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Marc Perkel

Science is now the new Bible

Marc Perkel

June 16, 2013

Thousands of years ago people wanted to understand the universe, how humanity was created, and the meaning of our lives. But back then they didn’t have a lot to work with so people created stories and eventually those stories became religion.

Many people criticize religion for believing in “crazy stuff” but the way I see it religion was science back before there was science. Their ability to understand the universe back then is like us trying to understand what, if anything, exists outside of our universe. Nonetheless the attempt was necessary in the course of human evolution to unite people into societies. As a society we could survive better and it led to the creation of the foundations of the scientific methods we use today.

Now that we have advanced to where we are today we find ourselves still wanting to understand the universe, how humanity was created, and the meaning of our lives. We are now doing that through science which is the way we determine what reality really is. Science is now the new Bible. Or more accurately, the Bible is an older version of science.

Science however is still under development as we explore the “meaning of life” questions. Why are we here? What is our purpose in the universe? Or do we simply just exist for no reason at all? Where does right and wrong come from and what should I be doing when I wake up in the morning to further the greater purpose of human existence?

As it turns out humanity does have a greater purpose in the universe. We are not merely an evolved version of pond scum. We are part of the process for which reality itself becomes self-aware.

We are the universe. The universe evolves and evolution is randomness that selects on survival. This process creates complexity and eventually leads to intelligence. And here we are 13.8 billion years later looking back at how we were created. Since we are a creation of the universe, we are the universe understanding itself.

Our role in understanding the universe isn’t optional. We have to do it to survive, to continue to exist. If we don’t then the next big asteroid will take us out. Eventually we are going to have to get off this planet because it is far too fragile to rely on for our continued existence. It is like living on the surface of a soap bubble that could pop at any second. We are going to have to move out into space and in order to do that we are going to have to understand a lot more about the universe than we do today.

Humanity has two paths. We either evolve forward or we become extinct. If we become extinct then we are out of the game. We cease to exist other than being part of the mass of the universe. Therefore our purpose is to continue on the path that evolution has set out for us to be the universe contemplating itself, and for that understanding to continue to increase over time. The purpose of humanity is to continue to be the process for which reality becomes self-aware.

You might ask yourself, what about life on other planets? My answer is – same thing. If intelligent life exists on other planets then they too have the same purpose as us. Evolve or die.

So what does this tell us about right and wrong? How is morality derived? What is my personal role in existence?

If our purpose is to evolve forward where our understanding of reality increases over time then, those things that lead to positive evolution are good and those things that lead to extinction are bad. That is the basis of our moral compass that creates a basis for right and wrong, morality, laws, and the basic tenants of society. And it becomes the basis for a new religious paradigm, reality based religion that becomes an upgrade to previous version of religious philosophy.

Everyone seeks the “Truth”. But what is capital T Truth? Truth by definition is the understanding of the way things really are. All religions seek the Truth, but how do you get to the Truth? You get there through science. Thus science is the new Bible. But don’t think of the Bible as being wrong. Think of science as an upgrade. Think of science as the 2.0 version. It’s the same purpose, we’re just better at it now.

Humanist Community Forum (2013-06-16): Science is Now the New Bible (Marc Perkel) from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.

Islamophobia 101

Zahra Billoo

June 9, 2013

As the Executive Director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations – San Francisco Bay Area (CAIR-SFBA) chapter, Zahra Billoo strives to promote justice and understanding at local and national levels and to empower the community, while building bridges with allies on key civil rights issues. She is a 2010 recipient of the San Francisco Minority Bar Coalition’s Unity Award and a 2011 recipient of the South Asian Bar Association of Northern California’s Public Interest Attorney of the Year Award.

This session will enable participants to better understand anti-Muslim hate, frequently referred to as Islamophobia. This workshop will highlight challenges facing American Muslims in recent years as well as the various factors that contribute to the targeting of Muslims and other minorities alike including government policies and the media. For more about CAIR-SFBA go to: http://ca.cair.com/sfba/

Zahra, zbilloo@cair.com (Bio available at http://ca.cair.com/sfba/about)

Information about CAIR which is a very active organization can be seen at: http://www.cair.com/.

Humanist Community Forum (2013-06-09): Islamophobia (Zahra Billoo) from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.

Defining Humanism

How Would You Define Humanism?

Sandy Smith

June 2, 2013

Join us as we discuss and compare several definitions of Humanism taken from Humanist Community and AHA publications. The goal is to help you decide what is important to you about Humanism and give you some insight into what is important to others.

