Humanist News

This weekend's show will feature an interview with Richard Sloan
about timely issues involving the dangers of religion and prayer being prescribed as "medicine." Freethinkers Almanac will look at the nonreligious views of Irving Berlin and Katharine Hepburn, and the hosts will talk about a freethinking visit to New York City and Los Angeles.

Austin Dacey serves as a respresentative to the United Nations for CFI, and is also on the editorial staff of Skeptical Inquirer and Free Inquiry magazines. His writings have appeared in numerous publications including the New York Times and USA Today. His new book is The Secular Conscience: Why Belief Belongs in Public Life. In this conversation with D.J. Grothe, Austin Dacey argues for the objectivity of morality from a nonreligious perspective. Maintaining that the conscience is prior to and independent of God and religion, he advocates an "ethics from below" that steers a middle course between an empirical "science of good and evil" and a transcendental religious ethic. While sharply criticizing what he sees as simplistic and misleading applications of evolutionary science to moral matters, Dacey defends a naturalistic understanding of the right and good. He explains the advantages of consequentialist moral theories that seek to promote individual well-being, and returns to John Stuart Mill's On Liberty to show that the belief in objective values is perfectly compatible with the social philosophy of secular liberalism. Dacey also responds to Chris Hedges' assertions that secularists do not grasp the nature of evil and that the Enlightenment notion of moral progress is a myth.

Freethought Radio talks with Eugenie Scott about the rightwing antievolution film "Exposed." Hosts Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor also speak with Jeremy Hall, who will be receiving FFRF's "Atheist in Foxhole" award.

Chris Hedges is a journalist and author who focuses on American and Middle Eastern politics and society. He is currently a senior fellow at The Nation Institute in New York City and a Lecturer in the Council of the Humanities and the Anschutz Distinguished Fellow at Princeton University. He spent nearly two decades as a foreign correspondent in Central America, the Middle East, Africa and the Balkans. He has reported from more than fifty countries, and has worked for The Christian Science Monitor, National Public Radio, The Dallas Morning News and The New York Times, where he spent fifteen years. He is the author of What Every Person Should Know About What and American Fascists. His newest book is I Don't Believe in Atheists. In this discussion with D.J. Grothe, acclaimed foreign correspondent Christ Hedges shares his criticism of the New Atheists, calling them "fundamentalists" in their own right. He responds to their account of the origins of Islamic religious extremism, and he accuses the New Atheists of racism. He explains his view that the New Atheists are proponents of the Neo-conservative agenda and how the American Left does advance secular values in the Muslim world. He also criticizes what he calls the "utopianism" of the New Atheists, detailing his skepticism about moral progress for humanity.

The agenda and other papers for the IHEU General Assembly 2008 are available here. The General Assembly will be held in Washington, DC, USA, in conjunction with the 2008 Congress, on Thursday 5th June (9.30 am to 5.30 pm) and Sunday 8th June 2008 (2.30 pm to 5.30 pm). If you plan to attend the General Assembly, you must register in advance. The registration form is available on the GA announcement page. Separate registration is required for the GA and for the Congress.

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In this month's Humanist Network News audio podcast we speak to Greg Graffin, Ph.D., lead singer of the punk rock band Bad Religion and professor of life sciences at UCLA. This weekend at Harvard, Graffin received the lifetime achievement award in cultural humanism, given by the Humanist Chaplaincy at Harvard University.

Segment 1: AHA Adopts HNN podcast

Announcement: Starting this episode, the Humanist Network News audio podcast is now the official podcast of the American Humanist Association. The program will now be promoted to the more than 10,000 members of the AHA.

End: 3:09

Segment 2: Punk Rock, Biology, and Humanism

Song: "New Dark Ages" by Bad Religion. Album: Maps of Hell. Epitaph Records.

Interview: Harvard Sophomore Dan Robinson, president of the Harvard Secular Society, speaks with Greg Graffin, lead singer of Bad Religion. The punk rock philosopher explains the origins of the name Bad Religion and his role as a biology professor. As musician and biology professor, Graffin says he aims to entertain. Graffin also talks about his humanistic worldview, which he describes as naturalism.

Song: "Atheist Peace," by Bad Religion. Album: Empire Strikes First, Epitaph Records.

End: 34:48

Segment 2: Paradise is Now?

Listener Caller: A listener caller asks HNN co-hosts Jes and Duncan what their thoughts are on the concept of Paradise Now.

End: 39:11

Segment 3: I Ain't Afraid

Interview: Jes and Duncan reach into the HNN podcast vault to bring back an October 2006 interview with folk singer Holly Near, who wrote and performed the HNN podcast theme song, "I Ain't Afraid." Near is a human rights activist whose music carries a humanist message.

End: 49:55

Links:

Bad Religion Official Site | Epitaph Records | American Humanist Association | Humanist Chaplaincy at Harvard | Harvard Secular Society | HollyNear.com


Call the toll-free HNN listener Comment line: (877) 659-1515.

The deadline for GA registration is 4 May. Only registered delegates will receive papers for the GA. The deadline for nominations is 6 May and member organizations' reports should be received by 4 May.

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Freethought Radio talks with Temple University professor John Allen Paulos, author of the bestseller "Innumeracy," about his new and amusing book debunking belief in a god, "Irreligion: A Mathematician Explains Why the Arguments for God Just Don't Add Up." The show also dissects what's wrong with a National Day of Prayer.

