Monday 30 September 2013

David Pollock on Threats to Humanism in Europe

Our next meeting: Thursday 10 October: David Pollock
(http://david-pollock.org.uk/)
a past president of the European Humanist Federation
(http://humanistfederation.eu/)
and head of the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) delegation to the Council of Europe
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Humanist_and_Ethical_Union)
talks to us on the clash of Humanism and fundamentalist Christianity in Europe.

“Reactionary religion is well organised and well financed in its work of opposing gay, women’s and non-religious rights in the UN and the European institutions. Working across boundaries - Catholic/Protestant, Christian/Muslim - its organisations are well connected and influential. Humanists are just beginning to work in opposition, forming and joining alliances with liberal religious people and other interested parties. But there is a long struggle ahead!”

As usual we are at the White Rock Hotel from 7 to 9 pm.

Saturday 21 September 2013

Skeptics in the Pub Roadshow

On Thursday 26th September at White Rock Hotel we are linking up with the local Skeptics in the Pub group run by Simon Clare to put on a Hastings Skeptics meeting. The entry fee is £3.50. Tickets can be bought via Eventbrite, or on the day. The actual talk starts at 8 pm and will be followed by a question and answer session.

The speaker is Robert Llewellyn the actor who will be talking on the theme "Electric Cars: They're Rubbish Aren't They?" How sceptical he is we will find out on the night.

Robert Llewellyn is probably best known for playing Kryten in the comedy science fiction TV series "Red Dwarf". The Hastings Observer, in their version of the press release I sent to them, gave it the headline "Kryten to make guest appearance" but I don't think Robert is coming as Kryten! (The costume and make-up probably take hours to fit.)

Wednesday 18 September 2013

Video Links for your Instruction and Entertainment

We only got round to showing two videos at our meeting. I give links to those, and also to others by Richard Dawkins and A. C. Grayling, and a number of others that I have found of interest recently.

Militant Atheism by Richard Dawkins
http://www.ted.com/talks/richard_dawkins_on_militant_atheism.html

What's Next for Atheism by A. C. Grayling
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGrqZXI2LiY

There are numerous other TED talks (put a name in the search box):
http://www.ted.com/talks

RD interviews creationist Wendy Wright (1 hour)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AS6rQtiEh8

The unofficial Richard Dawkins Channel (lots of videos)
http://www.youtube.com/user/dawkinschannel

The Official Richard Dawkins Channel
http://www.youtube.com/user/richarddawkinsdotnet

Think Week: RD with Stephen Law talking philosophy (1.5 hour)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvkbiElAOqU

"Rare Interview" about religion in america
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaH8_Omskxg

Peter Boghossian: Street Epistemology
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mEJcABKtXE&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D0mEJcABKtXE&app=desktop

Sam Harris: Science can Answer Moral Questions
http://www.ted.com/talks/sam_harris_science_can_show_what_s_right.html?

Daniel Dennett on "deepity"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rg-4fmbpZ-M

School Segregation taken to the limit!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcVGW1-mm28&feature=youtu.be&noredirect=1

Robert Spencer controversy on Hate Speech
http://www.jihadwatch.org/2013/09/video-robert-spencer-speaking-on-hate-speech-toronto-september-17-2013.html

The following are more science-based

Murray Gell-Mann: Beauty Truth and Physics
http://www.ted.com/talks/murray_gell_mann_on_beauty_and_truth_in_physics.html?

Higgs Boson explained??
http://www.symmetrymagazine.org/article/september-2013/famous-higgs-analogy-illustrated

The lost codex of Archimedes
http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2P3mDm/:1tMoo$IUj:Q!zUNjcK/www.ted.com/talks/william_noel_revealing_the_lost_codex_of_archimedes.html/?

A YouTube video about Fractals (nearly an hour):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lk6QU94xAb8
It includes interviews with Benoit Mandelbrot himself (about 8 minutes in).

George Monbiot: For more wonder rewild the world.
http://www.ted.com/talks/george_monbiot_for_more_wonder_rewild_the_world.html

There are many others I could have linked to: search for yourself.