Definitions of Humanism

Humanists value freedom, compassion, fairness, and knowledge derived from science and reason. We seek ethical and personally-fulfilling lives that aspire to the greater good of humanity. HCSV web site

Humanism is a philosophy of life valuing freedom, compassion, fairness, and knowledge derived from science and reason. It affirms our ability and responsibility to lead ethical lives of personal fulfillment aspiring to the greater good of humanity. HCSV web site.

Humanism is a progressive philosophy of life that, without theism and other supernatural beliefs, affirms our ability and responsibility to lead ethical lives of personal fulfillment that aspire to the greater good of humanity. AHA web site

Humanists recognize that it is only when people feel free to think for themselves, using reason as their guide, that they are best capable of developing values that succeed in satisfying human needs and serving human interests. ISAAC ASIMOV – scientist, author, and past president of the American Humanist Association. From the AHA web site.

Humanism is a philosophy of joyous service for the greater good of all humanity, of application of new ideas of scientific progress for the benefit of all. LINUS PAULING – scientist, Humanist of the Year in 1961, Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1954, Nobel Peace Prize in 1962. From the AHA web site.

Comments from Discussion

The discussion began in small groups; then we all reconvened to continue the discussion. The following is a summary of points made during the large group discussion.

The definition of Humanism on the AHA’s Web site begins “Humanism is a progressive philosophy of life ….” The word “progressive” should be replaced by “reality-based.”
The definition of Humanism should include some reference to community.
Some definitions refer to “the greater good of humanity” as a goal. It is wrong to elevate humanity above all else, e.g., above the other life forms or the environment.
Some definitions refer to “science and reason.” Those two words are equivalent to “reality.”
When working for the greater good of humanity, we need to think as one global human family, not as nationalists.
Humanists are free thinkers.
There was a difference of opinion about whether one could be both a theist and a Humanist.
The Humanist Community should have no political attachment. Some visitors have stopped coming because we appear to be anti-Republican, which we are not.
A Humanist group should be accepting of all people and not turn others away.
The definition of Humanism boils down to “love.”

Saeko Izuta

Hiking the John Muir Trail

Saeko Izuta

May 26, 2013

Ms. Izuta will share more than 100 photos from her 218 mile hike last July.

She traveled the John Muir Trail from the Mist Trail in Yosemite Valley (elevation 4000 feet) to the top of Mt. Whitney (elevation 14,497 feet), the highest mountain in the continental United States.

The hike took 25 days, through the beautiful part of the high Sierra, which she did solo carrying only a tent, a sleeping bag and enough food to keep going.

Humanist Community Forum (2013-05-26): Hiking the John Muir Trail (Saeko Izuta) from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.

Cynthia Chin-Lee

A New Kind of Neighborhood: Cohousing

Cynthia Chin-Lee

May 19, 2013

Cynthia Chin-Lee, associate member of Mountain View Cohousing Community, will lead a panel on cohousing communities near Palo Alto. She will pose questions to panelists from two cohousing communities near Palo Alto.

Her panel will include: Raines Cohen, PatZy Boomer, Emily Rosen and Lee Daniel Erman.

Background of Speakers:

Cynthia Chin-Lee

Cynthia is a children’s book author and publications manager at Oracle. She spoke to the Humanist Community last year about her children’s book, “Operation Marriage,” which won a Moonbeam award for compassion. Based on a true story, the book shows marriage equality from a child’s point of view.

For more information on Cynthia’s books see: www.cynthiachinlee.com
See the video of her latest children’s book at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9sqKjXwvb8

Raines Cohen

Raines is a community organizer, co-founding and running Cohousing California network of regional umbrella groups, with over 2100 members in East Bay Cohousing alone. For the past decade, he and his wife and business partner Betsy Morris have lived at Berkeley Cohousing; he was an initial member-developer and homeowner for the first three years of Swan’s Market Cohousing in Oakland. He has served on the national nonprofit Cohousing Association and Fellowship for Intentional Community boards, and the Bay Area Community Land Trust; he now is on the Cohouseholding national advisory board, helping people find shared-living solutions. Raines works as a Cohousing Coach and has visited over 100 established cohousing neighborhoods and advised many, is Associate Producer of the shared-living documentary Within Reach, and author of the Aging in Community chapter in the book Audacious Aging.

By the time of the talk, I may be a Certified Senior Advisor as well – wish me luck!

PatZy Boomer
Mountain View Cohousing Community

PatZy grew up in Palo Alto, next door to her husband Derk. They have three daughters, two grandchildren (with another on the way) and a holy terror of a Pomeranian named Bugs. They have enjoyed living in Mountain View for 15 years.

