Steve Goldman discusses the history of humanism with a look to its future. He looks at Greek and Roman models of humanism and what was kept alive by the Arabs. He then discusses the Renaissance and the Enlightenment and how humanism prepares the way for a scientific frame of mind and a standard of value grounded in serving human life and the betterment of society. Goldman is a graduate of the 'Great Books' program. His degrees are in philosophy. He teaches at Portland State University.
Video of Programs (search and sort)
Shape of Humanist Thinking Today
01/19/2014
Steve Goldman
Alternative News
12/22/2013
Panel
Marsha Abelman, Ted Kozlowski, and Laurent Beauregard lead a discussion of mainstream and alternative coverage of news of current events. We consider questions of bias and of filtering.
Ethiopian Adventure
12/15/2013
Dave Collamer
Dave Collamer presents a program based on his experience in the Peace Corps in Ethiopia. First, he plays some traditional music and show some dancing. Next, he performs a short skit in the Ethiopian language of Amharic. Finally, he shows slides of his three-year stay there, living in a small town and teaching high school.
Engaging Creationists: Should You?
12/08/2013
Jon Peters
Presentation by Dr. Jon Peters. It often happens that we hear or read something about scientific origins that is so erroneous that it takes us by surprise. Do we remain silent or do we speak up? If we decide to challenge a statement from a creationist, we should ask ourselves certain questions first. What are our goals? Are they different from the other side? How effective will we be? Are there any dangers? We will discuss motivated reasoning, confirmation bias, and how presenting evidence can backfire against you. Dr. Peters has been active promoting secular humanism and rational thought with the Center For Inquiry (Portland). In 2008 he founded Secular Humanists of East Portland.