Category: Video+discussion

Memes

Photo by StagiaireMGIMO – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=36450702

11 a.m., October 27, 2024

Join us this Sunday, either in person or online, as we watch and discuss two videos about memes.

In Dangerous Memes, philosopher Daniel Dennett shows how memes spread and modify our behavior.

In Memes and Temes, Susan Blackmore explains describes “temes,” memes that use technology to spread.

Daniel Clement Dennett III (1942 – 2024) was an American philosopher and cognitive scientist. His research centered on the philosophy of mind, the philosophy of science, and the philosophy of consciousness. His research centered on the philosophy of mind, the philosophy of science, and the the philosophy of biology. He was the co-director of the Center for Cognitive Studies and the Austin B. Fletcher Professor of Philosophy at Tufts University and a co-founder of the Clergy Project.

Susan Jane Blackmore (born 29 July 1951) is a British writer, lecturer, sceptic, broadcaster, and a visiting professor at the University of Plymouth. Her fields of research include memetics, parapsychology, consciousness, and author of the book The Meme Machine. She has written or contributed to over 40 books and 60 scholarly articles and is a contributor to The Guardian Newspaper.

You can preview Daniel’s 15-minute talk, Dangerous Memes, at https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_dennett_dangerous_memes, and Susan’s 19-minute talk, Memes and Temes, at https://www.ted.com/talks/susan_blackmore_memes_and_temes.

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/1848766995283796015

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

Ron Reagan and Highlights of the Freedom from Religion Convention

Ron Reagan in Denver

11 a.m., October 20, 2024

Join us this Sunday, either in person or online, as members of the Atheist Community of San Jose and local chapters of the Freedom From Religion Foundation tell us about the annual FFRF meeting they attended last month.

This was a very popular event, and for myriad good reasons! FFRF members came from all over the nation to reconnect, celebrate our many successes in 2024, and continue to take the lead against the ongoing theocratic challenges we are facing.

Of course, we are all aware that this month and early next month will be deciding moments for our struggle against the scourge of white Christian nationalism in the U.S. Come learn what more you can do to save our secular democracy in these critical weeks. Much of the FFRF Convention enlightened us about the political incursions into the personal, secular, and religious lives of Americans.

We will review a recording of Ron Reagan’s session, the lifelong unabashed Atheist who, in his words, is “not afraid of burning in hell.” We will hear about FFRF Action, the political arm of FFRF, which is knee-deep in saving our secular Constitution this year.

Those of us who represented our secular organizations will chime in as to the most memorable and inspiring moments were at the Denver Convention. Attendees will convey the splendid panel discussions, authors, speakers, awardees, and the wonderful camaraderie throughout the three busy days.

Dana Treadwell and Judith Banister will lead our wide-ranging discussion. Bring your questions and input–via the in-person gathering in Mountain View or on the Zoom link–for a lively update and discussion.

10/20/2024 Highlights of the Freedom from Religion Convention from Humanist Community-Silicon Valley 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/2024-10-20/

RSVP on Meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/humanistcommunity/events/304016054/

Retweet our announcement on the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter:
https://x.com/HumanistCommSV/status/1845971675923599499

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

Screen Struggles and Screen Delight: Is Social Media Sabotaging or Saving Adolescent Mental Health?

Patti Valkenburg

11 a.m., September 29, 2024

Join us this Sunday, either in person or online, as we watch and discuss Screen Struggles and Screen Delight: Is Social Media Sabotaging or Saving Adolescent Mental Health?

Social media can be a source of joy and happiness for some adolescents but a trigger for sadness and depression in others. Why is that?

In 2018, Patti Valkenburg and her team launched Project AWeSome–Adolescents, Well-being & Social Media–to explore the complex relationship between social media use and mental health. Pioneering a person-specific (or N=1) media effects approach, they combined qualitative in-depth interviews with large-scale longitudinal data analysis to understand how social media’s impact on well-being differs from adolescent to adolescent.

Both their qualitative and quantitative findings challenge common hypotheses about the impact of social media on well-being. In this seminar, Prof. Valkenburg will delve into these findings, discussing whose mental health is most likely affected by social media use and why.
Prof. Valkenburg is the Distinguished Professor of Communication at the University of Amsterdam, and founder and director of the Center for research on Children, Adolescents, and the Media.

You can preview this 59-minute video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GUwKCNPueQ

Attend in Person:
Join fellow Humanists to watch it together 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/2024-09-29/

RSVP on Meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/humanistcommunity/events/303625317/

Retweet our announcement on the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter:
https://x.com/HumanistCommSV/status/1838662578106671484

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

Whose religious freedom?

Sammi Lawrence

11 a.m., September 22, 2024

Join us this Sunday, either in person or online, as we watch and discuss a conversation on “religious freedom” and how the phrase has been co-opted and weaponized by the religious right. There have been several recent egregious examples of how this hyper-religious minority is acting to force American society into its image — to the detriment of the rest of us.

Sammi Lawrence joined the Freedom From Religion Foundation as the Anne Nicol Gaylor Legal Fellow in 2022, and is now a Staff Attorney. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, baking, and painting.

Christopher Line began working full-time for FFRF as a Patrick O’Reiley Legal Fellow and is now a Staff Attorney. He is an accomplished photographer whose work has appeared in The Humanist magazine, the Progressive, and FFRF’s own Freethought Today.

You can preview this 40-minute video at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNwHzDIBc_g

Attend in Person:
Join fellow Humanists to watch it together 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/2024-09-22/

RSVP on Meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/humanistcommunity/events/303533408/

Retweet our announcement on the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter:
https://x.com/HumanistCommSV/status/1836901273758511461

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

Secular Elected Officials Fighting Christian Nationalism in Government

Jonathan N. Stea

10:30 a.m., September 15, 2024

Join us this Sunday, either in person or online, as the Humanist Forum begins a half hour early, at 10:30AM. That allows us to attend, online, a session of the 83rd Annual Conference of the American Humanist Association, in which a panel of three elected officials at the federal and state level will discuss the impact of Christian nationalism on public policy, how they’re fighting back, and how AHA members can get involved and support public officials like them in their work. local level.

Congressman Jared Huffman represents California’s 2nd Congressional District. He currently serves on the Committee on Natural Resources and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. In the 118th Congress, he serves as the Ranking Member of the Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries with jurisdiction over federal water projects, fisheries management, coastal zone and oceans policy, and wildlife and endangered species. Jared also founded the Congressional Freethought Caucus, which he co-chairs, to promote sound public policy based on reason, science and moral values, while protecting the secular character of government and championing the value of freedom of thought worldwide.

Sarah Levin proudly represents the secular community as a Co-Chair on the Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) Interfaith Council.

Representative Chris Rabb is a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, representing the 200th District since 2017. A former U.S. Senate legislative aide and writer, researcher and trainer at the White House Conference on Small Business in the Clinton Administration, Rep. Rabb is a thought leader at the intersection of politics, media entrepreneurship and social identity.

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/2024-09-15/

RSVP on Meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/humanistcommunity/events/303421352/

Retweet our announcement on the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter:
https://x.com/HumanistCommSV/status/1834757357307674850

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