It’s all about who you know. Whether vampire bats sharing blood meals for survival, macaque monkeys forming grooming pacts after a deadly hurricane, marmots warning others of danger lurking in the mist, or long-tailed manakins singing and dancing their little hearts out—it pays to be well connected. Dr. Lee Alan Dugatkin is a Professor and Distinguished University Scholar in the […]
National Preparedness Month: Emergency Preparedness
Since its inception in 2004, National Preparedness Month is observed in the U.S. during the month of September. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) encourages everyone to take steps to prepare for emergencies in their homes and in their communities. This meeting will discuss the potential emergencies and natural disasters the Capital District may experience and how to prepare you […]
Morality De-Mystified
To many people, morality seems unnatural, unscientific, and possibly mysterious or supernatural, or subjective and arbitrary. I will argue that there are objective moral facts which are entirely natural, based on scientific concepts like instrumental valuation, recursive thought, and universalizability. We can then both explain why there are so many moral valuations we share in common, and understand we are […]
Humanism in Star Trek
Gene Roddenberry, creator and executive producer of the television series Star Trek, believed that: human beings can solve problems through reason and cooperation; that there is no need to turn to superstition or religion for help; that human understanding and intelligence will help us to develop and progress. “I’ve been sure from the first, that the job of Star Trek […]
Invisible No Longer: Politically Empowering the Humanist and Atheist Community
The Supreme Court and one of the two major political parties have been captured by members of the white Christian nationalist movement. The separation of church and state, civil rights, secular government, and our pluralist democracy are under attack. The humanist and atheist community, whose numbers have been increasing rapidly in the last two decades, has the potential to counter […]
The World Below: An Introduction to Caves and Karst
Have you ever heard of karst? It is a terrain that covers 20% of the earth’s land surface. You have certainly heard of caves, which are the quintessential feature of karst areas. Caves and karst are generally unrecognized as vital resources. However they sustain about 700 million people with drinking water, hold some of the richest archaeological and paleontological remains, […]
End of Life Issues
Perhaps most people would prefer to avoid the topic of death, but it is an inevitable part of life. For some people, having control over death lessens anxiety. The Right to Die Movement dates back about 50 years. This talk will look at the organizations that are active and available today, the documents people should have prepared, and steps people […]
What Is Humanistic Judaism?
Most Jews in the United States don’t believe in the God of the Bible, yet still consider themselves Jewish. How does this work? We’ll talk about the trend in general, then focus on how Humanistic Judaism offers a non-theistic alternative to contemporary branches of Judaism, by defining Judaism as the cultural and historical experience of the Jewish people and removing […]
Why Facts Don’t Change Our Minds
You know how when someone disgrees with you, and you educate them with your evidence, they say, “Of course you’re right! Yeah, that doesn’t happen very often. But there is a better way! This presentation explains how to think better and have more productive conversations. Melanie Trecek-King is an Associate Professor of Biology at Massasoit Community College, where she teaches […]
Skepticism In the Age of Artificial Intelligence
Advancements in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) are undeniable. Arthur C. Clark said, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”, and while contemporary AI might not yet qualify as sufficiently advanced, it does seem to be converging in that direction. What should a non-expert know about the field to apply appropriate scientific skepticism? Let’s cut through the hype […]