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.)

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.

Video Update

Our first meeting after the summer break.

Thursday 12 September: 7 to 9 pm at the White Rock Hotel as usual

 

Stephen Milton presents a video update on the activities of the 'New Atheists'

in particular Richard Dawkins and A. C. Grayling.

update:

At the last meeting when we were discussing books there was a lot of interest in the works of A. C. Grayling and Richard Dawkins, so for this month’s meeting I have chosen several of their speeches from the internet for us to listen to and discuss. They are two of the most fluent , knowledgeable and enthusiastic advocates of atheism and humanism, both from the philosophical and scientific  points of view. I can assure you that they are thought provoking and I have no doubt will generate the normal interest and debate.

In addition, as a topical question, let’s take 15 minutes to discuss the Syria question. Do we support intervention or not?

 

Stephen Milton

 

A Great Debate

I'd like to recommend this debate. Can Science tell us Right from Wrong:

http://365daysofphilosophy.wordpress.com/2013/07/21/july-21st-the-great-debate-can-science-tell-us-right-from-wrong/

The answer is Yes, provided we interpret "Science" widely enough to include Reason, perhaps as in the German concept of Wissenschaft.

The speakers are: Sam Harris, Patricia Churchland, Peter Singer, Lawrence Krauss, Simon Blackburn and Steven Pinker, with Roger Bingham in the chair. It's quite a long listen, 2 hours including the questions at the end, but well worth devoting the time to.

Simon Blackburn provides the dissenting voice, as an old-style philosopher. For instance he argues that someone living in a drugged haze, or a deluded fool's paradise, could be said to be living a happy life, so who is to say their values are wrong?

Incidentally Lawrence Krauss cites a number of books and writers who could well be added to our book list: E. O. Wilson on Sociobiology, Franz de Waal on Reciprocity in Chimpanzees, Jacob Bronowski on Science and Human Vales, Philip K. Dick on Reality, Richard Feynman on the Habit of Truth, Aldous Huxley on Brave New World.

Our Book List

The selection of books that have influenced us in our humanist views proved to be surprisingly wide ranging. I list a selection of them in alphabetical sequence of author's names and give links to other sites where more can be read about them.

Adams, Douglas: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
http://www.douglasadams.com/creations/hhgg.html
Al-Khalili, Jim: Paradox
http://www.jimal-khalili.com/science-communication-books

Asimov, Isaac: Foundation Trilogy + Robot series
http://www.asimovonline.com/asimov_home_page.html

Aurelius, Marcus: Meditations
http://classics.mit.edu/Antoninus/meditations.html
Brigstock, Marcus: God Collar
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/god-collar-by-marcus-brigstocke-2299554.html

Carr, J.L.: A Month in the Country
http://www.zyworld.com/albionmagazineonline/books1.htm

Conan Doyle, Arthur: The Sherlock Holmes Stories
http://www.sherlockpeoria.net/Who_is_Sherlock/SherlockTimeline.html

Coyne, Jerry: Why Evolution is True
http://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/

Dawkins, Richard: The Selfish Gene + The God Delusion + many others
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Dawkins

De Botton, Alain: Religion for Atheists
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alain_de_Botton

Dennett, Daniel: Darwin's Dangerous Idea
http://ase.tufts.edu/cogstud/incbios/dennettd/dennettd.htm

Feynman, Richard: Surely You Are Joking Mr Feynman
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surely_You're_Joking,_Mr._Feynman!

