Jan 7: Select Only Worthy Opponents in Your Debates
Bill Jacobsen leads Forums (1/7, 1/21) on the selection and use of "worthy opponents." Your favorite "Enemies List" shouldn't include those who present inferior arguments or come across as dull, disagreeable, insensitive brutes. Such folks teach you nothing. After all, the whole point of a good debate is to learn something new, be that a new way of looking at matters or a factor you haven't adequately considered. Your ideal sparring partner is intelligent, personable, insightful -- someone who'll bring out the best in you.
Jan 14: The Third Party Dilemma
Third parties have often greatly influenced our political agenda by bringing forth ideas that were later adopted by a winning major party. Prime examples are the abolition of slavery and social security which began here as third-party ideas. But when the leaders of third parties made a serious run for the presidency and were badly beaten, they and their parties lost all influence with the leaders of major parties. Is this the fate that awaits Ralph Nader and the Green Party? Economist Eli Brandes speaks.
Jan 21: How Worthy Opponents Bring Out the Best in Us
Some say the purpose of a debate is to win by all means possible. Bill Jacobsen says it can be a learning opportunity!
Jan 28: Empathy: The Holy Grail of Critical Thinking?
Join Ben Wade for a discussion and some challenging interactive exercises around empathy, one of the least understood and practiced of the critical thinking skills. Test your understanding and abilities in this vital area that affects both the quality of our thinking and capacity for personal growth. Humanists can become very "human" in this difficult but very rewarding practice.
Feb 4: Our Future: A Nation of Loners?
"Bowling Alone", a disturbing study by Harvard Professor Robert Putnam, describes the progressive disengagement by our younger generation from social, political, religious, and even familial relationships. This first of two lectures will deal with the findings of the study and its contributing causes. A future lecture will deal with its broader implications. Ely Brandes will lead the discussion.
Feb 11: Peter Singer is a Menace to Our Way of Life
Bill Jacobsen has now read nine -- oops, ten of Singer's seventeen -- oops, twenty books and seems to be falling behind. Before the gap gets larger, Bill will expose how assumptions of Western civilization are crumbling before Singer's innocent questions. The insightful ideas Bill has spent a life time accumulating from biologists, economists, and philosophers are now presented in a simple and compelling manner by Singer, who is to ethics as Darwin is to biology. Don't be the last kid on the block to wrestle with Singer's provocative ideas.
Feb 18: Complexity Pervades Biology
Ants display amazing behavior -- creating nests with effective architectural design, moving forward in a raiding column to systematically invade others -- without benefit of either architect or general. Slime molds are even more puzzling. As single cells these creatures ignore each other, but once starvation sets in they form a multicellular organism consisting of a stalk and a cap of spores. Who would ever have predicted this? As suggested by Signs of Life, by Richard Solé and Brian Goodwin, these complex feats can't be derived by analyzing genes or individuals. How does this kind of self-organization emerge? Clearly no intelligence is in charge. Bill Jacobsen speaks.
Feb 25: "Bowling Alone" Continued
Robert Putnam's "Bowling Alone" chronicles the disengagement of our younger generation from social, political, religious, and even family ties, a development which sociologists describe as a loss of "social capital". And the loss of social capital can further damage our hope of ever achieving a truly civil society. Ely Brandes will continue the discourse begun three weeks ago.
Mar 4: What's Your Life-Stance?
Doers make things happen, Victims endure the things that happen to them, Voyeurs enjoy watching what's happening from the sidelines, and those in Denial don't even want to know that anything is happening. Of course, depending on the situation, you all have the ability to be active, passive, detached, or look the other way, but usually you display one characteristic way of dealing with life. That's your habitual life-stance, if you will, your character. Bill Jacobsen speaks.
Mar 11: Saint Thomas More? Hardly!
Robert Bolt's A Man for All Seasons portrays More as heroic in his silence before being executed by Henry VIII. Most students reading More's Utopia assume he advocated the ways of that fictional society with its enlightened tolerance of varied religious views. Maybe these images are profoundly wrong. Bill Jacobsen asks: Could it be that More was a bigoted heresy smeller, eager to burn those who disagreed with him, ready to entrap potential victims, pushing them to inform on others -- McCarthy tactics in the name of his holy religion?
Mar 18: The Unholy Land Experience in Orlando
The "Jews for Jesus" mentality -- a fundamentalist effort to convert Jews -- will not die. Scholars are fully aware of the distortions created when the New Testament was appended to the Hebrew Bible. The early Christians claimed that their religion had now superseded Judaism. Hence, references to the Old Testament, a ridiculing of Judaism, and a serious misreading of the message of the prophets . . . as though they were predicting Jesus. These ancient evils are now compounded as innocent families add the Holy Land Experience to their trip to Disneyland. Bill Jacobsen speaks.
