Proposed
Future Topics
Guidelines
for Proposing a Topic:
All are welcome to propose discussion topics for future meetings, provided
they fall within the parameters of the group: It must be global in nature,
not pertaining exclusively to a region, culture, or highly specialized
field.
It should be controversial or sensitive enough to make discussions animated
and lively. Below are some of the proposed topics for future meetings:
01)
Did God create us or did we create Him?
- Is
God the absolute truth?
- Is
God our coping mechanism? Is God like Santa Claus?
- Is
God a meme**? Why do dieties seem culturally appropriate?
- If
an idea helps people, does truth matter?
02)
Is true altruism possible?
- Can
we "help" without any self interest involved?
- How
responsible are we of others' well
- being?
How much help is enough?
- What
can we do to help? How should we help?
- Do
we really have to help others? Can/should we be selfish?
03)
How can we reconcile our differences?
- "Why
can't we just get along?
- How
can people coexist peacefully when one believes that they are right
and the other wrong (and vice versa)?
- How
can we understand each other when we are so different? Are we so different?
- What
are the realistic solutions for mundate to global conflicts stemming
from differences in what people believe?
- In
an ideal world, we would ___________
04)
Marriage
- Is marriage
an outdated concept or can it work?
- Recently,
the idea of gay marriage has caused some controversy; what are the main
arguments for and against it?
05)
The Consumer Society
In
today's world, with few exceptions, an industrial economy is usually the
foundation of a nation's wealth, or its path towards development. Mass
production of goods and services generates revenue, employment, trade...
but it can only be sustained through mass consumption. Thus the path to
wealth has a price: an alteration in the lifestyles and values of the
society in which it takes place.
- Do
people really need to own seventeen pairs of shoes to be happy? ;)
- What
are the trademarks (no pun intended!) of a consumer society?
- What
are the pros and cons of living in a consumer society, and do the
first outweigh the second?
- To
what extent are our thoughts, likes, and behaviors being molded by
corporate marketing?
- Does
consumerism replace moral and religious beliefs as wealth increases?
- Can
we achieve moral enlightment in the midst of a marketing driven environment?
06)
Genetic Engineering: better crops, medicine... and humans?
-
Are
the risks of genetically modified foods greater than the advantages?
Why?
-
If
you could make your children healthier, saner, more intelligent, by
enhancing their genetic makeup, would you?
-
Should
extinct species be brought back?
-
Is
it OK to clone humans under any circumstances?
07) Global Warming
-
How
it's going to affect us?
-
Is
it already affecting us in the Pacific NW?
-
How
are others around the world beginning to feel the effects?
-
What
can we do to help prevent it or prepare for it?
08)
Peak Oil
-
Are
we running out of oil, what are our alternatives?
-
How
will oil depletion drive up costs on all things that rely on oil directly
or indirectly? (Including pharmaceuticals, plastics of all kinds,
food production, air travel, etc.)
-
How
will our lives change/need to change to cope with what's ahead? prepare
for it?
09)
Is technology overwhelming us spiritually and communally?
10) Preferred city planning to maximize the benefits of urban living
- What
constitutes good urban planning?
- How
do we need to design cities for the future?
11)
Ethnic Prejudice in the US: real, imagined, hidden, localized?
-
Have
you experienced any kind of segregation or prejudice as a foreigner
or ethnical minority?
-
Do
you have any relatives or friends who you know to be prejudiced, and
is there any justification for it?
-
Do
you have examples of prejudices or segregationism outside the US?
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