UCLA History 182G - History of Secular Judaism

A very interesting course has begun running at UCLA: History 182G - Secular Jewish Culture (feed). David Myers teaches a relatively small group of students, so it sounds, the history of Jewish people looking for their secular versions of Judaism. The fact that this is a small group, warrants a lot of interaction with the audience, which on the one hand makes it extra fascinating. On the other hand, for the passive podcast listener, breaks up the structure of the lecture frequently especially when you cannot hear the questions and remarks by the students.

I was expecting that this history of Secular Judaism would start with Spinoza, but Myers takes us much much further back in history and tries to point at much earlier versions of Judaism that were not exactly according the main stream religious precepts. Take for example how the Greek culture in a way threatened Jewish culture. We know in the story of Hanuka how the Jews fended this off, but upon closer inspection we still discern the influence. With a figure like the philosopher Philo who comes from the Jewish community on Alexandria the Hellenistic influence is let in.

The next figure to come up in Myers's course is Maimonides. Like Philo, he let's in the Greek culture - which comes to him through Arabic and just like Philo he gives a genuine Jewish twist to it. And so, even if Maimonides is a great figure in mean stream Judaism when it is about his commentaries to the Halakhah, his philosophy is deemed less so and serves for Myers as example of secular Jewish Culture. And we haven't reached Spinoza yet at all.

Listening ideas for 19 April 2011

Mahabharata Podcast
The Temptation of Karna
Episode 53 - This episode is devoted to the classic scene of the Mahabharata in which Krishna reveals to Karna his true descent. He never was the Son of a Suta, which everyone called him with scorn. No, he was in fact the eldest of the Pandavas-- the original Partha. Now that the truth was out, all Karna needed to do was embrace his Dharma, join his brothers, and assume the title of King of India.
(review, feed)

Some Books Considered
Program 121
Sherry Turkle is a professor of Social Sciences and Technology at MIT and a clinical psychologist. For 15 years she has followed how families use technology and the ways in which we interact with technology. Dr. Turkle talks about how technology has redrawn the boundaries between intimacy and solitude. She advises us to put down our smart phones and devote some time to one-on-one face-to-face interaction. She also discusses the dangers of “sociable robotics.” Robots are being developed to provide elder care and child care. She says it is an inappropriate use of technology to have a robot that professes to “care” for you and serves as a confidante because a robot is not a living creature.
(review, feed)

Inspired Minds
Zubin Mehta - Conductor
This month one of the world's great conductors, Zubin Mehta, celebrates his 75th birthday. A native of India, he has conducted many of the world's great orchestras and since his debut as an opera conductor, has conducted at the Met, the Vienna State Opera, Covent Garden and La Scala. Since 1977 he has been music director of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.
(review, feed)

Making Love in the Kitchen
Life Transformation with Philip McCluskey
Guest: Philip McCluskey, of Loving Raw, lost 250 lbs on a raw food diet! 250lbs!!! That's like two of me! He did all on his own, by reading about it, trying it, and of course, now living it! He may not be all raw but he is all dedicated to eating whole and healthy, while maintaining balance and best bit is- he travels around the world motivating other people to take ownership over their health and see it through to the bright side. Wowzers, did I love talking to this man!
(review, feed)

Omega Tau
The Cassini Mission to Saturn
This episode is about the Cassini Mission to Saturn. We talk with Nora Kelly Alonge, a Project Science System Engineer and Science Planning Engineer at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. In the episode we cover the Cassini spacecraft’s structure and sensors (and its lander, Huygens), some of the relevant science, as well as the challenge of coordinating science and engineering requirements on the mission.
(review, feed)

Witness
Waco siege
In 1993, around 80 members of a Christian cult died when a fire broke out at the end of a siege in Waco, Texas. Sam Henry lost his entire family in the blaze.
(review, feed)

EconTalk
Munger on Microfinance, Savings, and Poverty
Mike Munger of Duke University talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about microfinance. Munger argues that cultural forces make it difficult for some families to save, and the main value of microfinance is to allow a higher level of savings. Families are willing to save via microfinance even though returns can be negative. Munger argues that this counterintuitive result is possible when other means of savings are unavailable. Munger also discusses microfinance that is used for entrepreneurship and the potential role for microfinance in development.
(review, feed)

The Tolkien Professor
The Gift of Annwn, by Scott Holbrook-Foust
An essay exploring the representation of the Celtic Otherworld in Arthurian Literature, with a particular focus on Morgan Le Fay in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
(review, feed)

Listening ideas for 18 April 2011

The History of Rome
And Then There Were Two
In 313 AD, Maximinus Daia and Licinus fought for control of the Eastern Roman Empire.
(review, feed)

Witness
Bay of Pigs invasion
It is 50 years since a band of Cuban exiles attempted to overthrow Fidel Castro with the help of the US government. It was called the Bay of Pigs invasion.
(review, feed)