She earned a B.A. in Human Biology at Stanford and her career path has been anything but a straight line since. Following graduation, she spent five years working in restaurants in national parks all over the U.S. After that, she went into marketing for restaurants with Spectrum Foods of San Francisco and was later business manager of the Lark Creek Inn in Marin.

PatZy then decided she was done with Restaurants Forever, and embarked on a career in commercial interior design and space planning. 17 years later (a year and a half ago) she decided it was once again time to re-pot and commenced taking classes in the gerontology program at Foothill College. She also serves on the board of the California Council on Gerontology and Geriatrics.

She has no idea what she will do with this interest but retiring to 30 years of golf, which she does not play, is not in the least appealing.

She loves to travel and hits the road as often as she can. She adores lakes, rivers, and mountains, and has camped every summer for the last 20 years at her “sanity place” McCall, Idaho.

She joined MVCC in mid-2010. Patzy fondly remembers the camaraderie and sense of community from her days working in the national parks, which is one of the reasons she is looking forward to cohousing. She finds the suburbs to be a less than welcoming environment where neighbors are seldom seen and there are few interesting walking destinations. After watching her mother’s slow slide into Alzheimer’s after she stopped driving, PatZy believes that staying socially engaged and physically active are the keys to healthy aging. Rather than moving to any of the local “retirement communities” where a far-away corporate entity makes all the decisions, she is looking forward to being engaged on a grass roots level with people she respects and knows well.

Emily Rosen

Emily Rosen, a certified massage therapist and an enthusiastic member of Greenwave, a small diverse group of 15 adults and kids who live on an acre of land in East Palo Alto. She has lived at Geenwave for 3 years.

Emily Rosen has a background of living in small town communities (Sonoma County, and in Washington State), and she has also lived in several intentional communities, including the Ananda Community in Nevada City.

College training in liberal arts has been more for personal interest than a career path. She worked early on as an apprentice carpenter, a cook and manager of 2 small restaurants, a stint as overall dairy hand, and several other bucolic endeavors.

Emily has more recently had a private body therapy practice in the Palo Alto area for 20 plus years.

Her choices have leaned toward a hands-on, self-employed, personally involving and low key lifestyle. Emily has a great appreciation for natural beauty and wild places, growing things, and sharing her life with others. Living simply is a value she embraces, and she has ample experience of “living off the grid”. Her next pursuit will be learning to build cob and earthen landscape and garden structures.

Living in community has been a natural choice for mutual support, fun, and resource sharing. Community has also allowed Emily the freedom to indulge her hermit tendencies. A good balance.

For more info, see: http://directory.ic.org/20714/Greenwave .

Lee Daniel Erman
Mountain View Cohousing Community

Lee Daniel Erman is a hospital-based massage therapist and former computer scientist. He and his wife have been intensively involved in creating the Mountain View Cohousing Community since 2009 and are eagerly anticipating moving in at its completion in 2014. For more info, see: http://www.mountainviewcohousing.org/ .

Although born and raised in Chicago, Lee has spent most of his adult life in California. With a PhD from Stanford, he had a 30-year career in computer science academia and industrial research from 1970 to 2000. Starting in 1992, his career shifted to bodywork and massage therapy, where he now works primarily with hospitalized patients in acute conditions. Lee’s interests include how compassionate touch can enhance the health of the individual and society, the use of technology to promote human interactions, and environmental issues and climate change.

Lee and his wife Esther have been together since 1994. Lee has two adult sons from a previous marriage and two grandchildren in England from Esther’s progeny. Lee and Esther joined MVCC in 2009 and have been heavily involved in its intense and extensive development process, including designing the physical entity, working the legal and regulatory issues, growing the membership, and evolving the values and rules for living in our community. Although we’ve only just broken ground and won’t be living together until mid-2014, this process has already forged us into a community.

Part of Lee’s cohousing vision: I see MVCC as a supportive, caring, and vital community – a kind of self-created, highly functional extended family – for the next stages of our lives. Hopefully these will be active and healthy years, but the community will be there for us even if we hit bumps along that road.

I also want MVCC to be a living experiment in intentional community, exploring a number of directions. One of these is how a community can live very lightly on the earth and simultaneously thrive greatly, with no sense of deprivation. Another direction is using technology to enhance the human aspects of community. I would also like MVCC to be a model for others in these and other areas, and a living legacy for future generations.

Humanist Community Forum (2013-05-19) – A New Kind of Neighborhood: Cohousing from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.