General Audience Book talk at the Kansas City Public Libarary

Thanks to Jonathan Kemper, an old friend and Library Trustee, I was invited to give a “signature event” talk at the KCPL library.

This was a great opportunity. Thanks, Jonathan and the good folks of KPCL!

But it was also a daunting challenge.

I wrote the book for a crossover audience — academics as well as the serious general reader.

The book emphasizes the practical value of imaginative discourse. I wanted to walk the talk. So I had the text edited by two editors to make it accessible — and put in pictures to make it inviting!

Even so, the ideas and their interconnections are complex.

Could I present the key propositions in a 40-minute talk that the audience would find interesting and comprehensible — without compromising the substance?

AI — including Google’s much-praised NotebookLM — failed me.

Here’s what I came up with. Curious what you think.