Inactivity of the Blog

The Hastings Humanists still meet every month (except August) on the second Thursday in the month at the White Rock Hotel but this Blogspot site is no longer being actively updated.

There is an alternative Hastings Humanists blog available on Facebook:
https://en-gb.facebook.com/Hastings-Humanists-353889231431117/

Population Impact

Thursday the 12^th April 2018 from 7.30pm to 9.30pm at the White Rock Hotel

(Alistair Robertson)

In 1798 Malthus predicted that we would not be able to survive the exponential grow in human populations: So far we have always managed to dodge the bullet….

• The population of the world today (best estimate) is 7,610,975,900, but by the time we meet in a few days’ time, it will have grown by about another 2,500,000.
• On the other hand the population growth rate has dropped from 2% pa to 1.1% pa and the rate of growth is declining as the population age distribution passes peek child bearing age. So peak population is trending towards a maximum of 10 bn.
• But global warming is making it harder to grow the food we need and other resources are being depleted.
• And over half the world now lives in an urban environment
• and there is no doubt that we are degrading our environment by share force of a human population that is also driving another mass extinction event of all other species.

Population is at the heart of so many issues that this evening’s discussion is bound to be interesting and contentious. Do you think we should limit human global population, and if so, at what level and how?

Hastings Humanists are having a discussion on Population and the effect on the individual, our immediate environment and the World as a whole.

                What is the trend for population growth locally and in the World.

                What are the demands on resources and the consequent effects of this growth.

                What is the World doing about population.

                Is there an upper limit on population that we can predict and sustain.

The talk will use some statistics but is very much geared towards the effect on us of Population trends. Come along as this is a discussion where your own views and opinions will contribute to a lively and enjoyable event.

Thank you

The Hidden Life of Trees

Thursday the 8^th March 2018 from 7.30pm to 9.30pm at the White Rock Hotel

Trees have been around for about 385 million years so it is not surprising that they have developed sophisticated ways of interacting with their environment that we are only just beginning to appreciate. They have to collaboration for the survival of the individual tree, the genus of trees and the collective forest – sounds familiar!??!

Peter Wohlleben’s book “The Hidden Life of Trees” is a very accessible description that explains some of the complex interactions that trees have developed.

Ø  They communicate through the fungi that make up the forest floor

Ø  they protect themselves against predators by apparently putting out airborne volatile chemicals that alert other trees to produce toxins against those predator

Ø  roots seem to communicate distress to neighbours and grow in such a way that they can optimise their group response e.g. to drought, etc.

The sort of issues that we will be discussing are:

·         The importance of trees to our life - as part of the ecosystem that produces the Oxygen that we breath and maintains the temperature of the planet on which we live.

o   Global warming and the South American forests

o   At a more local level: the balance between the needs of new roads and parts of the green belt

·         What about the psychological impact of becoming increasingly remote from our natural environment?

And also

·         Is there a moral imperative that requires that we treat all living things with respect (lest they come back and kill us?)

·         Is there a way in which we can use this better understanding of the complex systems that enable trees to flourish?

Please bring along any of your ideas.

Thank you

Humanist Policing in the 21Century

Thursday the 8^th Feb 2018 from 7.30pm to 9.30pm at the White Rock Hotel

Is good policing a basic necessity for civil society?  The society’s greater good is secured by all members following the rules, but sometimes our individual interest can best be served by breaking those rules and sometimes the rules need to change to enable society to evolve.  This is not really question of good and bad in the Biblical sense, it is about maintaining a balance between individual freedom and the requirements of the group.

Firstly let’s review the challenges faced by policing today and then see how we need it to evolve over the next 30 years.

There are special challenges in the immediate future with regard to the ‘surveillance society’. How does the public maintain control over invisible policing algorithms that might find you guilty of intent and impose penalties, because it thinks you might do something! We are continuously tracked, not just when you are in your car (number plate recognition is common place) but now face recognition that means ‘society’ can track your every move – even if you choose not to be followed by your mobile phone.

