Philosophy Talk—the Stanford-based "program that questions everything...except your intelligence"—welcomes former Senator Russ Feingold to Cubberley Auditorium this evening. Feingold will join hosts and Philosophy Professors John Perry and Ken Taylor in a discussion about corporations and the future of democracy.

From the Philosophy Talk site:

The US prides itself on the strength of its democratic institutions and considers itself a leader in the promotion of democratic values around the globe. But can we consistently maintain this self-image in the face of the growing power of corporations? How are capitalism and globalization subverting the interests of democracy at home and abroad? Does the problem stem from fundamental inconsistencies between global capitalism and national democracy? Can regulations provide a solution, and if so, who has the authority to create and enforce these regulations?

Russell Feingold, the former US senator from Wisconsin, is founder of Progressives United and author of While America Sleeps: A Wake-up Call for the Post-9/11 Era. He is also the Mimi and Peter E. Haas Distinguished Visitor at the Haas Center for Public Service at Stanford University.

The event is free and open to the public.

Thursday, March 15, 2012, at 7:00 pm
Cubberley Auditorium

Today's New York Times' Opinionator blog features a fascinating piece called The Phenomenology of Ugly. Author Andy Martin "can’t help wondering if ugliness is not indispensable to philosophy" and discusses the self-proclaimed ugliness of both Socrates and Jean-Paul Sartre (along with the less obviously philosophical example of Britney Spears' shaved head).

You can use SearchWorks to find library titles about Socrates and Sartre, and for material on aesthetics, beauty, and ugliness.

The New York Times has an interesting piece in its Opinionator blog today about the concept of free will. There are many titles available here in Green Library on free will and determinism, which you are free to find in SearchWorks (or are you?).

Additional Reference Sources

• Well-being : the foundations of hedonic psychology
• Handbook on the economics of happiness
• Handbook of positive psychology [electronic resource]
• Encyclopedia of human emotions
• Encyclopedia of philosophy
• Search the Blackwell Reference Online: Happiness or Pleasure

Recommended Searchworks search terms

• Happiness (search as Subject)
• Quality of Life (search as Subject)
• Pleasure (search as Subject)

Selected Databases

• ATLA religion database with ATLA Serials
• Annual Reviews Social Sciences: Annual Reviews in Psychology and Sociology; articles provide overviews of current scholarship on key topics.
• Philosopher's Index
• Sociology
• Sociological Abstracts
• PsycINFO

Selected Journal(s)

• Journal of Happiness Studies click on the "Find Full Text" link

Other Resources

• BBC News: The Happiness Formula; a six part series
• Authentic Happiness