Ethics classes in NSW schools by Ian Bryce, 14.04.13
March no HuVAT - members meeting
Darwin day talks See Darwin Day page A puzzle of biological evolution solved Evolutionary origin of the price equation Victor Bien and John August, 10.02.13
Why is racism part of human nature? Brian Edwards, 13.01.13
End of Year Celebration featured George Eynon Musician/Singer (from NZ) Country & western and love songs, 09.12.12
"We are all doomed" Gillian Ellis, 11.11.12
"Biological Origins of Life" John August, 14.10.12
AGM, 09.09.12
"De-alerting & Abolition of Nuclear Weapons" by Col. Valery Yaryanich (ret) formerly of Soviet Strategic Rocket Forces, 12.08.12
Debrief: Take-over attempt by John August, 08.07.12
Can civilisation survive the next 30 years of climate change? by Ian Bryce 10.06.12 Ian's assessment was that there are serious doubts!
SGM to hear appeals against expulsions of certain members... 06.05.12
Language of love YouTube videos of the talk with intro and talk itself is here by Affie Adagio, 08.04.12
Personal Knowledge Towards a Post-Critical Philosophy
A brief exposition followed by discussion of Michael Polanyi`s book with that title first published in 1958. It is primarily an enquiry into the nature and justification of scientific knowledge. Polanyi writes, "But my reconsideration of scientific knowledge leads on to a wide range of questions outside science. I start by rejecting the ideal of scientific detachment. In the exact sciences, this false ideal is perhaps harmless, for it is in fact disregarded there by scientists. But we shall see that it exercises a destructive influence in biology, psychology and sociology, and falsifies our whole outlook far beyond the domain of science. I want to establish an alternative ideal of knowledge, quite generally. I have used the findings of Gestalt psychology as my first clues to this conceptual reform. Scientists have run away from the philosophic implications of gestalt; I want to countenance them uncompromisingly. I regard knowing as an active comprehension of the things known, an action that requires skill. Such is the personal participation of the knower in all acts of understanding. But this does not make our understanding subjective..."
It addresses issues like scepticism, agnosticism, objective and subjective, science and technology outrunning morality, Marxism, liberty and totalitarianism... It connects deeply with "emergence" and evolution. by Victor Bien, 12.06.11 Recording of the talk Associated powerpoint slides Condensed notes used by speaker
Star Wars and Sci Fi by John August, 08.05.11
Crime and Punishment in the Enlightenment by Gillian Ellis, 10.04.11
Charles Darwin Day by John August, Casey Manning and Victor Bien, 13.03.11
Storyelling his life with Angela Drury`s support by Sturt Duncan, 09.01.11
50th Anniversary of HumSocNSW with Ru-Bella performing, 12.12.10
Implications of the Federal Elections by Dorothy Buckland-Fuller, 14.11.10
Introduction to our small book Words and Ideas by author David Tribe, 10.10.10
Short talks about who we are and what is and what is not Humanism by Affie Adagio, John August, Brian Edwards and Victor Bien, 08.08.10
A lateral idea to deal with illegal immigrants
Briefly unlike the current policy which is punitive and breaches Australia's treaty obligations, it is to accept them here but not willy nilly. (And none of that Julia Gillard nonsense of trying to push them to developing countries like East Timor or PNG either). The idea is to impose a "cost" for "queue jumping" (which I acknowledge they may feel driven to do). That cost is not monetary since these people would largely not have any. The "cost" is to serve in a labour camp on Australian soil. Not any old labour camp. The labour camp would be for the purpose of building real needed infra-structure such as "seeding" the development of some regional centres. The idea is to compel illegal immigrants to contribute to building Australia in some way to "earn their right" to settle here. They would still be held in detention, perhaps for a similar period to the current policies, but instead of their time being wasted like at present and which has caused psychological damage, their implicit labour power is put to productive use. By Victor Bien 11.07.10
Ecocentric Cosmopolitanism - the position Humanist ethics should move to. This will be a precis of an article in the December/January issue of Free Inquiry entitled Environmental Philosophy's challenge to Humanism - Revaluing cosmopolitan ethics by Hugh McDonald. It connects with and extends a criticism of Humanism expressed by Peter Singer that it is "anthropocentric". Secular anthropocentrism has been a development from religious anthropocentrism which is conveyed for example by the biblical injunction for humankind to have "dominion" over the natural world... Human chauvinism is parallel in form to the reasoning used by the racist who argues one is race is unique and therefore entitled to subdue or perhaps even exterminate other races... by Victor Bien, 06.06.10
Anatomy of a Take-over Attempt, How the NSW Humanist Society has been Infiltrated by Racist Groups by Fred Flatow, 09.05.10
Domestic violence by Emma Hannah, 11.04.10
Darwin Day celebration - a variety talk! by Victor Bien, 14.03.10
How low is the glass ceiling for women? by Affie Adagio, 10.01.10
Human Rights Bill by Waratah Rosemary Gillepsie 04.11.09
Drug and Alcohol debate by Affie Adagio 11.10.09
An Economic Synthesis by John August 13.09.09
Women and the Land in a Melanesian Culture by Clive Porabou, 11.07.09
The Hebrew bible, Drawing from the TV series "The Bible Unearthed", lectures by Yale Professor Christine Hayes and other references, John will reviewed the stories within the Hebrew bible and how they represent adaptations from other nearby religions in other to fit into a monotheistic faith. He will also reviewed other implications of the stories, and looked at their historicity and archaelogical support by John August, 14.06.09
Aboriginal Intervention Update by Waratah Rosemarie Gillespie, 10.5.09
The Strangest Dream: Joseph Rotbiat together with Bertrand Russell founded the modern peace movement by Adam Breasley, 12.4.09
Darwin Day 200 & 150 a discussion starting talk and video to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin in 1809 and the publication of his Origin of the Species in 1859 by Victor Bien, 8.3.09
The abuses of the Church of Scientology by masked anonymous speakers, 11.1.09
Women and Their Land by Waratah Gillespie who stood in for Clive Porabou denied a travel visa by the Australian Government, 09.12.08
Aboriginal art exhibition by Gordon Syron, 12.10.08
World 13 Moon Mayan calendar? by Yao Ruiz, 14.09.08
Feminism, humanism and science by Victor Bien, 13.7.08
What's Truly Behind Climate Change? by David Tribe, 8.06.08
Roy Dootch Kennedy & Maria Bernal: who's afraid of Human Rights? by Waratah Gillespie, 13.04.08
A Darwinian explanation for religion - Richard Dawkins (a private Darwin Day event) talk by Victor Bien, 9.03.08
no HuVAT Special General Meetings, 10.02.08 (Motions to AH Convention 2008.
