Book discussion on Paul Robeson: A Biography, by Martin Bauml Duberman. It's available at many public libraries as well as at bookstores and online.

Humanist Conversations: “Belief & Survival”

We will watch a short video of Michael Shermer explaining how the human tendency to believe strange things boils down to two of the brain’s most basic, hard-wired survival skills. He explains what they are, and how they get us into trouble. We’ll also discuss how they keep us out of trouble.

Refreshments will be served.

Thus far we ve laid out the known facts about events leading up to the founding of a new religion, Christianity. Using handouts, short video clips, and discussion of specific issues we will now start to put together the various facts we have learned up to this point, and will discuss how best to explain what must have happened in the first century of the Common Era in order to account for the explosion of Christianity in the succeeding centuries.

For our August meeting, Michelle (Mickey) Koth and David Schafer will discuss Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s latest autobiographical book, “Nomad.” Their review of her earlier book “Infidel,” “Absolute Infidel: The Evolution of Ayaan Hirsi Ali” appeared in the January/February 2008 issue of The Humanist.

We'll start with half an hour of coffee and conversation at 7:30 PM. The main talk will follow brief announcements at 8:00 PM.