Black Death, white sugar, and the quest for a Living Wage all figure in a discussion of how we value our own and others’ labor, the shifting lines of serfdom and freedom, and the sometimes puzzling consequences of population growth.

Cecil Bothwell has addressed questions of ethics and sustainability in Unitarian Universalist congregations and at numerous humanist and atheist conventions across the country, in eight of his nine published books and in one song (“If I Were a Lawyer”). He currently is serving a second term on Asheville’s City Council.