As our identity becomes public property, how can we protect ourselves from an overbearing state and balance personal freedoms to disagree, with societal needs for conformity? And further developments in Block Chain technologies have the potential to change the nature of ‘Trust’ between strangers and that may have a bigger impact than anything!

Note: we may be in a different room at the White Rock Hotel…

Future subjects

·         March – The hidden life of Trees (Nick and Liz)

·         April – Global Population issues (Alastair)

Our future with artificial Intelligence and robotics

Our future with artificial Intelligence and robotics

Next Thursday the 11^th Jan 2018 from 7.30pm to 9.30pm at the White Rock Hotel

It seems appropriate that as we enter a new year, that we think about some of the great challenges to the way we will organise society in the future.
Our accelerating ability to offload the routine and humdrum (and the vitally important) onto machines that will do it better and cheaper than humans can, will have an impact on everybody. It is the classic middle class jobs that seem most at risk from the industrial revolution 2.0 and it is hard to know what to advise young people to specialise in, as they contemplate the next 50 years of their lives.

The impact of developments in AI and robotics will change the world of work at an exponential rate. But whether this is a boon that improves the lives of everyone, or a disaster that creates an even more unequal society of ‘haves’ and ‘have nothings’, is a matter of political choice. It will pit our great human capacity for collaboration and co-operation, against the equally powerful tendency for group think and competition.

We are approaching a tipping point in which individuals can make a difference, but nobody has a clear view of the questions, never mind being able to construct answers….plenty of room for debate on all the vital issues.

Happy 2018

Future subjects

·         February – Do Humanists need Police? (Mick and Mike)

·         March – The hidden life of Trees (Nick and Liz)

·         April – Global Population issues (Alistair)

Hastings Humanists Festive Bash!

Thursday December 14th at 7.30 pm.

The White Rock Hotel

1-10 White Rock, Hastings TN34 1JU
Tel: 01424 422240

We are having a end of year get together with a buffet. £15 per head - but please come along anyway if you don't wish to join in with the food.
£5 non members, £3 members, just to cover the costs of the hotel room hire.

Hope to see you there!

Any Questions on Thursday 12.10.2017 19.30 pm

Any Questions

On Thursday the 12^th Oct 2017 from 7.30pm to 9.30pm at the White Rock Hotel

There are so many big issues that are facing the world at the moment, so this month, let’s take a moment to consider a few of them. 

Bring along ‘Any Question’ that you would like to discuss, and the following are a few that I can think of to get us started……..

·         Is  Donald Trump a short term aberration or a step towards the dystopian future that seems to be the pre-occupation of films, books and plays at the moment.

·         Hastings is a test area for Universal Credit.  Does our experience give any confidence for its future roll out?

·         Is now a good time to buy a property or is the price now so high that the only direction is down?

·         Why are we seeing such a resurgence of nationalism in all its forms?.  From Catalonia to Kurdistan, and ‘America First’ or Brexit or Crimea there seems to be such a strong mood to challenge the status quo that we haven’t seen since WWII

·         And should the state take a stronger role in controlling global companies that don’t obey our rules or pay a fair level of tax?

·         And any other questions that you might like to put to the group….

Look forward to seeing you there!

Renewable Energy

Renewable Energy

On Thursday the 14^th Sept 2017 from 7.30pm to 9.30pm at the White Rock Hotel

2 months ago, for one day, more than 50% of the UK energy consumption was supplied fromnon carbon based renewable energy sources and for a brief moment we even met our Paris accord targets for 2025.

Just a couple of years ago this would have seemed a dream beyond imagining so despite the doomsayers, the world is making progress. 

So first a review:

·         What is it?

·         How does it work and

·         what you might like to do now as your contribution?

Then Alastair will walk us through some of the practicalities of what he is trying to do in his own home.

Planning permissions, feed in tariffs, what is practical right now and what might be just around the next corner.

