Progressive Blog

Progressive Forum Presents Nikole Hannah-Jones in Houston, August 24, 7:30 p.m. CT

Pulitzer Prize winner Nikole Hannah-Jones will discuss her book, New York Times number one bestseller The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story, at The Progressive Forum Wednesday, August 24, at 7:30 p.m. CT.

Houston Chronicle Op-Ed: 10 Ways Houston Can Embrace Climate Action This Earth Day

by Randall Morton, Founder, The Progressive Forum

The following op-ed orignally appeared in the Houston Chronicle

When Mayor Turner spoke at the Climate Conference in Glasgow last November, he peddled Houston as a leader of the world’s energy transition, saying our city government uses 100 percent renewable energy and that Exxon plans to invest $100 billion in a tax-subsidized carbon-capture scheme in the ship channel complex. But a closer look shows a lack of real action to move the needle on Houston’s massive emissions, which, at 34 million metric tons a year, rival that of many individual nations at the Glasgow Conference.

Progressive Forum Presents Neuroscientist David Eagleman in Houston, April 28, 7:30 p.m. CT

Photo credit: Mark Clark

One of the world’s leading science communicators, Stanford University neuroscientist and best-selling author David Eagleman, will discuss his latest book about brain plasticity, Livewired: The Inside Story of the Ever-Changing Brain, at The Progressive Forum on Thursday, April 28, at 7:30 p.m. CT.

Houston Chronicle Op-Ed: Nature Can Store More Carbon Than Exxon’s Sequestration Scheme

by Randall Morton, Founder, The Progressive Forum

The following op-ed originally appeared in the Houston Chronicle.

The science journal Nature reports that civilization faces the daunting challenge of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 7.6 percent a year this decade to preserve life as we know it, starting now. This is equivalent to the rate of greenhouse-gas reduction during the pandemic when the world nearly came to a standstill.

Edward O. Wilson, 1929-2021: What’s a Great Mind Like?

by Randall Morton, Founder, The Progressive Forum

“Oh, what a wonderful idea!”

Dr. Edward O. Wilson appeared at The Progressive Forum in September 2006 at the Wortham, the first year of an unlikely lecture series I started. I had created a motto that rang true for me, but the manager of another Houston series called me “wayward.” My motto focused on the series theme: “Great Minds, Great Answers” which I defined as the people who created new fields of understanding, advancing the success of the individual, our species, and life on the planet – the Charles Darwins, the Sigmund Freuds, and … the Edward O. Wilsons of the world.

Brian Greene Q&A on 'Until the End of Time'

World-renowned theoretical physicist Brian Greene will discuss his latest book, Until the End of Time: Mind, Matter, and Our Search for Meaning in an Evolving Universe, in a free 30-minute livestream on Thursday, April 29, at 7:00 pm CT, with Progressive Forum president Randall Morton. Below is a preview into the book via a Q&A with Greene's publisher, Penguin Random House:

Progressive Forum Presents Free Livestream of Theoretical Physicist Brian Greene, April 29, 7:00 pm CT

Photo credit: Elena Seibert

World-renowned theoretical physicist Brian Greene will discuss his latest book, Until the End of Time: Mind, Matter, and Our Search for Meaning in an Evolving Universe, in a free 30-minute livestream on Thursday, April 29, at 7 pm CT, with Progressive Forum president Randall Morton.

Where Is the Hope?

January 7, 2021

by Randall Morton, Founder, The Progressive Forum

 

I feel violated. When I was a college student in Washington, D.C., I brought friends to the gallery of the House of Representatives, where I revered the ceremonies of power and debates on the noblest of matters. Yesterday, Trump-incited terrorists desecrated this space.

An Optimistic View: How DO We Heal the Soul of America?

November 20, 2020

by Randall Morton, Founder, The Progressive Forum

How did we get to a place where 47% of the electorate voted to re-elect a president after four years of official cruelty, separating children from parents, ignoring a deadly pandemic, and nearly destroying American democracy?

That 73 million people voted for Trump is irrational by any measure. How do we understand this?

As President-elect Biden says, stopping the vitriol is essential. But there are more fundamental answers in the fields of economics, therapeutic psychology, and even genetics.

Robert Reich Free Livestream Interview at The Progressive Forum October 1, 12:30 pm CT

Popular progressive movement leader Robert Reich will discuss his latest book, The System: Who Rigged it, How We Fix It, and other topics in a free, 30-minute livestream interview with Progressive Forum founder Randall Morton, Thursday October 1 at 12:30 pm CT. Robert Reich was the 22nd Secretary of Labor and co-founder of Inequality Media.