John Shook is Vice President for Research and Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Inquiry Transnational in Amherst, N.Y. He received his PhD in philosophy at the University at Buffalo and was a professor of philosophy at Oklahoma State University for six years. Among his current responsibilities are the Center for Inquiryâs Naturalism Research Project and the expansion of the Centerâs Jo Ann Boydston Library of American Philosophical Naturalism.

In this discussion with D.J. Grothe, Shook describes the relationship of naturalism to the worldview based upon the sciences. He explores whether the sciences necessarily lead to naturalism, and to what extent the sciences can yield truth about human morality and the good life. He details a recent debate he had with the famous Christian philosopher William Lane Craig, and responds to some of Craig's challenges against naturalism and arguments in support of supernaturalism. And he examined what possible meaning (ultimate and otherwise) human life can have if there is no supernatural, "cosmic" significance.

Concordats are agreements between sovereign states and the Roman Catholic Church. A new web site, Concordat Watch keeps track of these agreements and includes a detailed explanation of the background to concordats.

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The IHEU General Assembly 2008 will be held in Washington, DC, USA, in conjunction with the 2008 Congress, on Thursday 5th June (9.30 am to 5.30 pm) and Sunday 8th June 2008 (2.30 pm to 5.30 pm). Forms to register for the General Assembly, make nominations to fill the two Vice-President vacancies on the IHEU Executive Committee and propose resolutions for the GA and/or the Congress are available here.

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Fritanke.no, the newspaper of the Norwegian Humanist Association has announced that selected articles from its Norwegian edition will also be available in English. The English language articles can be found at http://www.fritanke.no/ENGLISH/ The first two articles on the site relate to the important developments and arrangements made by a joint National Assembly relating to the State-Church relation in Norway.

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18-year-old high school senior Matthew LaClair, who received the Thomas Jefferson Student Activist Award last year from the Freedom From Religion Foundation, talks about his latest headline-grabbing complaint about religion in public schools, this one involving a biased text used nationwide. The hosts go after CNN-TV for the media imposition of a religious test for public office, imposed on Democratic candidates in a April 13 "faith forum," and object to public financing of the pope's visit to America.

Michael Shermer is the author of ten books, including the bestselling Why People Believe Weird Things and The Science of Good and Evil. An adjunct professor of economics at Claremont Graduate University, he is a columnist for Scientific American, the publisher of Skeptic magazine, and the founder and director of the international Skeptics Society. His latest book is The Mind of The Market: Compassionate Apes, Competitive Humans, and Other Tales From Evolutionary Economics.

In this discussion with D.J. Grothe, Michael Shermer discusses The Mind of the Market, and the new field of neuroeconomics. He explores the implications of Darwinian evolution for how people fare in market capitalism, including how we are naturally irrational when it comes to economics, due to our evolutionary heritage. He argues why market capitalism and liberal democracy are best suited to people's needs, and discusses socialized medicine and other aspects of social welfare programs, contrasting the economy of the United States with those of northern Europe. He examines how free trade may lead to world peace. He also addresses the growing political and economic diversity when it comes to the skeptical and humanist movements.

At the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on Tuesday, 15 April, states belonging to the Organisation of Islamic Conference demanded that Holland prosecute one of its MPs for "defamation of religion". The very next day, 16 April 2008, Keith Porteous Wood raised the alarm about the threats these nations are posing to freedom of expression in a speech in Brussels attended by European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.

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The Secular Coalition for America has announced a Lobby Day to follow the 2008 World Humanist Congress. The Lobby Day will be an ideal opportunity for U.S. citizens to influence their elected representatives.

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In addition to speaking with the intrepid editor in chief of the irreverent Onion weekly newspaper, this weekend's show will thoroughly dissect what's wrong with the Ten Commandments (listen for cameos from The Ten Commandments), in response to a Senate resolution pending to declare the first weekend in May "Ten Commandments" weekend.

Tom Flynn is editor of Free Inquiry Magazine and director of the Robert Green Ingersoll Birthplace Museum. He also directs traditional video operations at the Center for Inquiry. He is editor of The New Encyclopedia of Unbelief and author of three books: the science-fiction novels Galactic Rapture and Nothing Sacred and the polemic The Trouble With Christmas. In this conversation with D.J. Grothe, Tom Flynn talks about the life of Robert Green Ingersoll, the 19th Century orator and freethinker. He explains Ingersoll's views on religion, and his secular progressive outlook that he advanced as an alternative. He details Ingersoll's role in GOP politics of the day, and explores his popularity on the national stage. He also discusses about the Council for Secular Humanism's museum dedicated to the life of Robert Ingersoll. Also in this episode, Ron Lindsay, the director of the Council for Secular Humanism's First Amendment Task Force, responds to various issues related to comments made recently by Rep. Monique Davis (Democrat, Chicago) against the atheist activist Rob Sherman, and reiterates his recent call for her to resign.

The European Humanist Federation has written to the President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, to ask whether the European Union will now consult its member states and allies with a view to withdrawing from the UN Human Rights Council, in the light of the Council's recent decision to change the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression.

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The unnecessary, tragic deaths of two children last month whose respective parents let them die of preventable diseases in the name of faith will be discussed with Shawn Francis Peters, author of When Prayer Fails: Faith Healing, Children and the Law. Dan Barker's "Pagan Pulpit" exposes the biblical admonitions to rely on faith to heal. Also featured: clips from "Fitna," the controversial Internet movie about Islam by Dutch parliament member Geert Wilders, an update on a Congressional probe of prosperity preachers, and a recording of Tom Lehrer, born April 8, singing his classic "Vatican Rag."