Update and forthcoming events

Hastings Humanists are on summer recess for August. The next meeting will be on Thursday September 14th at The White Rock Hotel.

We have had some great debates over the past few months including genetically modified organisms, democracy and morality as well as a look at how news stories are portrayed in the newspapers and other media sources.

Forthcoming meetings will discuss renewable energy and we hope to have Kevin Precious, former R.E teacher, Humanist and comedian later in the year.

I will update the blog once dates are confirmed

Notable Women of Sussex

Our next meeting will be a presentation on ‘Notable Women of Sussex’ by Ann Kramer

On Thursday the 9^th Feb 2017 from 7.30pm to 9.30pm at the White Rock Hotel

Hastings Humanists welcome Ann Kramer

Ann is a local historian, writer and feminist who has written books such as Women Wartime Spies and the Landgirls and their Impact and will share with us the fruits of her research into some notable women of Sussex – many of whom you may not have heard of. Her book Sussex Women selects 30 of the best, from royal mistresses to pioneering doctors, from educators and philanthropists to Brighton dippers and cross dressing music hall stars and brings each vividly to life.  There are lots of local women for us to be proud of, and a few we might not wish to laud too loudly!

Ann’s talk promises to be both educational and entertaining.

After the break we will have a discussion on ‘The causes of women’s under-representation in history’. 

Is it because of patriarchal social structures that have limited female opportunity and downplays their impact; or is there also a difference between men and women, and the way they fight for recognition?

Share your favourites

Share your favourites

The following are some recommendations from the Hastings Humanists Group.

Lots of interesting books, films, songs and YouTube clips – and where possible I have included hyperlinks (blue text and underlined) so you can click on them and see further information on the Internet.

I hope you find it entertaining and useful.
###############################################################

Nick

Book

“Atheism in Ancient times” – Atheism can trace its routes back to antiquity and is arguably as old as theism itself.

Mike

Book

“Cold Reading” A book on the techniques used by mentalists, psychics, fortune-tellers, mediums and illusionists to imply that the reader knows much more about the person than the reader actually does

Stephen Milton

Web links

• Hans Rosling Ted talk. He is my favourite statistician who explains the world View. His website is www.Gapminder.org gives you the tools to test your assumptions about the world against the statistical facts …Test your beliefs  

• The best advice to offer to young people starting life wrapped in great humour.  Tim Mitchim UWA address  View
• Tom Lehrer  Vatican Rag  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvhYqeGp_Do
•  A sense of Fairness seems inherent in our biology.  See this experiment with monkeys  View     
• David Christian narrates a complete history of the universe, from the Big Bang to the Internet, in a riveting 18 minutes View
• Seventy thousand years ago, our human ancestors were insignificant animals, just minding their own business in a corner of Africa with all the other animals. But now, few would disagree that humans dominate planet Earth.  Yuval Noah Harari puts our ability to tell stories at the heart of it. View
• Sir Ken Robinson makes an entertaining and profoundly moving case for creating an education system that nurtures (rather than undermines) creativity.  View
• I love table tennis and watch what a professional can do….View

Books

• “A brief history of nearly everything” by Bill Bryson – a humorous and detailed narrative of the history of science.
• “Homo Deus”  by Yuval Noah Harari – explores the projects, dreams and nightmares that will shape the 21^st century.
• “Quantum” – Manjit Kumar – The amazing story of scientists who gave up their most cherished beliefs in the pursuit of something totally counter-intuitive that turned out to be real.

George

• Awesome Japanese Xylophone in Forest.  View
• Samuel Barber - "Dover Beach", Op. 3 Fischer-Dieskau, Juilliard . This brooding song for baritone and string quartet, written in 1931 sets with almost miraculous appropriateness the haunting 1851 poem by Matthew Arnold - View
• Who’s Who in Hell – CNN review View
• Big Bandstand sound Eastbourne     View 

Linda Dootson

Book

“A Brief History of Time” by Stephen Hawking.

