The week of Aug. 11 finds speakers at the Center for Life Enrichment presenting an array of talks on the ethics of technology, the realities of modern medicine, and the mysteries of mountain biodiversity.
In an era of social media filters, AI-generated content, and digital anonymity, the temptations of dishonesty have accelerated. Christian Miller, Professor of Philosophy at Wake Forest University and a nationally recognized scholar on moral character, will explore how modern technology is reshaping our ethical landscape. The impact of deepfake videos on politics and political decision making, the allure of instant celebrity on TikTok and other social media, and the rise in academic cheating using AI products have produced a crisis in moral behavior. This lecture, titled Our Dishonesty Crisis: How Technology Is Eroding Honesty, presented on Monday, Aug. 11 from 2 to 4 p.m., will offer practical strategies to combat this crisis.
What really happens behind the closed doors of the operating room? And how reliable are hospital quality ratings? Dr. Cynthia Emory, Chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation at Wake Forest University, will pull back the curtain on the medical world, offering a candid look at the complexities of surgical care, hospital performance metrics, and the future of surgical care in the next 20 to 30 years. Her insider perspective promises to demystify the healthcare system and empower attendees to become more knowledgeable healthcare consumers. Her lecture, titled Behind the Scrubs: A Behind the Scenes View of the Operating Room and Hospital Quality Ratings, will be on Tuesday, Aug. 12 from 10 a.m. to noon.
Even the most accomplished and experienced hiker no doubt misses the abundance of life in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. But Discover Life in America (DLiA), a nonprofit organization, has been studying and conserving biodiversity in the Park since 1998 and has been documenting the estimated 60,000 to 80,000 species within the park. DLiA’s Executive Director, Todd Witcher, will discuss the organization’s flagship project, All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory, which has uncovered and cataloged thousands of species, doubling the number of known species in the Park and identifying 1092 species new to science. Collaborating with expert scientists, DLiA identifies threats to flora and fauna and works to understand how to protect the Park’s complex and valuable ecosystem. Unveiling the Smokies: How Discover Life in America (DLiA) Is mapping the Hidden Biodiversity of the Great Smoky Mountains will be presented on Friday, Aug. 15 from 10 a.m. to noon.
CLE is also delighted to welcome back US Presidential Historian Douglas Brinkley on Wednesday and Thursday, although these programs are sold out. Brinkley will present two lectures, Jimmy Carter: an American Giant and the Boys of Pointe du Hoc: D Day and US Army 2nd Rangers.
These presentations will take place at CLE’s Lecture Hall, located in the Peggy Crosby Center at 348 South 5th Street. The cost for each program is $30 for CLE members and $40 for nonmembers. Walk-ins are welcome. For more information, please visit clehighlands.com or call (828) 526-8811.
- Martha Pearson
CLE President