Mar 25: Do Not Let the Holy Become the Stupid!
Well-meaning Jewish and Muslim students at Stanford plan to put on programs to show what the Jerusalem holy sites mean to their respective traditions. But we humanists say that the holy should not be debased by linking it to real estate. A few acres of land are not worth one human life. Let the holy refer to the ability of the human spirit to move away from superstition about material things and toward a reverence for the potential of people to outgrow childish beliefs. Now that is sacred! That we can worth-ship! Bill Jacobsen speaks.
Apr 1: Wrong? Moi???
"I find such an accusation unacceptable! If I dislodge this one claim, all my other claims may collapse like a house of cards! Something must be wrong with what appears to contradict my claim!"Is this the voice of a rigid authoritarian who refuses to reexamine assumptions? Or is it a prudent voice that respects the net of warranted beliefs associated with the scientific enterprise? What's the difference? Bill Jacobsen speaks.
Apr 8: The Dark Side of the Internet Business
A recent New York Times story told of an e-business company that had sought to become a national online grocery store that delivers its wares right to the kitchen counter. The company is now near the end of its billion dollar kitty and its life, but the investors are not the only losers. The big loser is the nation as a whole, for here, as in other similiar cases, scarce investment funds are being wasted on projects that were built on hype alone and never had a realistic chance of success. Ely Brandes speaks.
Apr 15: The Electric Power Industry
Hilton Brown is an electric power engineer both by training and inclination. He worked ten years for an electric utility as a power dispatcher and designer of control systems, and then thirty years with the IBM Corporation marketing primarily to engineers in the electric power field. He served as Chairman of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Energy Committee during the time of the Three Mile Island incident, and was awarded the IEEE's Professional Engineer of the Year award for his leadership role during that period of crisis.He has a romantic view of the power industry, but by now you know his bias. He will tell you a little about electric power and energy, how it is generated, transmitted and distributed, and how California got into the technical, political and economic mess we are in right now. Perhaps Hilton can provide some basis for understanding the very complex electric energy problems facing California.
Apr 22: The Long Drive to the Hybrid: Follow the Mellow Brick Road
Andrea Dorey, longtime medical writer and winner of several video awards in New York and Los Angeles, doesn't have time for great ideas that don't work in her busy life. She has traveled the long road from poverty in the Boston tenements to the Silicon Valley-style "middle class", with its fascination for expensive gadgets, to concern for the environment. She has been driving the Honda Insight, a hybrid car, since last fall. She will walk us through the process of deciding pro or con the hybrid, electric car, and other technologies, and whether any of these can be integrated into YOUR life.
Apr 29: Childhood Memories
Hilarious, tragic, comic, caring, terrifying, pleasant, confusing -- all are possible revelations once you begin to probe about in the memory file inside your cranium. And behind these recollections are decisions you'll never bring to awareness, but whose influence continues even today. Bill Jacobsen speaks.
May 6: Lobby Day: May 9
Peter Belden's talk offers an overview of Planned Parenthood's legislative agenda for California -- useful for all humanists who see this as one of our core values and indispensable for those who'll go to Sacramento to lobby for P. P. on May 9.
May 13: The Truth About Truth
Longtime member Peter Bishop says: "The great philosophies take several different approaches to the question of Truth. Many of us would like Truth to have certain properties. Our hopes and dreams have influenced the various philosophies to approach Truth from different directions. What is the approach taken by Humanism (in my eyes), and why? Is the answer disappointing? Wrong? Dangerous? Or do we face greater danger with a flawed approach to Truth?"
May 20: What is Moral Freedom?
Moral freedom is not freedom from morals. It is rather a utopian vision, which, according to its adherents, will someday allow each of us to develop our own individualized code of morals, which, while reflecting our own unique circumstances, would still be anchored in commonly acceptable moral principles. Will it ever be likely or even possible? Eli Brandes speaks.
May 27: The Uses of Rhetoric
How do you get people to do what you want? Violence or threats of violence are the gangsters' methods. What is the civil way? The practice of political rhetoric is my answer. Rhetoric has reached rules and methods we should all be aware of because rhetoric directs our daily lives. Ken Abraham speaks.
Jun 3: What is Community?
-- Do we have it? -- Do we want it? -- How do we get it? Marsha Farmer, David Gillett, and panel will look at many different kinds of groups.
