Humanism is a progressive philosophy of life that, without supernaturalism, affirms our ability and responsibility to lead ethical lives of personal fulfillment that aspire to the greater good of humanity.
Humanism and Its Aspirations
Upcoming Events
Monthly Meeting & Timely Topics - Venezuela and the curse of its oil
Monday, November 17, 2025, 6:00PM
Venezuela has recently been in the news. From U.S. destruction of Venezuelan boats, to destroyers and a carrier strike group being moved to waters near Venezuela, to the awarding of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for promoting democratic rights for the Venezuelan people, Venezuela has lately been a focus of world attention.
We’ll start with a potluck dinner at 6:00 pm, followed at 7:00 pm by video about Venezuela. With its vast buried oil you would expect the Venezuelan population to be wealthy and prosperous. Instead, its people are plagued by widespread poverty and oil pollution. After the video, Manny Ratafia will moderate a discussion. Please bring a dish to share. Coffee and tea will be provided. If you plan on bringing a baked dessert such as cake, pie or cookies, please do, but also please e-mail Manny Ratafia at manny@ratafias.com to let him know what you will be bringing. (In past similar events, there were too many baked goods.)
Board Meeting
Sunday, November 23, 2025, 7:00PM
All members of the Humanist Association of Connecticut are welcome to attend. If you have something to bring to the board or wish …
Online event
Northern Social Dinner
Tuesday, November 25, 2025, 7:00PM
We’ll be meeting again in Wallingford at Pacific Buffet & Grill (https://pacificbuffetandgrill.com/). (Buffet Prices:…
Social Dinner
Monday, December 1, 2025, 7:00PM
Join us at Thai Stories for our monthly Social Dinner, and discuss a wide range of topics with like-minded people. (We’re…
Humanist Explorations
Saturday, December 6, 2025, 2:30PM
This is our monthly Humanist Explorations meeting. We meet at 700 Hartford Turnpike in Hamden for a presentation followed by a…
Book Discussions
"A Libertarian Walks into a Bear" by Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling
Saturday, December 20, 2025, 2:30PM
Our book for December is A Libertarian Walks into a Bear: The Utopian Plot to Liberate an American Town (And Some Bears) by journalist Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling.
From Amazon: Once upon a time, a group of libertarians got together and hatched the Free Town Project, a plan to take over an American town and completely eliminate its government. In 2004, they set their sights on Grafton, NH, a barely populated settlement with one paved road. When they descended on Grafton, public funding for pretty much everything shrank: the fire department, the library, the schoolhouse…The anything-goes atmosphere soon caught the attention of Grafton’s neighbors: the bears…The bears smelled food and opportunity.
A Libertarian Walks into a Bear is the sometimes funny, sometimes terrifying tale of what happens when a government disappears into the woods. Complete with gunplay, adventure, and backstabbing politicians, this is the ultimate story of a quintessential American experiment – to live free or die, perhaps from a bear.
“[A] witty and precisely observed debut…Hongoltz-Hetling skillfully probes shortcomings and ironies in the libertarian philosophy…The result is an entertaining and incisive portrait of political ideology run amok.” – Publishers Weekly
You can download the New Haven Free Public Library’s flyer for the 2024 book discussions at the Wilson Branch.
Our Calendar
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You can RSVP for most HAC events via meetup.com.
Newsletter
Titles selected for our book discussions can be found in most local libraries or ordered from bookstores such as Barnes and Noble.
HAC is a chapter of the American Humanist Association and a UU Humanists local group.