusing on the intersection of technology, evolution and man’s pursuit of immortality; "21 Lessons for the 21st Century,” exploring global challenges and "Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI," presenting the history and evolution of information networks.

The Golden Globe winning docudrama, Argentina 1985, depicts the historic trial of deposed members of the brutal Argentine junta that conducted the "dirty war" in which tens of thousands of citizens were killed. We will watch it in its entirety and discuss the lessons for ongoing efforts to prosecute crime against humanity worldwide. The well-acted film is in Spanish with English subtitles, offering a good opportunity to practice the language.