A couple of nice quotes See more:

“What did God do before he created the universe?” 

“In the eighteenth century, philosophers considered the whole of human knowledge, including science, to be their field and discussed questions such as: Did the universe have a beginning? However, in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, science became too technical and mathematical for the philosophers, or anyone else except a few specialists. Philosophers reduced the scope of their inquiries so much that Wittgenstein, the most famous philosopher of this century, said, "The sole remaining task for philosophy is the analysis of language." What a come  down from the great tradition of philosophy from Aristotle to Kant!” 
― Stephen Hawking, A Brief History of Time

Karen

Book

“Marcus Aurelius, Meditations” translation by Maxwell Staniforth.  A series of personal writings by Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor from 161 to 180 AD, recording his private notes to himself and ideas on Stoic philosophy.  Still a source of insight and comfort today.

Elizabeth

...as life has gone by I have often said

'there's a song there?!'

...as life has gone by I have often thought

'life could be more fun if it was  more like a musical’

When  I glanced throo Facebook for things I have reposted

for a hint of what I could recommend tonight

I noticed something that tunes into this

singing stimulates the production of oxytocin,

 a chemical involved in happiness and bonding.

Surveys of individuals who sing regularly report

sustained high levels of emotional stability  and

well-being. Even professional singers,

(like here The Breakfast Sketch Part 2 by Morecambe and Wise

whose singing literally determines whether they'll be eating or

not in the future, still experience a sense of relaxation and energy after singing

Article /Integrative  Physiological and Behavioural Science  react-text: 53 38(1):65-74 January 2002eact-text: 53 38(1):65-74 January

singing stimulates the production of oxytocin,

 a chemical involved in happiness and bonding.

Surveys of individuals who sing regularly report

sustained high levels of emotional stability  and

well-being. Even professional singers,

(like here The joy of song  )

whose singing literally determines whether they'll be eating or

not in the future, still experience a sense of relaxation and energy after singing

Article /Integrative  Physiological and Behavioural Science  react-text: 53 38(1):65-74 January 2002eact-text: 53 38(1):65-74 January

Katy

Film

The Intouchables (2012) Official Trailer [HD]  

A clash of worlds with humour and empathy. (French with sub-titles)

Alistair

Book

“The God Argument” by AC Grayling

Professor of Philosophy and Master of New College of the Humanities, London

Plenty of YouTube films from 10 mins to over an hour – well worth looking at.

Laurence

Book

“The Bible for Grown ups” by Simon Loveday

Loveday’s case is that the mantle of historical truth and divine authority has placed upon the Bible an intolerable weight, crushing it as a creative work of immense imaginative and inspirational power. His argument is both fascinating and persuasive

Film

Dinner for One – Freddie Frinton - View

Terry Ballard

Unfortunately, I cannot make tonight's meeting. I would love to be there to discuss my own pet project, humanist music. Here's a list of songs that Barbara and I came up with. Discussing whether a song qualifies as humanist can be both fun and enlightening.

                                                 HUMANIST SONGS

He Ain’t Heavy (He’s My Brother)

Imagine

Days

The Living Years

You Are the Voice

In My Life

Superstition

Bridge Over Troubled Water        

Mamunia

Why Worry

When a Child is Born

Theme to The Big Bang Theory

Where’s Your Heaven Now...? *

You’ll Never Walk Alone

Thank You for the Music

Wonderful World

Melting Pot

Sweet Thames Flow Softly

Abraham, John and Martin

Two Little Boys

Danny Boy

Mountains of Mourne

Amazing Grace

The Way We Were

Lean on Me

Do Anything You Want to Do

Vincent

The First Time Ever (I Saw Your Face)

Wish I Knew How to be Free

Precious Time (Is Slipping Away)

SM - I have added my personal favourite ‘The Universe Song’        View

Julienne
Book
"Statistics for the Terrified!"  It has a picture of The Scream by Edvard Munch on the front cover and DON'T PANIC written throughout the book! 

