A quiet return turns into a brisk tour through a semester of teaching, a new research chapter, and a philosophical lens for a turbulent public square. We start with the energy of the classroom in Washington, where corporate social responsibility moved from buzzword to practice: people, planet, and profit in real institutions with real constraints. That momentum carries into a fresh ABD milestone and a quantitative study on climate attitudes in the United States, designed to map how identity, trust, and media shape what people believe—and why scientific consensus so often misfires on impact.
From there, we open a door to Paul Franco’s framing of Rousseau and Nietzsche, two voices that keep echoing through American life. Rousseau’s social contract and commitment to equality under law collide with Nietzsche’s will to power and the creation of personal values in a secular age. Seen together, they sketch a live fault line in our politics: egalitarian rules versus exceptional self-authorization. We explore how this tension shows up in wealth concentration, leader worship, and the health of democratic norms, and we ask what it takes to steer passion back toward constitutional ground without losing vitality or courage.
The conversation widens to AI’s disruptive role in universities, the rise of social angst and violence, and the practical work of cultivating inner steadiness. Mindfulness isn’t a partisan answer, but it helps us pause, notice, and choose better. Teaching continues next term with storytelling, research advances, and the long arc of civic life remains open to the work we do together. If these themes resonate—CSR, climate communication, Rousseau versus Nietzsche, the rule of law, and the search for peace—tune in, subscribe, and share your take. Leave a review and tell us: where do you see equality and power colliding in your world?
Note that Don Thompson is now available as a coach or mentor on an individual basis. To find out more, please go to his website www.nextpixprods.com, and use the 'contact' form to request additional information.
