Utopia

[close] Reading all the time!

[close] NOMINATIONS ARE CLOSED. THANKS TO ALL WHO PARTICIPATED!! We're a group building a reliable bookshelf-database of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror books that do NOT mention sexual violence or dubious sexual consent. We're inspired by Sarah Gailey's essay urging authors to "Do Better" https://www.tor.com/2016/08/22/do-better-sexual-violence-in-sff/ Join our long term project by sharing your recent reads in our monthly chat. Once a month we update the bookshelf database but recommendations are welcome everyday of the year!

[close] This January 19, 6-8 p.m. (MST), I am hosting a discussion on why we read and write science fiction. Like many voracious readers, I loved this field as a teenager, and I am sure the genre helped shape my thinking about the world. But then I stopped reading science fiction for many decades. This seems a common pattern. Now my own debut eco sci-fi about panpsychism and a Paleoterrific future, Knocking on Heaven’s Door (Yucca/Skyhorse Publishing), is just out, and I have five of the best science fictions from 2015 on my kindle, waiting and whispering to me in the night. My favorite recent sci-fi are Station 11 and The Water Knife. I think the genre is about to have a renaissance! Feel free to post your thoughts before or after the discussion date, although I will likely wait for that Tuesday.

[close] Study and discussion of the important questions of ethical and political philosophy from Confucius and Socrates to the present. Rules (see also the Rules and Housekeeping topic): Subject to copyright law and these rules, posters may cite, link, or quote any publication, including their own. Posts linking to outside sources must contain a brief explanation of the nature of the linked material and, unless obvious, how it is relevant to the topic being discussed. All posts and linked material must be in English. Posts and any linked material should be polite and not degenerate into ad hominem attacks. The purpose here is to seek light, not heat—rational discourse, not shouting matches. Leave your cable news persona at home and put on your philosopher's mantle when entering this group. Rational argumentation and Socratic questioning are welcome. Hectoring, intimidation, insult, and presumptuous condescension toward other group members are cause for immediate removal from the group. Internet "trolls," advocates of violence, and posters failing to comply with these rules will be removed from membership, as will posters who persist in raising issues that are outside the scope of the subject matter of this group. New members may introduce themselves in the New Member Introductions topic. See posts 4-5 here regarding the creation of new topics. Photo credit: Socrates sculpture at Louvre (CherryX per Wikimedia Commons [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons)