How to Get Along in an Election Year

Michael Abramson

11 a.m., July 7, 2024

Join Michael Abramson this Sunday, either in person or online.

If you think about it, it’s not obvious at all that so many people with so different personalities, interests, and ideas can get along and act together. Yet, somehow we can do this … most of the time. There are times, however, when the logic of peace breaks down, leading to social upheavals and wars. Could this election year, when the tensions are so high that many people worry about violence or even another civil war, become one of those times? And if this is a real possibility, what can we do, individually and collectively, to avert this danger?

Michael’s presentation will include a few suggestions about How to Get Along in Election Year, and it will be followed by brainstorming for more ideas.

This could be easily one of the most important discussions in our lives: if we fail to prevent a civil war, nothing else will really matter. Please come with your ideas.

Bio
Michael’s area of expertise is system modeling and simulation. Most of his work was related to technical and engineering applications, ranging from electromagnetics and radiation transfer to air traffic control systems. He also published a few works on modeling social and political dynamics, more closely related to the current topic.

Michael currently works as a contractor for NASA and lives in Mountain View with his wife and close to their children’s families.


This Sunday, you can attend our forum in person with fellow humanists at the Mountain View Senior Center, 266 Escuela Ave., Mountain View, CA 94040. Lunch will be served after the forum. We request a $10 donation for lunch.

If you can join us in person, please email vp@humanists.org to help us make sure we have room for you. COVID protocols will be followed. If you have symptoms that may be COVID, kindly attend on Zoom.

7/7/2024 Michael Abramson from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.

———-

Also, we will continue to present our forums on Zoom. To join and be able to ask questions and make comments, click here.
No password is needed — our host will admit you from the waiting room. Joining the meeting via the link will download and install the Zoom app on your desktop computer (if it’s not already installed), and then take you to the meeting. You can also install the Zoom app on your computer or smartphone, and then enter:
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You can find international phone numbers to call here.

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Next Gen Nonreligion: Exploring Changing American Nonreligious Generations

Elizabeth Drescher

11 a.m., June 2, 2024

Join Santa Clara University professor Elizabeth Drescher in person OR online. Prof. Drescher will share insights from research on the religiously unaffiliated in the U.S., and her experience teaching Nonreligion in America with SCU undergraduates for nearly a decade. She will document the changing proportion of U.S. adults who identify with no religion, and show us how the percent of “Nones” differs by generation.

Professor Drescher teaches religious studies at Santa Clara University, where she also directs the Living Religion Collaborative, a place-based center for student and faculty engagement with local religious and nonreligious communities. A scholar of non/religion as it is experienced by ordinary people in everyday life, she is the author of Choosing Our Religion: The Spiritual Lives of American Nones (Oxford 2016) and numerous other books and articles on lived religious and nonreligious experience.

The Atheist Community of San Jose joins with the Humanist Community to co-host this event.

6/2/2024 Elizabeth Drescher from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.

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On the first and third Sunday of the month, such as this Sunday, you can attend our forum in person with fellow humanists at the Mountain View Senior Center, 266 Escuela Ave., Mountain View, CA 94040. Lunch will be served after the forum. We request a $10 donation for lunch.

If you can join us in person, please email vp@humanists.org to help us make sure we have room for you. COVID protocols will be followed. If you have symptoms that may be COVID, kindly attend on Zoom.

———-

Also, we will continue to present our forums on Zoom. To join and be able to ask questions and make comments, click here.
No password is needed — our host will admit you from the waiting room. Joining the meeting via the link will download and install the Zoom app on your desktop computer (if it’s not already installed), and then take you to the meeting. You can also install the Zoom app on your computer or smartphone, and then enter:
Meeting ID: 816 5389 0712
Passcode: 250634

You can also call any of the following phone numbers and then enter the above Meeting ID and the Passcode in order to join the meeting by phone.
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
+1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 646 876 9923 US (New York)
You can find international phone numbers to call here.

———-

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Frans de Waal, the Evolution of Morality, and the Origin of Religion

Mitchell Diamond

11 a.m., May 5, 2024

Join Mitchell Diamond in person OR online.

Perhaps the most popular explanation for the origin and purpose of religion is that it enhances social cohesion and group cooperation. Mitchell Diamond, who spoke to the Humanist Community in January about the Evolutionary Biology of Religion, presents a short video of the primatologist Frans de Waal describing his research that explores morality and empathy in non-human animals. Diamond then reviews ways some academics invoke religion to explain the development of morality, social cohesion, and cooperation in human societies. He finishes by examining the relationship between morality, empathy, and other social cohesion mechanisms in animals and similar features in humans.

Diamond received a BA in biology with a focus on behavioral and evolutionary biology. He has extensively researched the popular cognitive science of religion theories and found an explanation for the evolution of religion that better fits the evidence. He’s given talks to many of the atheist and freethinker groups in Northern California and has appeared on atheist podcasts including The Atheist Experience with Tracie Harris.

Here’s the short video Mitchell will present:
Moral Behavior in Animals — https://youtu.be/GcJxRqTs5nk

5/5/2024 Mitchell Diamond from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.

———-

On the first and third Sunday of the month, such as this Sunday, you can attend our forum in person with fellow humanists at the Mountain View Senior Center, 266 Escuela Ave., Mountain View, CA 94040. Lunch will be served after the forum. We request a $10 donation for lunch.

If you can join us in person, please email vp@humanists.org to help us make sure we have room for you. COVID protocols will be followed. If you have symptoms that may be COVID, kindly attend on Zoom.

