Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

What’s common about common knowledge, and how does it become common? Common knowledge—the awareness of how others think and even how others think others think—is needed for social coordination, things as basic as driving on the same side of the road or using paper currency. And it has a hidden logic that makes it all work. Cognitive psychologist and author Steven Pinker returns to Commonwealth Club World Affairs in Silicon Valley to explore some of the paradoxes of human behavior. It’s the subject of his latest book, When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows . . .: Common Knowledge and the Mysteries of Money, Power, and Everyday Life. Pinker addresses issues as seemingly disparate as why people hoard toilet paper when an emergency breaks, why crypto ads clog up Super Bowl advertising, why Russian officials arrested a protester carrying a blank sign, or even why everyone seems to agree that life would be unbearable if everyone was completely honest at all times. Tying it all together, he says, is our ability to know what others think and what others think about what others think . . . on and on, ad infinitum. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Historian Charles H. Kahn wrote that Pythagorean contributions to Western thought were "on the one hand, a mathematical understanding of the world of nature; and, on the other hand, a conception of human destiny that points beyond the visible world and beyond the mortal body to a higher form of life." Unfortunately, for the following 2,500 years, we took the first part: logic and reason, and largely discarded the other: intuition and imagination. Or, as Nietzsche put it in The Birth of Tragedy, we chose to rely heavily on our Apollonian side (yang) while neglecting our Dionysian side (yin).  And here we are, in a world of contradictions which are becoming ever more acute with the astounding recent advancements of Artificial Intelligence, which is of course based on numbers (in fact, it was Pythagoras who said, "everything known is a number").  How do we go back to the Pythagorean tradition? How do we restore balance between Apollo and Dionysus?  On this special evening, we will attempt to do just that. We will start with a talk by Edward Frenkel, mathematician, Berkeley professor, and author of Love and Math (currently out in 20 languages) who considers himself a Pythagorean. He will provide the context and the background. His talk will be followed by a ceremony, administered not by a priest or shaman but, as is more common these days, by DJs.  During the dance party following Edward Frenkel's talk, DJ Wilder (Anna Fedorova) will dazzle us with music sourced from different genres and epochs, followed by Edward Frenkel himself (as DJ Moonstein) playing back-to-back with Cihat Fitzgerald (DJ Chi) taking us further into the unknown. Magic awaits. A Humanities Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums. Frenkel photo courtesy the speaker; public domain painting is "Pythagoreans Celebrate the Sunrise" by Fyodor Bronnikov. Organizer: George Hammond  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Film screening and Q&A with director Naja Pham Lockwood and panelists; building community and healing through food with Bay Area Vietnamese chefs and restaurateurs. Join us for a film screening of On Healing Land, Birds Perch, a documentary by Naja Pham Lockwood, a Vietnamese-born filmmaker, which explores the continuing aftershocks of the Vietnam War from the perspectives of both sides of the war: North Vietnamese and South Vietnamese, including Vietnamese Americans alive today. The story is told through the iconic Pulitzer-Prize-winning photo by Associated Press photojournalist Eddie Adams of South Vietnamese General Loan executing Viet Cong Captain Lem two days after the 1968 Tet Offensive. Interviewees include the daughter of General Loan, the children of Captain Lem, and the son of the family who was allegedly killed by Captain Lem and his men. All share the intense emotions this photo continues to elicit and the impact it has had on their lives. The interviewees hold widely differing views, but the film poignantly portrays what they all have in common: the lasting trauma from the war. The Commonwealth Club of California is a nonprofit public forum; we welcome donations made during registration to support the production of our programming. A Humanities Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums. Commonwealth Club World Affairs is a public forum. Any views expressed in our programs are those of the speakers and not of Commonwealth Club World Affairs.   This program contains EXPLICIT language. Organizer: George Hammond   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In August, after Texas acceded to President Donald Trump’s demand that it adopt a redistricting plan favoring Republicans, California Governor Gavin Newsom said he would fight back. He signed legislation creating Prop. 50, which asks voters to suspend California’s independent redistricting maps and allow the legislature to draw new districts. "Today, we gave every Californian the opportunity to stop Trump by saying yes to our people, to our state, and to American democracy," Newsom said at the time.  Supporters say the plan is a temporary but critical defense against partisan mapmaking in other states. They argue that California must step in to protect democracy nationwide and pledge that the state will restore its independent redistricting process after 2030.  Critics, who include former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, contend the proposal undermines the state’s voter-approved redistricting reforms, restoring the same partisan gerrymandering that California has banned.  “We know American democracy is on fire, but accelerating gerrymandering only adds fuel!,” a No-on-50 ballot argument states. “[Prop. 50] claims to protect democracy, yet diminishes our communities’ voices and is ineffective against any overreach of presidential power.”  With voting already underway, join us to learn more about Prop. 50 and what’s at stake for California and control of Congress. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After nearly 14 years, the Club’s Week to Week Political Roundtable and Social Hour is drawing to a close. The next two Week to Week programs—on Wednesday, October 15 and Monday, November 17—will be the final two programs in the series. That means it’s your last chance to join us in-person for our lively political conversations, preceded by a social hour when you can mix with other attendees and have some wine and light bites. During times of political upheaval and great stress, it can be a great help to gather with others who are also interested in learning the latest about the people, topics, and trends moving the political world. Join us for the Week to Week political roundtable. Learn more about the people, trends and topics driving the political news of the day. Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California is a nonprofit public forum; we welcome donations made during registration to support the production of our online programming. See other upcoming Week to Week political roundtables, as well as audio and video of past Week to Week programs. Commonwealth Club World Affairs is a public forum. Any views expressed in our programs are those of the speakers and not of Commonwealth Club World Affairs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the visionary behind the World Wide Web, and Brewster Kahle, digital librarian of the Internet Archive, as they discuss the transformative impact of the internet. They delve into the web's evolution from open protocols to centralized platforms, advocating for re-decentralization through ideas like Solid. Tim unveils his motivations for his new book while both reflect on AI's potential and the role of libraries in this landscape. Expect a fascinating conversation about the future of the web and its implications for society!