Jun 10: Dreamers & Bean Counters
Can dot-coms survive? Can the human species? Can the Humanist Community? No matter which question you ask, you must listen to both the dreamer and the bean counter. If you can't set forth a compelling purpose that motivates the enterprise or gets humanity to change course, it's the end. But if you run out of resources to sustain the species, or funds to pay the organization's expenses, it's also the end. In nature the extinction of species is a normal event: only those that fit in the current environment survive. But some species have found a way to survive through varied environments. What does this mean for dot-coms, for humanity, and for organizations like the Humanists? Bill Jacobsen will dream and count beans for us.
Jun 17: Is Transition to a New Job in Your Future?
You can get the easy stuff from placement services: a desk, a phone, stationery, advice on resume writing and interview skills. But they can't satisfy a crucial aspect of the successful job search: you must clear your mental desk for action and discard that negative mind-set, advises Bill Jacobsen. It can only sabotage your attempt to demonstrate your worth to a new employer. It's sad to see an individual who is still consumed with hate toward a dead parent, ex-boss, or ex-mate some twenty years later. You won't be able to present yourself in your best light if you are preoccupied with the past. Turn around and don't look back! Humans who master this art survive and thrive.
Jun 24: Free Trade Theater in Quebec
Diplomats from thirty-plus American countries pretended there to create a Free Trade Agreement for the Americas, and thousands of demonstrators pretended to knock it down. In reality, nothing of substance was achieved by either side, save publicity. Is there a real future for freer trade in the Americas? Ely Brandes will lead the discussion.
Jul 1: The Death Wish of the "Pro-Lifers"
We Pro-Choicers have long noted that the Anti-Choicers lose interest in the welfare of the fetus once it is born. Coupled with our wasteful standard of living, the Pro-Natalists threaten humanity's very habitat. Consumerism + Natalism = Double Destruction! Bill Jacobsen reports on the recent lobby day in Sacramento on behalf of Planned Parenthood.
Jul 8: Ely Brandes Comments
From now on, to maximize their timeliness, Ely will choose his topics after the newsletter goes to press. But he's always presented an intelligent and provocative talk, so come; you won't be disappointed.
Jul 15: The Science of Fun
Lynn Bali is a bundle of energy and talent, whether that's singing in a Reno show, teaching young children, coordinating large events, or traveling on the speaking circuit. In this participatory event she will bypass our stodgy intellectualism so we can free the positive emotions of the child within all of us.
Jul 22: The AHA National Conference
No one person could cover all the events at this feast of social concerns, emotional bonding, intellectual fireworks, and fun and festivity. So we'll hear from Meg Bowman, Flora and Hilton Brown, Sena and Alex Havasy, Arthur Jackson, and Bill Jacobsen.
Jul 29: Freedom Of, and From, Religion
Dan Barker, former evangelical Christian missionary famous for saving lives for Jesus, has gone through a gradual period of disillusion with religion and transition into atheism. He still considers himself an evangelist, but is now evangelizing for the Freedom From Religion Foundation. An accomplished musician, television personality, and lecturer, he is author of Losing Faith in Faith and several music dramas and CDs. He's flying to California from Madison, Wisconsin to speak and to lead our Forum discussion.
Aug 5: Veterans for Peace
Two Vietnam War veterans, George Johnson and Steven Morse, discuss what led them to become involved in an organization that works to find alternatives to war. Among other things, they will deal with the GI Rights Hotline and the Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors.
Aug 12: Ely Brandes Comments
To maximize its timeliness, Ely will choose his topic after the newsletter goes to press. But he's always presented an intelligent and provocative talk, so come; you won't be disappointed.
Aug 19: The Anti-Scientism of "Intelligent Design"
Alan D. Gishlick is receiving his doctorate in vertebrate paleontology, focusing on the evolution of birds from dinosaurs. At the National Center for Science Education he keeps track of the latest efforts of the anti-Darwinists to gain "equal time" -- by way of Senator Rick Santorum's amendment to an education bill that was drafted by the wily Berkeley law professor, Phillip E. Johnson. Even Senator Ted Kennedy was taken in by this ruse.
Aug 26: Unintelligent Design
Carrying forward from the previous week's Forum, Bill Jacobsen and Ethel Meece, who taught biology at Castilleja School for several decades, address the best tactics for getting politics out of science. What can students do in a laboratory or in the field to observe natural selection and evolution? What about the role of chance? How do scientific methods differ from those of courtroom, debate, and the dark arts of persuasion?
Sep 2: Boot Camps for Kids: Torturing Teens for Fun and Profit
Founder Jordan Riak holds forth on Project Nospank, a resource for students, parents, educators, health care professionals, policy makers, and everyone who believes that children's optimal development occurs in nurturing violence-free environments and that every child has the right to grow and learn in such an environment. Check out his web site:www.nospank.org
Sep 9: Ely Brandes Comments
To maximize its timeliness, Ely will choose his topic after the newsletter goes to press. But he's always presented an intelligent and provocative talk, so come; you won't be disappointed.
