Category: Speaker

Category to indicate a forum is a single speaker.

Project 2025: The Religious Right’s Attempt to Dump Democracy

Fish Stark

11 a.m., November 3, 2024

Join us this Sunday, either in person or online, for a conversation with Fish Stark, the American Humanist Association’s new Executive Director. We’ll talk everything Project 2025:
What it is,
what sets it apart as a grave threat,
and how you can get involved to stop it!

Fish Stark is an organizer, educator, social entrepreneur, and lifelong humanist. Fish has spent his career turning big ideas into bold action in service of belonging, flourishing, and social justice for all people.

If you can’t join us Sunday, the Bay Area Humanists (BAH) are hosting Fish on Saturday at 3 pm, on the same topic. Here’s the announcement for the BAH event:
https://www.meetup.com/sfhumanists/events/304066769/
(Remember that US Daylight Saving Time ends this weekend.)

11/03/2024 Project 2025 – Fish Stark 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 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.

———-

Subscribe to our events in your Apple Calendar:
webcal://p162-caldav.icloud.com/published/2/Mjk3Nzk1MTgyMjk3Nzk1MRBa7aU6zKSIJMfDjhqBP8r3muvKK3GLLCRnZoCneHpXv08CyGJAJRVI5yyh-SVWxGJE9xHfdUs72pmiBNlOBpY

Add this event to your Google calendar:

Like us on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/humanistcommsv/

Visit the Humanist Community web site:
https://www.humanists.org/blog/2024-11-03/

RSVP on Meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/humanistcommunity/events/304279382/

Retweet our announcement on the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter:
https://x.com/HumanistCommSV/status/1851435123801276686

Watch videos of our past Forums: https://vimeo.com/user2798508

Discussion of the 11 California State Propositions

Photo by Juliana Yamada for CalMatters, https://calmatters.org/.

10:30 a.m., October 13, 2024

There are eleven propositions on the California ballot for this election. Sometimes deciding how to vote on one or more of these issues is a challenge.

Join us this Sunday, either in person or online, as we discuss the pros and cons of each of these propositions. Some are fairly straightforward and understandable, while others are less so. We can learn more about the propositions using online information regarding what is available from relatively neutral sources, as well as from their proponents.

Together, we’ll discuss and learn more about these propositions and perhaps find out more about who is supporting them, and what is available online about them.

The meeting will be presented and facilitated by Carl Angotti and Alex Havasy, both longtime voters and members of the Humanist Community in Silicon Valley. (Notice that we’re starting at 10:30 AM.)

10/13/2024 California Propositions from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.

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.

———-

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.

———-

Subscribe to our events in your Apple Calendar:
webcal://p162-caldav.icloud.com/published/2/Mjk3Nzk1MTgyMjk3Nzk1MRBa7aU6zKSIJMfDjhqBP8r3muvKK3GLLCRnZoCneHpXv08CyGJAJRVI5yyh-SVWxGJE9xHfdUs72pmiBNlOBpY

Add this event to your Google calendar:

Like us on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/humanistcommsv/

Visit the Humanist Community web site:
https://www.humanists.org/blog/2024-10-13/

RSVP on Meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/humanistcommunity/events/303946070/

Retweet our announcement on the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter:
https://x.com/HumanistCommSV/status/1844496428053430377

Watch videos of our past Forums: https://vimeo.com/user2798508

Meet the Executive Director of The American Humanist Association, Fish Stark

Fish Stark

6 p.m., October 7, 2024

Join us Monday evening to meet Fish Stark, the new Executive Director of The American Humanist Association, as he discusses his vision of the future of the organization.

Fish Stark is an organizer, educator, social entrepreneur, and lifelong humanist. Fish has spent his career turning big ideas into bold action in service of belonging, flourishing, and social justice for all people.

Prior to joining the AHA as Executive Director, Fish was the Head of Program + Curriculum at Legends, an educational technology startup, where he led research and implementation teams to create products that helped children build self-confidence, positive mental health, and critical thinking skills.

Previously, Fish served as the Director of Programs at Peace First, a global nonprofit that provides training and funding to youth social justice activists, where he led a global team of organizers who empowered thousands of youth grantees in 140+ countries to make lasting change in their communities, and worked with organizations such as the Red Cross and Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation to develop youth leadership programs.

10/7/2024 Fish Stark from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.

Attend in Person:
We will convene for Mr. Stark’s presentation in the Cupertino Library Room 201B (changed from ThinkTank meeting room), 10800 Torre Ave, Cupertino, CA 95014. Following his talk, we’ll reserve a table at the reasonably-priced Holder’s Country Inn – Cupertino, 10088 N Wolfe Rd, Cupertino, CA 95014.

Directions to Holder’s:
Exit the Library to the North on De Anza Blvd, turn right onto Stevens Creek Blvd. and the travel to a left turn onto Wolfe Road. The restaurant is the next right onto Vallco Parkway at the “T” intersection on Wolfe Road. Park by turning right into the garage just a short way down from the Wolfe intersection. By turning right again, there is a parking lot right behind the restaurant. If it is full there there is parking inside the garage for the retail establishments. There is also Handicapped parking just behind the restaurant.

———-

Also, we will share Mr. Stark’s talk 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.