Fortey, Richard: Trilobite
http://resolutereader.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/richard-fortey-trilobite-eyewitness-to.html

Geldof, Bob: Is That It?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Is-That-It-Bob-Geldof/dp/0330442929

Gleick, James: Chaos
http://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Chaos.html?id=upcJCIH8M_oC&redir_esc=y

Grayling, A. C.: Ideas that Matter + The God Argument + others
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ideas-That-Matter-Personal-Concepts/dp/0753826186

Harris, Sam: The Moral Landscape + The End of Faith + others
http://www.samharris.org/

Hawking, Stephen: A Brief History of Time
http://www.hawking.org.uk/

Heinlein, Robert: Stranger in a Strange Land
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/h/robert-heinlein/

Hitchens, Christopher: God is not Great
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=hitchens
Illich, Ivan: The De-schooling of Society + others
http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/2002/dec/09/guardianobituaries.highereducation

Jones, R.V.: Most Secret War
http://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Most_Secret_War.html?id=hkftkibM5fkC&redir_esc=y

Keenan, Brian: An Evil Cradling
http://www.skoool.ie/skoool/examcentre_sc.asp?id=339

Kingsolver, Barbara: The Poisonwood Bible
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Poisonwood_Bible
Koestler, Arthur: The Sleepwalkers + Darkness at Noon
http://www.ianhopkinson.org.uk/2012/11/book-review-the-sleepwalkers-a-history-of-mans-changing-vision-of-the-universe-by-arthur-koestler/

Kumar, Manjit: Quantum - Einstein, Bohr and the Great Debate ...
http://manjitkumar.blogspot.co.uk/

Lawrence, D.H.: Lady Chatterley's Lover
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D._H._Lawrence#Lady_Chatterley_trial

Levi, Primo: If This is a Man
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2013/apr/05/rereading-if-this-is-man

Marryat, Frederick: The Children of the New Forest
http://archive.org/details/children_new_forest_0709_librivox

Michie, David: The Dalai Lama's Cat
http://www.hayhouse.com/details.php?id=7121

Morgan, Elaine: The Descent of Woman
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTADBkDRQco

Morris, Desmond: The Naked Ape
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCm3RVkDBR0

Neville, Katherine: The Eight
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/113310.The_Eight

Ramachandran, V.S.: The Tell-Tale Brain
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/30/books/review/Gottlieb-t.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Roberts, Alice: The Incredible Human Journey
http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/incredible-human-journey/

Russell, Bertrand: History of Western Philosophy + Why I am Not a Christian + others
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/TUrussell.htm

Singh, Simon: Trick or Treatment + Fermat's Last Theorem
http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/simon-singh

Tressell, Robert: The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists
http://www.1066.net/tressell/
Von Daniken, Erich: Chariots of the Gods
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QecSCOX3uM

The King James Bible
http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/

Some of these titles have evidently influenced us in widening our consciousness towards what alternative views might be possible. We suspect that many Christians don't actually read the Bible, they just know bits they have been preached about.

Our Favourite Books

Our next meeting is on the 11^th July at the normal time of 7.00pm at the White Rock Hotel

The subject this month is:  Book Reviews

I am sure that all of you have a few books that have been really influential in making you take up the cause of Humanism. Our object is to create a list of good reads that we can post on the Blog. The books may be novels that illustrate the best of being human, or more polemical or philosophical, or scientific, or historical ....

What we would like is  for everybody coming to let us know (in advance if possible) a list of their top 3 or 4 books. Include both the Title and the Author. And for a few to also volunteer to make a 5 - 10 minute introduction to one of their chosen books. Explaining some of the background, what it’s about and why you like it so much (and perhaps read an extract). This to be followed by a short group discussion.

This is another experiment and I am looking forward to seeing what comes out.

Thank you for your support. Stephen Milton (chair).

Thomas Paine at Conway Hall

This one-man performance by Ian Ruskin at Conway Hall on 7 July looks as though it could be good:

To Begin the World Over Again: The Life of Thomas Paine
http://www.conwayhall.org.uk/thomas-paine-2

This series of seven short videos by Ian Ruskin about Thomas Paine is well worth watching: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7Hvs9rBLyQ&list=UUVFYZ0c-oyXN9vt9PB5zOFw

If you don't know much about Tom Paine and his ideas, you could try my short biography of him: http://www.mayhematics.com/e/paine.htm
which has links to other sites where you can read his actual words.