———-

Also, we will continue to present our forums on Zoom. To join and be able to ask questions and make comments, click here.
No password is needed — our host will admit you from the waiting room. Joining the meeting via the link will download and install the Zoom app on your desktop computer (if it’s not already installed), and then take you to the meeting. You can also install the Zoom app on your computer or smartphone, and then enter:
Meeting ID: 816 5389 0712
Passcode: 250634

You can also call any of the following phone numbers and then enter the above Meeting ID and the Passcode in order to join the meeting by phone.
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
+1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 646 876 9923 US (New York)
You can find international phone numbers to call here.

———-

Subscribe to our events in your Apple Calendar:
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Visit the Humanist Community web site:
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Retweet our announcement on the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter:
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Watch videos of our past Forums: https://vimeo.com/user2798508

Roe v. Wade v. Dobbs v. Jackson: Adventures in Constitutional Theory

Zem Laski

11 a.m., March 17, 2024

Join Zem Laski as he presents to us in person this Sunday in Mountain View.

With a gridlocked and dysfunctional legislative branch, it falls to the U.S. Supreme Court to de facto formulate policy. Some of SCOTUS’ decisions have a profound impact on American society, with abortion being the prime example. But the reversal of Roe demonstrates that any rights and privileges previously affirmed by the Court are, in fact, hanging by a thread.

So how was it possible for SCOTUS to reach one conclusion in Roe and then an opposing one in Dobbs? We’ll explore some differing legal philosophies – textualism, originalism, liberalism – which may guide Constitutional interpretation and which, in turn, can produce starkly different outcomes. It is also worth pointing out that the U.S. does not affirmatively guarantee some of the rights that we think it does.

MINI-BIO: Zem Laski is a passionate and aspiring software engineer who used to earn money from practicing the trade. He immigrated to the U.S. from Poland in 1981, and has a checkered legacy of employment and educational attainment in both countries. He wound up with a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Stanford, and a master’s degree in Information and Computer Science from UC Irvine. At present, Zem enjoys a quiet and sedentary life in south San Jose, courtesy of the Social Security Administration. He takes pleasure in intellectual banter, especially on subjects in which he is ill-informed.

3/17/2024 Zev Laski from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.

———-

On the first and third Sunday of the month, such as this Sunday, you can attend our forum in person with fellow humanists at the Mountain View Senior Center, 266 Escuela Ave., Mountain View, CA 94040. Lunch will be served after the forum. We request a $10 donation for lunch.

If you attend in person, COVID protocols will be followed. If you have symptoms that may be COVID, kindly attend on Zoom. Help us make sure we have room for you. If you can join us in person, please email vp@humanists.org to let us know.

———-

Also, we will continue to present our forums on Zoom. To join and be able to ask questions and make comments, click here.
No password is needed — our host will admit you from the waiting room. Joining the meeting via the link will download and install the Zoom app on your desktop computer (if it’s not already installed), and then take you to the meeting. You can also install the Zoom app on your computer or smartphone, and then enter:
Meeting ID: 816 5389 0712
Passcode: 250634

You can also call any of the following phone numbers and then enter the above Meeting ID and the Passcode in order to join the meeting by phone.
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
+1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 646 876 9923 US (New York)
You can find international phone numbers to call here.

———-

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Retweet our announcement on the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter:
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Watch videos of our past Forums: https://vimeo.com/user2798508

The Unique Model of Silicon Valley Youth Climate Action

Rohan Pandit

11 a.m., March 10, 2024

This Sunday, Rohan Pandit of Silicon Valley Youth Climate Action will join us over Zoom. He will provide details into what SVYCA does, its unique model, its accomplishments, and its initiatives for the upcoming year.

Silicon Valley Youth Climate Action empowers teens and young adults to combat climate change immediately through impactful education and policy initiatives. SVYCA youth work in focused climate action teams to ensure important climate policies and measures receive support at every level, including local, regional, and statewide. Youth at SVYCA gain in-depth knowledge about climate policy, build relationships with key climate stakeholders such as elected officials and climate tech leaders, and gain exposure to climate career pathways across multiple industries and disciplines.

Mr. Pandit is the Executive Director of SVYCA. Before joining SVYCA, he served as a top aide for California State Senator Josh Becker, and worked as a Field Organizer for the Biden Campaign. He is a passionate advocate for innovative climate policy and empowering youth to take action in the fight against climate change by providing them with opportunities for engagement and green career pathways.

3/10/2024 Rohan Pandit from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.

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This week, join us online. (We had planned to offer our forum in person with fellow humanists at Maker Nexus, 1330 Orleans Drive, Sunnyvale CA, 94089, but we have had to cancel that. On the first and third Sunday of the month, you can continue to attend our forum at the Mountain View Senior Center.) We may visit a nearby restaurant for lunch after the forum. If you attend in person, COVID protocols will be followed. If you have symptoms that may be COVID, kindly attend on Zoom. Help us make sure we have room for you. If you can join us in person, please email vp@humanists.org to let us know.

———-

Also, we will continue to present our forums on Zoom. To join and be able to ask questions and make comments, click here.
No password is needed — our host will admit you from the waiting room. Joining the meeting via the link will download and install the Zoom app on your desktop computer (if it’s not already installed), and then take you to the meeting. You can also install the Zoom app on your computer or smartphone, and then enter:
Meeting ID: 816 5389 0712
Passcode: 250634

You can also call any of the following phone numbers and then enter the above Meeting ID and the Passcode in order to join the meeting by phone.
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
+1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 646 876 9923 US (New York)
You can find international phone numbers to call here.

———-

Subscribe to our events in your Apple Calendar:
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Like us on Facebook:
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Visit the Humanist Community web site:
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RSVP on Meetup:
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Retweet our announcement on the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter:
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Watch videos of our past Forums: https://vimeo.com/user2798508