Women's Issues, Afirmative Action vs Tokenism by Affie Adagio, 13.01.08
Australia's compassionate role in Cambodia by Paget Sayer, 11.11.07
Grameen Bank by Shan Ali, 14.10.07
Alternative economic theories by John August, 9.09.07
Practical Humanist Ethics by Meg Wallace 8.07.07
Developments in France Libre Pensée, the National Federation of Freethinkers and Atheists in France have undertaken a survey of government grants to religion in breach of Article 2 of the 1905 law separating church and state prohibiting the French state from funding religion. This talk described the survey results in the context of current French politics, by Max Wallace, 10.6.07.
Assisted death - advance directives and living wills by Meg Wallace 13.05.07
Views about what is consciousness by John August, 15.04.07
Some Darwin Day topics by Victor Bien, March 2007
Understanding la laicite by Max Wallace, November 2006
Quality use of medication by Sue Hurst, September 2006
Buddhism by Paget Sayer August 2006
Nuclear power for Australia by John Hallam July 2006
Taking care of our planet by John August, June 2006
At what price an Australian Republic by Brian Edwards May 2006
The History or written expression by Harry Giann April 2006
Global processes and how they impact at the National level by Himali Wetasinghe from the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. Himali is Sri Lankan by background, and she holds a Master's Degree in International Development and is preparing her PhD in Domestic Violence. (Himali stood in for Suzanka Kutena at short notice).
Darwin's dangerous idea - evolution by natural selection INCLUDING humans by Victor Bien Feb 2006.
British Distributionist Movement by Richard Howard November 2005
The threat to the tolerant secular state posed by radical Islam by Dr Joseph Aziz Law faculty UTS and student of the history of Islam, October 2005
Start a keep religion out of politics political party - (to promote secularism) by John Goldbaum and Andrew Kiely September 2005
Keep religion out of politics by John Goldbaum July 2005
Did Jesus ever exist? by Ian Ellis-Jones June 2005
Concepts for the Humanist Society flowing from Darwin Day and evolution by Victor Bien, May 2005
Abolishing the States by John August, April 2005
When Ages Don't Meet by Fay Giallussi, February 2005.
Humanist issues still outsranding by Lee Rhiannon MLC Dec 2004.
Talibanisation of Bangladesh (unfortunately speaker could not
attend) Nov 2004.
We are the future by Waratah Gillespie Oct 2004
Forthcoming federal elections and debriefing on the Olympics by
Dorothy Buckland Fuller Sep 2004
Commercialisation of the OLYMPIC GAMES by Dorothy Buckland Fuller
July 2004
Reclaiming the Baby of faith that We Threw Out with the Bathwater
of Reason part 2 by Bruce Barry June 2004
Gay marriages discussion initiated by Brian Edwards May 2004
The terrorists' philosopher Sayyid Qutb (the Karl Marx of Islam).
Discussion of article in SMH's Good Weekend 11 Oct 2003 based on Terror
and Liberalism by Paul Berman Victor Bien Nov 2003.
Human Iconography & IHEU Paper by Ann Young Oct 2003
Human aspects of the social dimension by Lindsay Mell Sep 2003
Reclaiming the Baby of faith that We Threw Out with the Bathwater
of Reason by Bruce Barry July 2003
Back to Basics by Erni Glauser June 2003
Aims of Humanist Society by David Duffy May 2003
Aspects of Evolution by Victor Bien April 2003
Grannys at Pine Gap by Dorothy Buckland Fuller February 2003
Aftercare by Brendan Kavanagh Dec 2002
Biases illusions and intellectual self defence by Dr Peter Slezak
Nov 2002
Profiting from drugs (Australis 2000 video) by Ann Young Oct 2002
Islam and women by Wafa Zaim Sep 2002
Violence in society Jul 2002
Violence in jails especially to transsexuals Jun 2002
Defining democracy May 2002
Combatting child abuse Apr 2002
Humanist Hospice dead or alive? Mar 2002
Should the Humanist Society be political? Dec 2001
