Since 1993 I have been a member of an issues discussion group, the Wranglers Club of Puget Sound. Membership is open to any who are interested. 24 active members in turn present a paper on any subject they choose, followed by "wrangling" over the issue. Members include engineers, physicians, lawyers, teachers and businessmen. Members over 75 may choose emeritus status which allows them to attend but present no paper. Provisional members await openings in the base number of 24. Joe Iwano, retired urologist, organized the club in 1992.
The archive includes almost all the papers presented. There are a wide variety of topics, well researched and interesting. Philosophy, literature, politics, history, ecology and science were included in the first decade; economics and world affairs were added in the second decade.
In addition to the major topic, a member presents a brief personal "member's moment" limited to five minutes. Mine, to be presented tonight, presents an index to the archive and lists my own papers:
Oct. 1993: South African history and politics. During apartheid Sarah and I
travelled there and of course became instant experts on the country. We did
get a brief view of Nelson Mandela in Pietermaritzburg.
Feb. 1996: Humanism: a review of a book by Corliss Lamont explaining "Ethical
Culture Societies," "Secular," "Religious" and "Naturalistic"
Humanism. For an updated explanation read Epstein's "Good Without God."
Sep. 1998: Global Warming: the contribution of human and industrial activity.
This excited a rebuttal prepared by an organization supported by ExxonMobil
the following month.
Dec. 2000: Maritime Exploration of the Northwest Coast 1500-1800. (I have
presented this elsewhere twice, now a PowerPoint presentation.)
Mar. 2003: Tax Reform proposals for Washington State: the William Gates Sr.
committee report.
Sep. 2005: The Constitution and the Courts: a reaction to the Supreme Court's
decision awarding the presidency to W.
Mar. 2008: Health Care plans of the presidential candidates compared.
Sep. 2010: 18th C. Enlightenment philosophers: the historical foundations of
the U. S. Constituion.
I have no plans to be "emeritus." The challenges of preparing presentations, doing crossword puzzles and 60 years of marriage are keeping me stimulated. My next paper may or may not deal with the ethics and philosophy of profit-oriented health care schemes, the ethics and economics of the pharmaceutical industry, the history of public care of the indigent or whatever the whim of the moment inspires.
The archive includes almost all the papers presented. There are a wide variety of topics, well researched and interesting. Philosophy, literature, politics, history, ecology and science were included in the first decade; economics and world affairs were added in the second decade.
In addition to the major topic, a member presents a brief personal "member's moment" limited to five minutes. Mine, to be presented tonight, presents an index to the archive and lists my own papers:
Oct. 1993: South African history and politics. During apartheid Sarah and I
travelled there and of course became instant experts on the country. We did
get a brief view of Nelson Mandela in Pietermaritzburg.
Feb. 1996: Humanism: a review of a book by Corliss Lamont explaining "Ethical
Culture Societies," "Secular," "Religious" and "Naturalistic"
Humanism. For an updated explanation read Epstein's "Good Without God."
Sep. 1998: Global Warming: the contribution of human and industrial activity.
This excited a rebuttal prepared by an organization supported by ExxonMobil
the following month.
Dec. 2000: Maritime Exploration of the Northwest Coast 1500-1800. (I have
presented this elsewhere twice, now a PowerPoint presentation.)
Mar. 2003: Tax Reform proposals for Washington State: the William Gates Sr.
committee report.
Sep. 2005: The Constitution and the Courts: a reaction to the Supreme Court's
decision awarding the presidency to W.
Mar. 2008: Health Care plans of the presidential candidates compared.
Sep. 2010: 18th C. Enlightenment philosophers: the historical foundations of
the U. S. Constituion.
I have no plans to be "emeritus." The challenges of preparing presentations, doing crossword puzzles and 60 years of marriage are keeping me stimulated. My next paper may or may not deal with the ethics and philosophy of profit-oriented health care schemes, the ethics and economics of the pharmaceutical industry, the history of public care of the indigent or whatever the whim of the moment inspires.
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