The Quest to Understand Consciousness

Antonio Damasio

11 a.m., February 23, 2025

Join us this Sunday, either in person or online, as we watch and discuss the 18-minute TED talk from March 2011, The Quest to Understand Consciousness by Antonio Damasio.

Every morning we wake up and regain consciousness, but what exactly is it that we regain? Neuroscientist Antonio Damasio uses this simple question to give us a glimpse into how our brains create our sense of self.

Antonio Damasio’s research in neuroscience has shown that emotions play a central role in social cognition and decision-making. His work has had a major influence on current understanding of the neural systems, which underlie memory, language, consciousness.

Neuroscientist, Antonio Damasio, is the author of Self Comes to Mind: Constructing the Conscious Brain, which was adapted into a musical composition performed by Yo-Yo Ma at the American Museum of Natural History.

You can preview this talk at:
https://www.ted.com/talks/antonio_damasio_the_quest_to_understand_consciousness

Attend in Person:
Join fellow Humanists to consider the propositions in Milpitas Library Group Study Room B, 160 N Main St, Milpitas, CA 95035.
Often after our meeting, we find a nearby inexpensive eatery for a luncheon.
If you can join us in person, please email vp@humanists.org to help us make sure we have room for you. If you have symptoms that may be COVID, kindly attend on Zoom.

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Also, we will continue to present our forums on Zoom. To join and be able to ask questions and make comments, click here.
No password is needed — our host will admit you from the waiting room. Joining the meeting via the link will download and install the Zoom app on your desktop computer (if it’s not already installed), and then take you to the meeting. You can also install the Zoom app on your computer or smartphone, and then enter:
Meeting ID: 816 5389 0712
Passcode: 250634

Join the meeting by phone: +1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose)
Find an international phone number to call: here.

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Why is the 1954 Seattle Windshield Pitting Epidemic Pertinent to Today?

Susan Gerbic

11 a.m., February 16, 2025

Join us, either in person or online, as Susan Gerbic recounts a textbook case of collective delusion.

Observations of windshield holes, pits, and dings started in Bellingham, Washington, in March 1954, then spread to thousands of windshields in nearby cities.
By April 17, the pitting suddenly stopped.
What can this textbook case of collective delusion tell us about ourselves, and the November-December 2024 United States drone sightings?

About our speaker
Affectionately called the Wikipediatrician, Susan Gerbic is the cofounder of Monterey County Skeptics and a self-proclaimed skeptical junkie. Susan is also founder of the Guerrilla Skepticism on Wikipedia (GSoW) project. She is a Fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, and writes for her column, Guerilla Skepticism, often.

02/16/2025 Why is the 1954 Seattle Windshield Pitting Epidemic Pertinent? – Susan Gerbic from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.

Attend in Person:
On the first and third Sunday of the month, such as this Sunday, you can attend our forum in person with fellow humanists at the Mountain View Senior Center, 266 Escuela Ave., Mountain View, CA 94040. Lunch will be served after the forum. We request a $10 donation.

If you can join us in person, please email vp@humanists.org to help us make sure we have room for you. If you have symptoms that may be COVID, kindly attend on Zoom.

Also, we will continue to present our forums on Zoom. To join and be able to ask questions and make comments, click here.
No password is needed — our host will admit you from the waiting room. Joining the meeting via the link will download and install the Zoom app on your desktop computer (if it’s not already installed), and then take you to the meeting. You can also install the Zoom app on your computer or smartphone, and then enter:
Meeting ID: 816 5389 0712
Passcode: 250634

Join the meeting by phone: +1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose)
Find an international phone number to call: here.

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Are There Constitutional Constraints Against President Trump’s Actions?

Prof. Leland Chan

11 a.m., March 2, 2025

Join us for a combined meeting of the Bay Area Humanists (BAH) and the Humanist Community in Silicon Valley, either in person or online, as Prof. Leland Chan speaks to us in Mountain View.

The second Trump administration hit the ground running with a flurry of Executive Orders, the scope of which raises questions of legality and constitutionality.

  • Can the presidency unilaterally eviscerate USAID activities if the programs had been created and funded by Congress?
  • Doesn’t that violate the principle of separation of powers?
  • Can President Trump unilaterally eliminate birthright citizenship?
  • Eliminate all “DEI” programs within the federal government?
  • Can he unilaterally form the Department of Government Efficiency and, if so, what powers could it have?
  • What about Panama, Greenland, and Canada?

In this presentation, Prof. Chan will discuss how the U.S. constitution had been crafted in order to prevent the concentration of power (that the Trump administration is now attempting to wield), and how those constraints can fail.

ABOUT LELAND CHAN
Leland Chan is currently an adjunct professor of law at Golden Gate University. He is a retired General Counsel of the California Bankers Association. He holds a Juris Doctor (JD) degree from the University of California at Berkeley.

Attend in Person:
On the first and third Sunday of the month, such as March 2nd, you can attend our forum in person with fellow humanists at the Mountain View Senior Center, 266 Escuela Ave., Mountain View, CA 94040. Lunch will be served after the forum. We request a $10 donation for lunch.

If you can join us in person, please email vp@humanists.org to help us make sure we have room for you. If you have symptoms that may be COVID, kindly attend on Zoom.