This program features a unique public affairs arts conversation between Chinese-born composer Huang Ruo and Matthew Shilvock, who is in his tenth season as San Francisco Opera’s general director. The Monkey King (猴王悟空), by Huang Ruo and American librettist/playwright David Henry Hwang, conducted by Carolyn Kuan, is of topical interest as an action hero story with moments of peace and reflection. The Monkey King centers around the mythic hero from China’s classic novel Journey to the West. A monkey born from a stone becomes the ruler of the monkeys and challenges the gods of the seas and heavens in a bid for immortality. SF Opera is producing the world premiere, performed in English and Chinese, uniting the disciplines of opera, dance and puppetry. The Monkey King's blended production is not your grandmothers’ traditional opera! It’s also a 2024 blockbuster video game Black Myth: Wukong. Musical theatre audiences are familiar with Broadway’s acclaimed Tony award winning M. Butterfly team, which was also led by Ruo and American librettist/playwright David Henry Whang and conductor Carolyn Kuan. Describing a technique he calls "dimensionalism," Ruo uses a “musical voice which draws equal inspiration from Chinese folk, Western avant-garde, rock and jazz (Mimakos, 2011)." Of Monkey King, he says, "In our new opera, which blends cultural traditions with a spectacular multidisciplinary production, I hope to bring this Eastern superhero to life and shine a hopeful light that will always appear in any turbulent time.” Shilvock announced that The Monkey King, opening November 14 at War Memorial Opera House, reflects SF Opera’s commitment to global storytelling that makes a difference. He notes that “It's indicative of artistry that affirms the Bay Area as one of the great cultural centers of the world.” Our moderator will be Cole Thomason-Redus, vice chair of the Arts Member-led Forum, and educational content curator for San Francisco Opera. An Arts Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums. In Association with San Francisco Opera and Chinese Heritage Foundation of Minnesota.  Organizer: Anne W Smith & Cole Thomas-Redus   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We know what needs to be done to ward off the worst impacts of global climate disruption: rein in heat-trapping pollution, reverse deforestation, build resilient systems. But how we do those things is the trick. Every second counts. The sooner we act, the more lives saved, the more jobs protected and the more futures secured.  So how do we orchestrate the vast change we need in a short amount of time? World Resources Institute President Ani Dasgupta gives his honest take on the lack of progress since the Paris Agreement was signed 10 years ago — and maps a path forward. Guests: Ani Dasgupta, President and CEO, World Resources Institute (WRI); Author, “The New Global Possible” Jonathan Foley, Executive Director, Project Drawdown Nikhil Swaminathan, CEO, Grist Highlights:  00:00 – Intro 01:46 – Importance of the Paris Accords in terms of multilateralism 04:00 – Backlash to climate action  07:00 – The market is producing the technology we need, but we also need to deploy them at scale 12:00 – How do we get companies producing the bulk of emissions to change course? 16:00 – Addressing climate disruption is a societal choice about what we value 20:40 – Why COP is essential and also disappointing and maddening 23:30 – Unpacking climate finance and why it’s so important 27:30 – Addressing justice isn’t a choice but an imperative when it comes to climate 31:00 – How to keep focused and remain optimistic in this current moment 37:00 – We have everything we need right now to solve climate change 41:00 – Project Drawdown’s analysis of what climate tools do and don’t work 45:00 – So many missed climate opportunities 52:00 – Tradeoffs of tools like batteries  58:00 – Climate One More Thing ***** Support Climate One by going ad-free! By subscribing to Climate One on ⁠Patreon⁠, you’ll receive exclusive access to all future episodes free of ads, opportunities to connect with fellow Climate One listeners, and access to the Climate One Discord. ⁠Sign up today⁠. Ad sales by ⁠Multitude⁠. Contact them for ad inquiries at ⁠multitude.productions/ads⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

oin former U.S. Senator Joe Manchin for a timely and candid online-only conversation about his maverick career in government, crossing party lines, and addressing the dysfunction at the heart of our politics—centered around his new memoir, Dead Center: In Defense of Common Sense. At a time when our country feels more divided than ever, Senator Manchin is inviting Americans back to the center—where solutions are possible, principles still matter, and leadership starts with listening.  From the coal fields of Farmington, West Virginia, to some of the highest-stakes decisions in the U.S. Senate, Manchin has never wavered from his core beliefs: fiscal responsibility, social compassion, and putting country before party. In Dead Center—part memoir, part manifesto—he makes a passionate case for a new, solutions-oriented politics rooted in common sense. Reflecting on the decisions that shaped him as a leader and public servant, he shares never-before-told stories from inside the Senate and the White House, along with fresh insight into how government can deliver real results for the American people.  It’s a reminder that leadership still matters, character still counts, and common sense should never go out of style. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When President Trump deployed the military to Los Angeles in June, former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano called it an “abuse of presidential power.” Napolitano, who is also the former governor of Arizona, told MSNBC that to federalize the national guard over California Governor Gavin Newsom’s objections was “simply outrageous.”  During Napolitano’s time at DHS, she beefed up border security and increased deportations while also spearheading the creation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative. Now director of the new Institute for Security and Governance at UC Berkeley, Napolitano joins Commonwealth Club World Affairs to talk about the current administration’s border crackdown, criticism of ICE tactics, and what it all means for immigration policy, civil liberties and the economy.  We’ll also hear from Napolitano, the former president of the University of California, about Trump’s efforts to reshape higher education. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices