Upcoming Events
Dr. Ming Wang's Cosmopolitan Initiative Lecture Series: "Seeking Common Ground in U.S. and China Trade"
Jan. 25, 2022 at 6 p.m.
MTSU Academic Classroom Building - Room 104
About the Lecture: In this presentation, Dr. Ming Wang, M.D., Ph.D., will discuss what the two superpowers of the 21st century, U.S. and China, have in common, in history, culture, sport, people, custom, food, economy, religion and other areas. He will analyze the mutually beneficial trade opportunities, including for Tennessee. Dr. Wang firmly believes that while ideological differences do exist between the world’s #1 and #2 powers, it is in the seeking common ground that we do share, particularly in trade and economic exchange, that will help improve living standard and quality of lives of people of these two great nations. The film “Sight” is based on Dr. Wang’s autobiography as an immigrant “From Darkness to Sight”, co-starring Greg Kinnear.
About the Speaker: Dr. Wang is a world-renowned laser eye surgeon, philanthropist, founder of the Wang Vision Institute, and a co-founder of the non-profit Common Ground Network. As a teenager, Ming fought valiantly to escape China’s Cultural Revolution – during which millions of innocent youth were deported to remote areas to face a life sentence of hard labor and poverty. He came to America with only $50 and earned two doctorate degrees, one in laser physics and one in medicine, and graduated with the highest honors from Harvard Medical School and MIT. Wang Foundation for Sight Restoration has helped patients from over 40 states in the U.S. and 55 countries, with all sight restoration surgeries performed free-of-charge.
About this Series: To promote a civil dialogue on the economic, philosophical, and political benefits of an interconnected, tolerant, and cosmopolitan world, this series explores the role of global trade, immigration, and de-escalation in establishing a more peaceful and prosperous future for all of humanity. The lead sponsor for this lecture series is Dr. Ming Wang. Upcoming guest lectures will be moderated by Dr. Wang and faculties of the MTSU Political Economy Research Institute.
Maverick: A Biography of Thomas Sowell
with Jason Riley
Feb. 17, 2022 at 1:30 p.m.
MTSU Academic Classroom Building - Room 102
Jason Riley, author and Wall Street Journal columnist, will be presenting a lecture on his new book, Maverick: A Biography of Thomas Sowell.
About the Lecture: Thomas Sowell is one of the great social theorists of our age. In a career spanning more than a half century, he has written over 30 books, covering topics from economic history and social inequality to political theory, race, and culture. His bold and unsentimental assaults on liberal orthodoxy have endeared him to many readers but have also enraged fellow intellectuals, the civil-rights establishment, and much of the mainstream media. The result has been a lack of acknowledgment of his scholarship among critics who prioritize political correctness.
In this first‐ever biography of Sowell, Wall Street Journal columnist Jason L. Riley gives this iconic thinker his due, responds to the detractors, and explains their motives. Maverick: A Biography of Thomas Sowell (Basic Books, May 2021) not only showcases Sowell’s most significant writings but also vividly traces the life events that shaped his ideas and resulted in a black orphan from the Jim Crow South going on to graduate from Harvard University, earn a PhD under Milton Friedman at the University of Chicago, teach economics at Cornell University and the University of California, Los Angeles, and spend the past four decades as one of America’s foremost public intellectuals.
Drawing on firsthand conversations with Sowell, and interviews with close friends and colleagues, Riley offers a nuanced portrait of one of America’s leading conservative intellectuals. Maverick shines a light on the extraordinary scope and depth of Sowell’s work, exploring where he has distinguished himself and how he is likely to be remembered.
About the Speaker: Jason Riley is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and a columnist for the Wall Street Journal, where he has published opinion pieces for more than 20 years. Topics include politics, economics, education, immigration, social inequality and race. He’s also a frequent public speaker and provides commentary for television and radio news outlets.
Partner Events
Nashville Bastiat Society: “Seeking Common Ground in U.S. and China Trade” with Dr. Ming Wang
Dec. 7, 2021
6 - 7:30 p.m.
Richland Country Club, 1 Club Dr, Nashville, TN 37215
Hosted by the AIER Bastiat Society of Nashville
AIER’s Bastiat Society program in Nashville will host an event with Dr. Ming Wang, world-renowned laser eye surgeon, philanthropist and co-founder of Common Ground Network.
In this presentation, Dr. Wang will discuss what the two superpowers of the 21st century, U.S. and China, have in common, in history, culture, sport, people, custom, food, economy, religion and other areas. He will analyze the mutually beneficial trade opportunities, including for Tennessee. Dr. Wang firmly believes that while ideological differences do exist between the world’s #1 and #2 powers, it is in the seeking common ground that we do share, particularly in trade and economic exchange, that will help improve living standard and quality of lives of people of these two great nations.
About the speaker:
Dr. Ming Wang, Harvard & MIT (MD, magna cum laude); PhD (laser physics),is a world-renowned laser eye surgeon, philanthropist, and a co-founder of the Common Ground Network. Wang Foundation for Sight Restoration has helped patients from over 40 states in the U.S. and 55 countries, with all sight restoration surgeries performed free-of-charge. Dr. Wang was named the Kiwanis Nashvillian of the Year for his lifelong dedication to help blind orphaned children from around the world. The film “Sight” is based on Dr. Wang’s autobiography “From Darkness to Sight” and co-stars Greg Kinnear.
The Bastiat Society of Nashville’s speaker series is co-sponsored by The Political Economy Research Institute and The Beacon Center of Tennessee. This co-sponsorship does not necessarily constitute an endorsement of the speakers’ positions on the issues discussed. Eventbrite ticket required. Free for students with registering with .edu email.
Public Choice Society Annual Meeting - Nashville 2022
The 59th Annual Meetings of the Public Choice Society is set for March 10-12, 2022, at the Grand Hyatt in Nashville, Tennessee.
Society President William Shughart will be organizing the academic program. With over 70 planned concurrent sessions and three plenary sessions, the conference will bring together cutting edge research across all fields of public choice. Special sessions and events will commemorate the 60th anniversary of the publication of James Buchanan and Gordon Tullock's The Calculus of Consent: Logical Foundations of Constitutional Democracy. The conference will open at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday March 14, and conclude with a closing reception on Saturday evening.
Socializing and sustenance will be abundant, as the conference will feature common meals each day, coffee breaks between academic sessions, and cocktail receptions on Thursday and Saturday nights. Our annual awards luncheon on Saturday will announce the Duncan Black Prize, the Gordon Tullock Prize, and the eighth annual Elinor and Vincent Ostrom Prize for best combined paper and presentation by a graduate student. Our affiliate groups and sponsors will exhibit various opportunities including special publisher discounts available to conference attendees. Finally, the Grand Hyatt Nashville provides the ideal setting for us to gather amidst the history, culture and entertainment of this vibrant city. Paper and session submissions will be open from September 1 to November 1.