———-

Also, we will continue to present our forums on Zoom. To join and be able to ask questions and make comments, click here.
No password is needed — our host will admit you from the waiting room. Joining the meeting via the link will download and install the Zoom app on your desktop computer (if it’s not already installed), and then take you to the meeting. You can also install the Zoom app on your computer or smartphone, and then enter:
Meeting ID: 816 5389 0712
Passcode: 250634

Join the meeting by phone: +1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose)

Find an international number to call: https://zoom.us/u/afYkAuvE6

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Bay Area Skeptics’ first SkeptiCamp

SETI Institute Senior Astronomer Seth Shostak
Oganized by Bay Area Skeptics.

10 a.m.-5 p.m., February 9, 2025

Join us in person or online at the first SkeptiCamp hosted by the Bay Area Skeptics. SkeptiCamp is an informal, in-person, free conference where you can learn about science and skepticism, meet fellow skeptics, and enjoy the company of friends old and new. One of Humanists’ shared values is critical thinking.
Here are the presenters and their topics:

  • Patrick O’Reilly, “False Confessions”
  • Russell Wilcox, “Postmodernism and science education”
  • Susan Gerbic, “Psychics and wildfires”
  • Erica Byrne, Workshop on everyday skepticism
  • Seth Shostak, “Aliens!”
  • Norman Sperling, “The anti-horoscope”
  • Raleigh McLemore, “Skeptical humor”
  • Jay Diamond, “Skepticism and philosophy”

Attend in Person:
The Huddle, Google Visitor Experience, located in Google Gradient Canopy, 2000 N Shoreline Blvd, Mountain View, CA 94043

Free parking is available at:
Shoreline Amphitheatre Parking Lot C, which is located north of the Google Visitor Experience at 1 Amphitheatre Pkwy (~4 minute walk. Parking is not allowed on concert days, but, as of now, there are no concerts scheduled.)
Alta Garage, which is located at 1001 Alta Ave (~8 minute walk). EV charging is available at Alta Garage.
ADA parking is available at both Lot C and Alta Garage. Additionally, an ADA-accessible drop off zone is located at the western building entrance in front of the Google Store.
Public Transportation: The VTA Route 40 bus operates daily, and stops at Charleston & Huff.
Bicycle Parking: There are bicycle racks located outside of Gradient Canopy for your use. Please bring your own lock to secure your bike.
Rideshare: Using Uber or Lyft, set your location as Gradient Canopy, and you will be dropped off in front of the building, off Joaquin Rd.

Food/Drink
There will be a 45-minute lunch break during SkeptiCamp. There is a restaurant on site for food and drink, but nothing very close in the surrounding neighborhood. The only external food and drink the Huddle allows is water bottles.

If you can join us in person, please email vp@humanists.org to help us make sure we have room for you. If you have symptoms that may be COVID, kindly attend on Zoom.

See you Sunday at SkeptiCamp. And bring a friend!

Also, we will continue to present our forums on Zoom. To join and be able to ask questions and make comments, click here.
No password is needed — our host will admit you from the waiting room. Joining the meeting via the link will download and install the Zoom app on your desktop computer (if it’s not already installed), and then take you to the meeting. You can also install the Zoom app on your computer or smartphone, and then enter:
Meeting ID: 816 5389 0712
Passcode: 250634

You can also call any of the following phone numbers and then enter the above Meeting ID and the Passcode in order to join the meeting by phone.
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
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+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
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You can find international phone numbers to call here.

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The rise of the ultra-right in the US

8/1/1983 President Reagan talks with Newt Gingrich during a trip via Air Force One to Atlanta Georgia

11 a.m., February 2, 2025

Join us in person or online as we watch and discuss the documentary, The rise of the ultra-right in the US.

The tightening of abortion laws, the 2021 storming of the Capitol, a flare-up in racist violence: The US far-right has never been more powerful and visible than it is today – and that’s not just due to Donald Trump. The ultra-right has managed to gain a foothold at the very heart of US politics.

The triumph of the radical right is the outcome of a well-thought-out strategy set in motion more than 40 years ago by a conservative minority thirsty for power. And this group has pushed through its agenda under the nose of the world.

Written by Alice Cohen and Gilles Biasette, this film was a coproduction of Arte France, Radio Television Suisse, CBC Radio Canada, Al Jazeera, and posted in English by DW, Deutsche Welle, a public, state-owned international broadcaster funded by the German federal tax budget.

You can preview this 51-minute video at:
https://youtu.be/jrhREluLdBs/

Attend in Person:
On the first and third Sunday of the month, such as this Sunday, you can attend our forum in person with fellow humanists at the Mountain View Senior Center, 266 Escuela Ave., Mountain View, CA 94040. Lunch will be served after the forum. We request a $10 donation for lunch.

If you can join us in person, please email vp@humanists.org to help us make sure we have room for you. If you have symptoms that may be COVID, kindly attend on Zoom.

Also, we will continue to present our forums on Zoom. To join and be able to ask questions and make comments, click here.
No password is needed — our host will admit you from the waiting room. Joining the meeting via the link will download and install the Zoom app on your desktop computer (if it’s not already installed), and then take you to the meeting. You can also install the Zoom app on your computer or smartphone, and then enter:
Meeting ID: 816 5389 0712
Passcode: 250634

You can also call any of the following phone numbers and then enter the above Meeting ID and the Passcode in order to join the meeting by phone.
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
+1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 646 876 9923 US (New York)
You can find international phone numbers to call here.

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Click the Interested button or share on Patch:
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