———-

Subscribe to our events in your Apple Calendar:
webcal://p162-caldav.icloud.com/published/2/Mjk3Nzk1MTgyMjk3Nzk1MRBa7aU6zKSIJMfDjhqBP8r3muvKK3GLLCRnZoCneHpXv08CyGJAJRVI5yyh-SVWxGJE9xHfdUs72pmiBNlOBpY

Add this event to your Google calendar:

Like us on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/humanistcommsv/

Visit the Humanist Community web site:
https://www.humanists.org/blog/2024-10-07/

RSVP on Meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/humanistcommunity/events/303816501/

Retweet our announcement on the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter:
https://x.com/HumanistCommSV/status/1841999125870752218

Watch videos of our past Forums: https://vimeo.com/user2798508

 

Being Consciousness, Exploring my Brain, and Discovering My World

Being Consciousness, Exploring my Brain, and Discovering My World

Martin Squibbs

11 a.m., October 6, 2024

Join us this Sunday, either in person or online, as Martin Squibbs joins us. Here is a summary.

By considering my own experiences, thoughts and memories, together with studying neuroscience, I have concluded that I am a physically real human consciousness, here in my physically real brain, surrounded by a world, my world, of memories, all growing in duration.

At their foundation are the memories of the events of my life, that is what I know “about” as a fact, being growing durations of memories of my perceptions, and being virtual in nature.

By recognizing and studying these facts of my past I come to imagine, understand and realize as best I can the truth and nature “of” physical reality beyond my brain.

Given then this region of space occupied by my brain contains my whole world and is the only place within the entire universe that I can actually physically explore, in this talk I will explore this space and this place, and the nature of my world within it.

I’ll also share how realizing the nature of my world in this way has changed and deepened my understanding of the nature of physical reality, and the nature of knowledge, of facts, of values and of information.

I’ll consider my knowledge of neuroscience, physics and philosophy, and how, in my mind, understanding reality in this way integrates idealism and materialism, unifies physics and resolves many of the current problems within the theories of physics.

Finally, I’ll consider how understanding reality in this way has changed my relationship with and attitude towards life, nature and the artificial.

Bio
Martin was born in England and graduated with a Masters Degree in Electrical Engineering and Management from Imperial College, London.
His career has been in the semiconductor industry, mostly based in San Jose, California.

10/6/2024 Martin Squibbs 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 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.

———-

Subscribe to our events in your Apple Calendar:
webcal://p162-caldav.icloud.com/published/2/Mjk3Nzk1MTgyMjk3Nzk1MRBa7aU6zKSIJMfDjhqBP8r3muvKK3GLLCRnZoCneHpXv08CyGJAJRVI5yyh-SVWxGJE9xHfdUs72pmiBNlOBpY

Add this event to your Google calendar:

Like us on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/humanistcommsv/

Visit the Humanist Community web site:
https://www.humanists.org/blog/2024-10-06/

RSVP on Meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/humanistcommunity/events/303721106/

Retweet our announcement on the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter:
https://x.com/HumanistCommSV/status/1840993636680413353

Watch videos of our past Forums: https://vimeo.com/user2798508

Bertrand Russell, My Hero

Ben Wade

11 a.m., August 25, 2024

Join our old friend Ben Wade this Sunday, either in person or online, as we convene a joint meeting with the Ethical Culture Society of Silicon Valley, ECSSV. Ben will share his longtime fascination with mathematician and philosopher Bertrand Russell.

Ben Wade has been a student and practitioner of critical thinking for many years. He holds a Masters Degree in Critical Thinking from the University of Massachusetts at Boston.

This gathering is part of ECSSV’s monthly ‘Spotlight’ series, featuring speakers who encourage us to broaden our ethical outlook on the world. We invite discussion, and we mix in a little live music, light refreshment, and community sharing. The program runs from 11 am to 12:30 pm, and all are welcome to linger afterward, share thoughts, and socialize. Better yet, stay for lunch! — which we’ll enjoy together in the nearby picnic area adjacent to the Los Altos History Museum from 12:45 to 2:00.

For more information about the Ethical Culture Society of Silicon Valley, visit their website at http://ecssv.org/ and find their events on their Meetup page, https://www.meetup.com/Ethical-Culture-Society-of-Silicon-Valley/

8/25/2024 Ben Wade from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.

Attend in Person:
This Sunday, you can attend our forum in person with fellow humanists in the Orchard Room at the Los Altos Library, 13 S. San Antonio Road, Los Altos, CA 94022. (On the first and third Sunday of the month, you can continue to attend our forum at the Mountain View Senior Center.)

If you can join us in person, please email vp@humanists.org to help us make sure we have room for you. COVID protocols will be followed. 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.

———-

Subscribe to our events in your Apple Calendar:
webcal://p162-caldav.icloud.com/published/2/Mjk3Nzk1MTgyMjk3Nzk1MRBa7aU6zKSIJMfDjhqBP8r3muvKK3GLLCRnZoCneHpXv08CyGJAJRVI5yyh-SVWxGJE9xHfdUs72pmiBNlOBpY

Add this event to your Google calendar:

Like us on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/humanistcommsv/

Visit the Humanist Community web site:
https://www.humanists.org/blog/2024-08-25/

RSVP on Meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/humanistcommunity/events/302932394/

Retweet our announcement on the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter:
https://x.com/HumanistCommSV/status/1825739984789196860

Watch videos of our past Forums: https://vimeo.com/user2798508