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Richard Gunther
Professor Emeritus of Political Science
Paul Beck
Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Erik Nisbet
Associate Professor of Communication
"A new study suggests fake news might have won Donald Trump the 2016 election"
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Hollie Nyseth Brehm
Assistant Professor of Sociology
"Who becomes a hero? It is more than just a personality trait"
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Alexander Thompson
Associate Professor of Political Science
Peter Mansoor
Gen. Raymond E. Mason Jr. Chair of Military History
"How to Misremember the Iraq War"
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Mershon Memo is a weekly e-mail newsletter distributed by the Mershon Center for International Security Studies, part of the
College of Arts and Sciences at The Ohio State University.
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Sunday-Monday, April 8-9, 2018
Quantum Theory and the International
Organized by Alexander Wendt
120 Mershon Center, 1501 Neil Ave.
 Scientists have long thought that quantum physics -- the bizarre and fantastic world of non-locality, indeterminacy, and wave/particle duality discovered in the early 20th century -- was confined to the sub-atomic level. In the past decade however, there have been growing hints in fields such as biology and psychology that this foundational classical assumption is mistaken. If evidence continues to mount of quantum effects at the human level, then the social sciences today could be in a situation similar to physics in 1900 - based on a simple but profound mistake, with a revolution just around the corner. This workshop will begin to examine what a quantum social science might look like in practice, with a focus on international politics. Read more and register at
go.osu.edu/quantumtheory
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Tuesday, April 10, 2018
Steve Fuller
"The Post-Truth Condition: Why We've Always Been There and Why It's Unlikely to Go Away Soon"
12 p.m., 165 Thompson Library, 1858 Neil Avenue Mall
Steve Fuller is Auguste Comte Professor of Social Epistemology at University of Warwick. Originally trained in history and philosophy of science, Fuller is best known for his foundational work in the field of "social epistemology," which is the name of a quarterly journal he founded in 1987 as well as the first of his more than 20 books. At this event, Fuller will speak on his latest book,
Post-Truth: Knowledge as a Power Game, which shows how today's post-truth worldview is deeply rooted in the history and philosophy of religion, politics and science. Read more and register at
go.osu.edu/fullers
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Tuesday, April 10, 2018
Kassim Alsraiha
"Religion and citizenship in the Gulf States: Does the thinking of contemporary reformist clerics make a difference?"
12 p.m., 120 Mershon Center, 1501 Neil Ave.
Co-sponsored by Middle East Studies Center
Kassim Alsraiha is a faculty member at the Mandel Center for Leadership in the Negev in Beer Sheva, Israel, where he facilitates leadership and professional training, specializing in education and community development. He is one of the founders and served on the board of directors for AHED, the Association of Academics for the Development of Arab Society in the Negev, and worked as a project manager at the Center for Bedouin Research and Development. This talk will examine the reformist religious citizenship proposed by reformist clerics and the degree to which these new ideas are being accepted by the populations of the Gulf States. Read more and register at
go.osu.edu/alsraihak
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Wednesday, April 11, 2018
Sarah Bush
"Who's There? Election Observer Identity and the Local Credibility of Elections"
3:30 p.m., 120 Mershon Center, 1501 Neil Ave.
Sarah Bush is assistant professor of political science at Temple University. Her recent book,
The Taming of Democracy Assistance: Why Democracy Promotion Does Not Confront Dictators (Cambridge, 2015), explores how and why the United States and other developed countries turned to democracy promotion at the end of the Cold War and what the impact of doing so has been. In this event, she will discuss the effect that election observers have on local attitudes about elections, arguing that the activities of election observers can enhance the local credibility of elections, but only when locals perceive observers as being both capable of detecting fraud and unbiased in that pursuit. Read more and register at
go.osu.edu/bushs
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Conference to examine quantum social science
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Dates: Sunday, April 8, and Monday, April 9, 2018
Location: Mershon Center for International Security Studies, 1501 Neil Ave.
