Monday, October 31, 2011

Into the Reason of Things: Jonathan Moreno's "The Body Politic: The Battle Over Science in America"


By Gregg Chadwick

Are we making monsters in university laboratories? How much is a life worth? Where does science start and religion end? When it comes to contemporary advances in science, the general public can feel lost on the margins as new discoveries whizz past like speeding rockets on the Bonneville Salt Flats. As humans we are primed to distrust or misunderstand unfamiliar things or states of being. Is it any wonder that popular culture since the dawn of the modern era is full of out of control scientific experimentation such as that found in Mary Shelley's cautionary novel Frankenstein?

Fear of the unknown may often be polarizing. Knowledge may be liberating. Jonathan Moreno's new book, The Body Politic: The Battle Over Science in America, shines a light on the issues surrounding contemporary scientific explorations. Moreno focuses on the current place of science and politics in the United States, yet Moreno also deftly explores through a long lens, the philosophical history of scientific thought and the political debates that have ensued

Slipstream
Gregg Chadwick
Slipstream
30"x22" monotype on paper 2011

Moreno argues in a balanced fashion, as his book considers the debates over the ethics undergirding contemporary scientific discoveries and explorations. Should the government fund scientific projects? Is there a limit to scientific advancement? The discussion becomes especially heated in the political sphere, when advancements in current Biology are considered. At times, the rhetoric adheres to a standard Red State vs. Blue State pattern. Moreno explains that, when considering science, alternatives exist to the stagnant polarization often found in the political sphere. Moreno quotes Charles Peirce's definition that science "does not consist so much in knowledge...as it does in diligent inquiry into truth for truth's sake, without any sort of axe to grind, nor for the sake of delight of contemplating it, but from the impulse to penetrate into the reason of things...."

Moreno's The Body Politic delves deeply into the battles over science in our era and ultimately calms our irrational fears by questioning the mad scientist trope: "The notion that science is an enemy of moral and civic education is puzzling. How then to account for the coincidence of the development of science with the growth of liberal democracy and the recognition of human rights since the eighteenth century?"

Jonathan Moreno's groundbreaking book, The Body Politic: The Battle Over Science in America, should be required reading for all students in the sciences and all those interested in our place in the universe. Highly recommended.





Introduction:
Neera Tanden, Chief Operating Officer, Center for American Progress
Distinguished Panelist:
Jonathan Moreno, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress; David and Lyn Silfen University Professor, University of Pennsylvania; and Author, The Body Politic: The Battle Over Science in America
Moderator:
Andrew Light, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress; and Associate Director, Institute for Philosophy and Public Policy, George Mason University

Happy Halloween From Speed of Life and Google!


Time-lapse video of the Google doodle team & friends carving giant pumpkins in the Halloween spirit. Shot on location at Google's Headquarters in Mountain View, CA. Music by Slavic Soul Party! Composed by Matt Moran.

Friday, October 14, 2011

Please Join Me Tonight & Tomorrow - October 15th and 16th - for the Unveiling of New Work at the 7th Anniversary of the Santa Monica Art Studios

Los Sueños del Río 38"x38" oil on linen 2011 (Triptych: Closed)
Gregg Chadwick
Los Sueños del Río
38"x38" oil on linen 2011 (Triptych: Closed)

Please Join Me Tomorrow at My Studio for the Unveiling of New Work at the 7th Anniversary of the Santa Monica Art Studios
The Triptych Los Sueños del Río Will Be Opened At 7pm!

October 15, 2011 - Saturday Night 6-9pm

&

October 16, 2011- Sunday Afternoon 1-5pm


My studio- #15 - will be open
along with the other wonderful artists at the Santa Monica Art Studios.
Please stop in and say hello.

3026 Airport Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90405
cell 415 533 1165
email: greggchadwick@earthlink.net

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

"Women, War, and Peace" Starts Tonight on PBS


Women, War & Peace from Women, War & Peace on Vimeo.


Must Watch Television: Women, War, and Peace Starts Tonight on PBS:

Women, War & Peace is a bold new five-part PBS series challenging the conventional wisdom that war and peace are men’s domain. Spotlighting the stories of women in conflict zones from Bosnia to Afghanistan and Colombia to Liberia, it places women at the center of an urgent dialogue about conflict and security, and reframes our understanding of modern warfare.

Featuring narrators Matt Damon, Tilda Swinton, Geena Davis and Alfre Woodard, Women, War & Peace is the most comprehensive global media initiative ever mounted on the roles of women in war and peace.

Watch on your local PBS station Tuesday nights from Oct. 11 to Nov. 8. Check local listings for air times.

Friday, October 07, 2011

Art in the Station

Engine Company by GreggChadwick
Engine Company, a photo by GreggChadwick on Flickr.

As part of my current exhibit at the Monterey Peninsula College Art Gallery, "Engine Company" is on loan to the Monterey Fire Department. The painting will be displayed for the next month in Station #1 located at 600 Pacific Street, Monterey, California. I feel it is vital to take contemporary art out of the gallery and into the streets. I am honored that my work dedicated to brave Union workers across the globe hangs in Station #1.

Thursday, October 06, 2011

Theater of Memory Opens Today at Monterey Peninsula College Art Gallery


The Monterey County Weekly writes:


Art Exhibit: Humanitas at MPC Gallery
When: Thursday, October 6, 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Humanitas, an exhibit of extraordinary paintings, features luminous, poetic figures painted by Gregg Chadwick, along with more intimate works, often in earth tones, by Cynthia Grilli. Most art tells the history of the periods from which they are created. These recent works, depict the emotions reflecting the subtle complexity and unknowing directions of our times. Come see the once and future history of these thankfully fleeting days, illuminated by these two fine artists' incisive palettes. [JZ]

11am-4pm, Tue-Fri,
Receptions: 6th Oct, 12:30-2:30pm
8th Oct, 3-5pm.

Much more at Art Daily.com