Sep 16: Clown Without Borders
Moshe Cohen was unable to arrive due to the terrorist attack of Sep 11. The Community spent the time in an impromptu discussion of the event and reactions thereto.
"Is There an Alternative to War?"
is the underlying theme of the next four Forums.
Sep 23: Expressing Ourselves with Sensitivity and Humility
What's great about the HC is that we have no religious or social creed, which is why we always announce "The views of the speaker are not necessarily those of the HC." Thus the speaker isn't censored and the audience is free to offer respectful dissent. This principle applies a fortiori to the current series.
Sep 30: Consequences of a War in the Middle East
Even if Osama bin Laden and the few thousand of his followers were somehow eliminated, the sources of terrorism would not vanish. In fact, if U. S. troops were to invade Muslim nations, we run the risk that the moderate Muslims who seek to distance themselves from terrorists would be overwhelmed by those who would inflame the masses with a holy war against the West to match America's holy war against terrorists -- regardless of how this harms innocents.
Oct 7: You Are Not Alone
No one denies that terrorists deserve punishment and should be brought to justice. The question is whether this laudable goal necessitates war. If you are eager to find a community that values exploring an alternative to war, come. So 90% support war now? That leaves 10%! We are a community that isn't ideological, but does cherish humane values like tolerance and responsible discourse.
Oct 14: Practical Actions for People of Conscience
If we are fortunate we'll have made some linkages with other sympathetic groups by the time we reach this Sunday -- groups that may cosponsor further activities.
Oct 21: First Amendment Rights and the Public Library
Mary Jo Levy, Director of Libraries in Palo Alto since the early 1980s, will share her thoughts on the library profession's code of ethics and the role of the public library in a democracy.
Oct 28: Fun, English Style
"Forget the meaning of life. It's a wild goose chase. It's different at every moment for everyone. Instead, figure out what to do to enjoy life." Today we'll enjoy some personal thoughts on being alive from a previously dead Englishman, Martin Squibbs.
Nov 4: Peace Perspectives
Paul George, Peninsula Peace and Justice, comments on fast moving events from a standpoint conspicuously absent from the corridors of power. Now that war has begun, the calls for national unity threaten to repress this much-needed way of looking at people and politics.
Nov 11: Ely Brandes Comments
To maximize its timeliness, Ely will choose his topic after the newsletter goes to press. But he's always presented an intelligent and provocative talk, so come; you won't be disappointed.
Nov 18: A "War" on Drugs
David Harris, molecular biologist, examines the rhetoric that underlies the nation's attempt to combat drugs. What consequences have been generated by this policy? Who has benefitted? Who's been hurt?
Nov 25: Getting to the Root of the Stem Cell Controversy
What is a stem cell? What is a stem cell line? What do stem cells do? How might stem cells work? Are there any stem cell lines at your house? What's the big deal about embryonic stem cells? What might be some possible applications for this technology? Where might it be heading in the future? I believe that we humanists recognize that we cannot have an intelligent discussion about the merits and ethics of this technology without a grasp of the basics of the science itself. Please bring questions. -- David Gallivan
Dec 2: Ely Brandes Comments
To maximize its timeliness, Ely will choose his topic after the newsletter goes to press. But he's always presented an intelligent and provocative talk, so come; you won't be disappointed.
Dec 9: Global Law Enforcement
Advocates of a democratic world government are working for a global rule of law to fight terrorism, stop military aggression, ban weapons of mass destruction, protect the environment, uphold human rights and help eliminate poverty worldwide. But is a democratic world government just a pipe dream? Or is it a practical necessity? Bob Gauntt, Vice President of the Coalition for Democratic World Government, will speak.
Dec 16: The Baloney Detection Kit
Lydia Rice will review "The Baloney Detection Kit," published by Dr. Michael Shermer, this year's Darwin Day speaker. The title was based on a quotation from Carl Sagan, who once said that science is the greatest baloney detection kit ever built.
Dec 23: Peace Card from Dr. Strangelove
Remember "Give Peace a Chance", John Lennon's song? Well, there is a satirical film, Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove, which shows what happens when we give war a chance. Let's see what happens when we give Bill Jacobsen a chance.
Dec 30: Interfaith Dialogs
Manjula Waldron and Bill Jacobsen offered a joint fall seminar for Stanford students that allowed them to focus on their place in the cosmos, to understand the sources of their own beliefs in the context of other beliefs, to enhance their personal growth through an acceptance of life's ambiguities, and to promote an understanding of international strife caused by conflicting beliefs.