 ________________________________________________________________________

The above was the result of this meeting:

Our next meeting will be an opportunity to share your favourites with the group

On Thursday the 12^th Jan 2017 from 7.30pm to 9.30pm at the White Rock Hotel

A Happy New Year to one and all.

Despite the many hostages to fortune carried over from 2016 and slowly coming home to roost in an uncertain future. In a triumph of hope over experience, I remain optimistic that 2017 will be a Prime Year for us all (2017 being a prime number)!!!!

For our first meeting of the year, I would ask you to bring along a recommendation to the group.

•          A book
•          A film
•          A website
•          A YouTube clip
•          A Ted talk
•          A song

Anything that you think that the rest of the group might appreciate knowing about!

You can provide a brief introduction explaining why it is of interest to you, and perhaps read or show a short clip by way of introduction.

If you would like to email some information in advance, I can probably find something on the Internet and save it on my PC for the demonstration.

I have no doubt that there will moments of controversy that we will debate in the normal way. I look forward to seeing you.

Food for Thought

On the 13^th Oct 2016 from 7.30pm to 9.30pm at the White Rock Hotel

 and introduced by Elizabeth Coleman

Food is a vital part of our lives and influences almost everything we do. So this debate will consider

*       how we can feed a prospective population of 9 billion people in a globally warming world with less temperate weather.

*         One part of the answer may be to eat less meat. And where is the Morality in slaughtering 1.2 billion animals per week if we do not need to for nutritional reasons.

*         And then there is the whole process of digestions. The bacteria cells in our body outnumber human cells 10 to 1, so how do the gut bacteria actually work and what are the health impacts of the symbiotic relationship we have with them.

*         And finally, will science come to the rescue? Where are we on synthetic biology for creating foods – from GMs to artificial meat etc

            In the pre industrial past (just 300 years ago) sugar was rare and considered a precious spice, and meat was an extraordinary luxury.  Our stomachs have not caught up with the affluence so many of us now take for granted.

            Research has shown that in times of plenty mammals in general increase their degree of co-operation, and in times of scarcity, they become more competitive (not a surprise!).  So getting this wrong may well make the world a much less pleasant place to live!

            It is occasionally interesting to stand back and consider the big questions of life….

I look forward to hearing your opinions

Stephen Milton

A Headstrong Evening

Our next meeting will be another 'Headstrong Evening’

On the 8^th Sept 2016 from 7.30pm to 9.30pm at the White Rock Hotel

For our first meeting after the summer break we will have another of the very popular ‘Headstrong Debates’.

A series of 15 minute debates on any subject offered from the floor.

Please bring along your headstrong opinions and be prepared to have them challenged ….

Here are a few questions to choose from, to get us going:

*         The director of Google research believes that by 2050 there will be a direct brain interface to the Internet.  How might it change human nature in the following 50 years?

*         Is Donald Trump’s popularity in America something that should scare us?

*         With enough investment we could stop global warming, but we seem unable to make those choices. Why is that?

*         What does ISIS want?

*         What would be an ideal gift that you would like to receive?

*          Andrew Copson advocates we support internationalist ideals and global civilisation, 

        But what are they exactlY? (topic suggested by GPJ)

I look forward to seeing you all again shortly

Stephen Milton

Does Altruism Exist?

Our next meeting will consider ‘Does Altruism Exist?’

On the 14th July from 7.30pm to 9.30pm at the White Rock Hotel

There are many different ideas about the nature of altruism as we try to explain our natural instinct to help each other.

If you perform an act of kindness for another, is it genuine Altruism, or are you gaining a benefit by feeling good about yourself?

If the kindness costs you something, should it be considered an act of masochism from which you obtain some vicarious delight?

Or is every good deed just the expression of your 'selfish gene' in a collective act of enlightened self-interest?

Or do societies evolve in a form of Darwinian competition in which those that learn to collaborate, survive and prosper better than those in which the members are egotistically self-obsessed?

We will try to examine this from all angles including the biblical roots of original sin.

