What is a legacy? How do we judge a legacy as good, or bad? We spend much time looking back at history and ancestry to understand how the choices and personalities of the past have created the world we live in today. We watch documentaries on The History Channel. We research our genealogies. We photograph, document and archive. We visit museums and read historical books, always looking for the marks that the past leaves on the present.  

“As a species, we have proved to be good historians but poor futurologists,” says writer Robert Macfarlane in Underland: A Deep Time Journey. Macfarlane is speaking of the Anthropocene, the new geologic era proposed by scientists and characterized by humanity’s unprecedented alteration of the earth’s surface. He claims that “the Anthropocene compels us to think forwards in deep time, and to weigh what we will leave behind. . . . What is the history of things to come? What will be our future fossils? As we have amplified our ability to shape the world, so we become more responsible for the long afterlives of that shaping.” 

Immunologist Jonas Salk, credited as inventor of the polio vaccine, was perhaps the first to articulate the question “Are We Being Good Ancestors?,” calling it the most important question we can ask ourselves. Knowing what we do about how current technologies and industries will change the environment long after we’re gone, Salk’s question raises a host of others. What will be humanity’s legacy? What do we owe to future generations? How do we make decisions today with consideration to the inhabitants of an unknown future?  

Join Indiana Humanities on Wednesday, March 29, as we ask the question “Are We Being Good Ancestors?” during a special Unearthed-themed Chew on This. Sign up for one of eight locations around the state where you’ll share a meal and a fun, insightful conversation with other curious Hoosiers. Each table will be led by an expert facilitator, someone to help us grapple with questions about humanity’s legacy and how to imagine an uncertain future. Your ticket price includes your meal and an unforgettably engaging experience. 

LOCATIONS | FACILITATORS

Taxman Cityway (310 South Delaware St, Indianapolis, IN 46204) | Facilitator: Ebony Chappel Journalist; Director of Programs & Community Engagement, Leadership Indianapolis

Half Liter (5301 Winthrop Ave Suite B, Indianapolis, IN 46220) | Facilitator: Dr. Jason Kelly Director, IUPUI Arts and Humanities Institute

Copper House Fare and Libations (1430 W Franklin St, Evansville, IN 47710) | Facilitator: Dr. Del Doughty Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, University of Southern Indiana

Schnitzelbank (393 Third Ave, Jasper, IN 47546) | Facilitator: Autumn Brunelle Naturalist, Monroe County Parks

Bar Bosco (804 S 7th St, Terre Haute, IN 47807) Facilitator: Jane Santucci Owner, Jane Santucci Multimedia Agency

Twenty (111 W Market St, Wabash, IN 46992) | Facilitator: Ryan Schnurr Assistant Professor of Communications & Humanities, Trine University

Harry's Stone Grill (621 Clifty Dr, Madison, IN 47250) | Facilitator: Dr. Kate Johnson Professor of Philosophy, Hanover College

Dish (3907 Calumet Ave #203, Valparaiso, IN 46383) | Facilitator: Caroline Ban Program Director & Assistant Professor of Social Work, Valparaiso University

Conversations will take place at different locations around Indiana, all at 6:00 p.m. local time. When selecting your ticket, please pay careful attention to the restaurant cuisine and your dietary preferences/restrictions (vegetarian, vegan, etc.). Your ticket will serve as your entrance to the restaurant. Your ticket price includes a meal, non-alcoholic drink, and tax and tip at one of the locations. Refunds are not available after 72 hours in advance. 

Questions? Contact Hailey DeWolf, events associate at hdewolf@indianahumanities.org.

ABOUT CHEW ON THIS

Chew On This is a program designed by Indiana Humanities to use the power of food and drink as a convener of people and catalyst for conversation to inspire thoughtful discussion on engaging topics.

 ABOUT UNEARTHED

Unearthed is a new multiyear thematic initiative from Indiana Humanities that encourages Hoosiers to discover and discuss their relationships with the natural world. Through engaging speakers, a statewide read, a tour of the Smithsonian’s Water/Ways exhibit, Campfires treks, a film series, podcast and more, Hoosiers will explore how we shape the environment and how the environment shapes us. Learn more and get involved by visiting www.indianahumanities.org/unearthed.

 ABOUT INDIANA HUMANITIES

Indiana Humanities connects people, opens minds and enriches lives by creating and facilitating programs that encourage Hoosiers to think, read and talk. www.IndianaHumanities.org