The China History Podcast
The Qing Dynasty Part 5
We're almost at the end of our Imperial China History Overview. In this segment of the China History Podcast we look at the continued misfortunes in China during the Xianfeng era, as the country is torn apart by the Taiping and Nian rebellions and revolts in the west. The western powers, following the 2nd Opium War, force yet another unequal treaty on the shellshocked Qing government. In these trying times emerge three great China military heroes Zeng Guofan, Li Hongzhang and Zuo Zongtang. The Qing at last face the choice of modernize or lose the mandate of heaven forever. But with the Empress Dowager Cixi preparing to seize power, things are going to be dicey for this last dynasty of imperial China.
(review, feed)

SFF audio
The SFFaudio Podcast #104
Scott, Jesse, and Gregg Margarite talk about two Robert Sheckley short stories, Untouched By Human Hands (aka One Man’s Poison) and Seventh Victim.
(review, feed)

Listening ideas for 17 April 2011

Kol Hadash Humanistic Congregation Podcasts
The Future of the Synagogue
Rabbi Chalom explores in further detail the institution of the synagogue by looking towards the future and theorizing the role it will play in modern Jewish life.
(review, feed)

Zencast
What the Buddha Taught
Dharma teaching by Gil Fronsdal
(review, feed)

Coming up: Passover Week on Anne is a Man

Hello,

This week we have Passover break, which keeps us busy with organizing a Seder, activities with the children, a desert trip, and also, my birthday. All of this means I am going to be on-line very infrequently and probably not going to be able to give you my every day listening ideas. I have, however, a number of podcast reviews lined up, so here is a list of what you can expect in the coming days:

A new course at UCLA formally called History 182G, about the history of secular Judaism. (feed) In case you think such a course might start with Spinoza, at the earliest, you are wrong. It goes way back to the beginning and had me hooked when discussing Hellenism and its effect on Jews and a figure such as Philo of Alexandria.

While on the subject of Secular Judaism, I am going to recommend, once more, Rabbi Adam Chalom, the Secular, Humanist Rabbi. This time on a great guest lecture at Georgetown University. Kol Hadash (feed)

A couple of guest postings in my favorite podcast New Books in History, put me on the trail of another podcast: Thoughtcast on which Jenny Attiyeh interviews authors (feed). One particular issue, almost a year old, is a very interesting interview with Rebecca Goldstein - with very interesting thoughts on Atheism and religious roots in general, Jewish roots in particular.

And now for something different. Julie and Scott, two Catholics let their Catholic perspective shine on the movie (that I loved) Stranger than fiction, on their podcast A good story is hard to find (feed)

Robbert Harrison, Entitled Opinions will be off on a long sabbatical, but left us with this season's ultimate show giving a wonderful monologue about Samuel Beckett. (feed)

Many readers have picked up on my combined review of a number of podcast appearances by Joseph Lelyveld on his latest book about Gandhi and I want to point to yet another of those interviews, a very good one on KQED's Forum (feed)

Last but not least, one of the readers of the blog pointed me to a philosophy podcast that I am enjoying a lot: The Partially Examined Life (feed) My first review will be about their show in which they discussed my beloved author Albert Camus.

So this is going to give you at least something near the one post a day frequency and if I get the chance, I will throw listening ideas in as well.

חג שמח

Anne

Listening ideas for 16 April 2011

NB: this is the 2000th post on the blog.

Check out this News Flash on the Do It Yourself Scholar (a blog you all should follow):
10 New Courses on Yale
Tip for iPod users: subscribe to these iTunesU feeds as podcasts.

SALT - Seminars About Long Term Thinking
Ian Morris
Ian Morris is an archaelogist and professor of classics and history at Stanford. His splendid book is Why the West Rules -- For Now: The Patterns of History, and What They Reveal About the Future.
(review, feed)
See also: Geography shifting big history

The Economist
New crackdowns in China
The Chinese authorities are exhibiting a new brazenness toward dissidents. Harassment abounds, and some are disappearing
(review, feed)



Distillations
Climate Change
One of this century's great challenges will be mitigating the effects of our steadily warming planet. In today's episode we explore the consequences of our changing climate.
(review, feed)

New Books in Public Policy
William Bennett and Seth Leibsohn, “The Fight of Our Lives: Choosing to Win the War Against Radical Islam”
Where do we stand on the War on Terror? Is it still going on, and if so, are we winning or losing it? In William Bennett and Seth Leibsohn’s The Fight of Our Lives: Knowing the Enemy, Speaking the Truth, and Choosing to Win the War Against Radical Islam (Thomas Nelson, 2011), the authors look at the current state of the War on Terror, how it is going, and why it remains important.
(review, feed)

TED Talks
Transplant cells, not organs - Susan Lim
Pioneering surgeon Susan Lim performed the first liver transplant in Asia. But a moral concern with transplants (where do donor livers come from ...) led her to look further, and to ask: Could we be transplanting cells, not whole organs? At the INK Conference, she talks through her new research, discovering healing cells in some surprising places.
(review, feed)