If you would like to prepare a 10 minute slot to give your point of view, please let me know and I’ll include it in the programme.

In August we will take our summer break so there is no meeting.

Stephen Milton

Is Genuine Artificial Intelligence Possible?

Our next meeting will consider ‘If genuine artificial intelligence is possible?’

On the 9th June from 7.30pm to 9.30pm at the White Rock Hotel

Computer processing power is continuing to advance according to Moore’s Law doubling every 18 months and halving in price.  But will brute processing power ever be enough for us to see real artificial intelligence emerge?

On the other side of the question, vast strides are being made to help us understand the wondrous complexities of our own brains. Are we just a complex set of automated reflexes or  have we taken sufficient control over our responses to claim ‘intelligence’ in choosing our own actions?

Intelligence is an essence of what it means to be Human, so this will be a conversation about who we are and what we are as a race; but we may have to consider

·         What the world would be like if we were freed from the drudgery of keeping ourselves alive?

·         what rights we would have to give a machine that showed free will and intelligence?

·         How would we protect ourselves from a sentient machine that was growing in intelligence at an exponential rate?

Bring along your questions and thoughts.

 Stephen Milton

Social Institutions at Breaking Point?

Our next meeting will be a Debate on how society should cope with the pressure on collective services.

On the 12th May from 7.30pm to 9.30pm at the White Rock Hotel

Many of the services that we take for granted and which make UK such a great place to live, have been under extraordinary pressure – and some claim they are at breaking point….

The list is long:

·         Health – NHS, mental health, nursing homes, end of life care

·         Schooling - Teaching staff leaving, shortage of places/ large classes, curriculum changes and now academisation

·         Legal - loss of legal aid is making recourse to the law only available to the rich.

·         Policing – cut backs put safety at risk and a lack of competence in the new crime areas on line,

·         Army – even if we spend 2% of GDP as NATO demands, it is not enough to deliver an effective world force.

·         infrastructure – housing shortages, transport, technology

·         local government – increasing responsibility but reduced budgets

·         etc etc

But why are these the things we seem unable or unwilling to afford?

Is the answer to use market pressures to improve their efficiency or – whisper it quietly…to increase taxes, or is there some third ways of sharing social responsibility? See article on this bit…

In the longer terms, as we apply evolving technologies to improve the affluence of our society, how to we ensure that the benefits are distributed equitably and that our collective resources are directed to the benefit of the common good?

This is the heart of the Social Contract between citizens and state. There might be no right answers, but how do we as Humanists, feel about these choices?

Bring along your views and ideas and experiences to share in the debate.

Stephen Milton (Chair)

EU Debate: Remain or Leave?

Our next meeting will be a Debate 

on whether the ‘UK should Remain a member of the EU or Leave’.

On the 14th April from 7.30pm to 9.30pm at the White Rock Hotel

On the 23^rd of June we will make a decision on whether to remain a member of the EU or leave. This is a big deal!

There are so many different issues wrapped into this decision that it will come down to an assessment of the balance of risks and there is no certainty on either side of the argument. Our intention is to hold a debate on this contentious issue in which we will avoid tribal politics and personal attacks, and examine the issues.  Hopefully shedding a little light and dissipating some of the heat by squarely facing up to the facts, and that the decision will have wide ramifications for many years to come!

The form of the debate will be an opening vote,  2 opening statement For and Against the motion, then an open floor discussion where everybody is welcome to make their own point, then a final summing up and final vote.

To keep the debate orderly I will suggest that we deal with different aspects of the subject in turn

·         The question of sovereignty?

·         The question of economic benefit / harm?

·         Bureaucracy, inventiveness and innovation in the EU?

·         Questions of immigration?

·         Issues of democratic legitimacy and rule making?

·         How will this decision look in 50 years’ time?

Everybody is welcome to participate as long as they uphold our Humanist tradition of treating opposing opinions with respect.

Price £3.00 at the door.

Stephen Milton