Scientists have long thought that quantum mechanics -- the bizarre and fantastic world of non-locality, indeterminacy, and wave/particle duality that physicists discovered in the early 20th century -- was confined to the sub-atomic level. At the macroscopic, human level it's been assumed that our familiar classical, Newtonian physics still rules, a belief reflected in the fundamental categories of social scientific thought such as classical logic, classical probability theory, and classical decision and game theory.
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Alexander Wendt
Ralph D. Mershon Professor of International Security |
In the past decade, however, there have been growing hints that this foundational classical assumption is mistaken. For example, a field of "quantum biology" emerged after biologists unexpectedly found that birds, plants and other organisms use non-trivial quantum processes to survive. Closer to home, "quantum decision theorists" in psychology have shown that quantizing the axioms of expected-utility theory can resolve the long-standing anomalies of rational choice known as "Kahneman-Tversky effects."
While these and other hints are still very preliminary, if evidence of quantum effects at the human level continues to mount, then the social sciences today could be in a situation similar to physics in 1900 - based on a simple but profound mistake, with a revolution just around the corner.
Quantum Theory and the International, organized by
Alexander Wendt, Ralph D. Mershon Professor of International Security, won't try to solve any such grand question. But the workshop will begin thinking -- in a very exploratory and open-minded way -- about what a quantum social science might look like. As students mostly of international politics, that subject will provide our substantive focus and primary illustrations.
On Tuesday, April 10, conference speaker
Steve Fuller, Auguste Comte Professor of Social Epistemology at University of Warwick, will present "The Post-Truth Condition: Why We've Always Been There and Why It's Unlikely to Go Away Soon" at noon in 165 Thompson Library, 1858 Neil Avenue Mall.
Drawing from his latest book, Post-Truth: Knowledge as a Power Game (Anthem Press, 2018), Fuller will show how today's post-truth worldview is deeply rooted in the history and philosophy of religion, politics and science.
Read more and register at go.osu.edu/fullers
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Thursday, April 12, 2018
"Republican China before the People's Republic: Republicanism and Constitutionalism in the Revolution of 1911"
12:45 p.m., 168 Dulles Hall, 230 Annie & John Glenn Ave.
Sponsored by Center for Historical Research
Xiaowei Zheng is associate professor of history at University of California at Santa Barbara. Her research interests include local history of the Qing dynasty and early republican political culture, with a focus on the emergence of popular nationalism and the potential of republicanism. Her most recent book,
The Politics of Rights and the 1911 Revolution in China, chronicles the 1911 Revolution and argues for its transformative effect. Her current project, tentatively titled
The Unfinished Mission: Constitutionalism in China, examines Chinese political discourse on popular rights, sovereignty, and constitutionalism throughout the 20th century. This will be the final event in this year's
series, "'You Say You Want a Revolution?': Revolution in Historical Perspective."
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Weekend of Veterans Awareness film screening and 5K
 The College of Social Work, Office of Military and Veterans Service and nonprofit Run Down the Demons host an Ohio State Weekend of Veterans Awareness. On Friday, April 6, 2-5 p.m., there's a free screening of "Thank You for Your Service" at the Wexner Center for the Arts Film/Video Theatre and a panel discussion with Pulitzer Prize-winning author
David Finkel with book signing 5-7 p.m. at Mershon Auditorium. On Saturday, April 7, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Run Down the Demons hosts its annual 5K Obstacle Run/Walk at Remembrance Park to raise awareness about mental health issues veterans face.
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Register for film, panel, and book signing
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Sustainable supply chain through the lens of reinvention
 The 2018 Environmental Professionals Network Signature Event will explore the concept of sustainable supply chains through the lens of reinvention.
Nadya Zhexembayeva, Chief Reinvention Officer at WE EXIST Reinvention Agency, will introduce us to the need for "reinvention" to achieve an exceptionally sustainable supply chain. Then sustainability and supply chain professionals from three iconic companies (Patagonia, Owens Corning, and Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams) will share how they are working to embed sustainability into their supply chains. Zhexembayeva will facilitate a deeper conversation with our panelists and audience participants about how to build reinvention and sustainability into our social, economic and environmental systems. The event will take place Monday, April 16, 2018, at 7 p.m. in the Archie M. Griffin Grand Ballroom, Ohio Union, 1739 N. High St.
Read more and register
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