Apes, Angels and Ancestors

Saturday 14th May 2.00pm

Moordown Community Centre Coronation AvenueMoordown Bournemouth BH9 1TW


Even people who accept the evolution of lower animals often struggle to believe our human ancestors also evolved from lower creatures, and turn instead to stories of divine creation. Most scientists find it equally difficult to believe we are not related to the rest of the natural world by descent because we are so similar in all our systems, including our brains.

In this fascinating presentation, distinguished biologist and author Jack Cohen explains how ‘the ape with the curious mind’ arose from creatures that were “just animals”.

Everyone welcome – Free entry

Dr Jack Cohen is an internationally known reproductive biologist who writes, lectures and campaigns to promote public awareness of science. He has written popular biology textbooks, more than 100 research papers, and books exploring complexity, chaos and simplicity with co-author, mathematician Ian Stewart. He is considered one of the world’s foremost experts on hypothetical alien biology and has designed alien creatures and ecologies for top science fiction writers including Terry Pratchett, Harry Harrison and Larry Niven. He is frequently heard on radio and has participated in several TV programmes including for the BBC’s flagship science series, Horizon.


Fairer Votes


For All?




Referendum Debate




Wednesday 27th April 7.30pm Moordown Community Centre, Coronation Avenue Moordown, Bournemouth. BH9 1TW






In May we’ll have the opportunity to change our electoral voting system in the first national referendum since 1975. If you’re wondering how the proposed ‘Alternative Vote’ (AV) works and whether it really is more democratic, come along to hear the case for and against AV, and have your chance to question leading referendum campaigners.




Leading the debate in this Referendum Special will be our guest speakers; John Strafford, Chairman of the Conservative ‘Yes to AV’ Campaign, and Cllr Don Collier, leader of the local ‘NO to AV’ Campaign.




Everyone welcome – Free entry




John Strafford joined the Conservative Party in 1964, is Chairman of the Campaign for Conservative Democracy, and the author of ‘Our Fight for Democracy - A History of Democracy in the United Kingdom’.




Don Collier is a Poole Conservative Councillor, Computer Consultant, and passionate environmentalist. In 2009 he stood for election as an MEP and campaigned across the South West of England.
Humanism and the European Humanist Federation
Saturday 9th April 2.00pm Moordown Community Centre, Coronation Avenue, Moordown, Bournemouth BH9 1TW
In this fascinating talk, David Pollock will expose the worrying amount of religious influence in Europe and how non-believers often struggle to get a fair hearing in the corridors of power. David also reveals that, while the EU has standardised many laws across Europe, member-state government support for religion exhibits a bewildering amount of variation.

David Pollock
For example:
· In many European countries, the church is paid for by taxpayers
· The European Court of Human Rights has just upheld the Italian Government’s right to insist on the display of crucifixes in all state schools ·
In Hungary, 190 different religions are officially recognised
Everyone welcome – Free entry
David Pollock is President of the European Humanist Federation.
The EHF, based in Brussels, promotes the principles of humanism and of a secular society, supporting human rights, opposing discrimination against non-believers and fighting for equal rights for all citizens.

America's Most Hated Family in Crisis.

source: via David Warden http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0107zhy/Louis_Theroux_Americas_Most_Hated_Family_in_Crisis/

Humanist (well I assume he is from his comments) Louis Theroux meets again the 'most hated family in America' who welcome people dying in car accidents and soldiers dying for their country, because its 'gods will'.



Watched all of it. Gobsmacked! It’s not right that people should try to own other people’s minds, let alone their childrens’ minds.

Without testing, reason is akin to superstition says Stephen Fry.

BHA Distinguished
Supporter - Stephen Fry
BHA Distinguished supporter Stephen Fry put it well  in February 2011 at Harvard @ 7’30” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HiaePLocUw&feature=player_embedded
when he said that ‘humanism is not interested in convincing anybody else how to live, it can show, not tell”.. and “humanists, as citizens of the world, have no interest in owning the minds of others.. you can tickle the minds of others or play with the minds of others or be graceful with the minds of others, but don’t try to own the minds of others’.

The whole of his talk is worth listening to especially this comment (with my Chair of Humanists4Science hat on)…

'Reason is almost akin to superstition ... reason must be tested" @ 8'35”



BHA Distinguished
Supporter - Peter Atkins
BHA Distinguished
Supporter - Stephen Law
Peter Atkins tried to persuade Stephen Law to think always both philosophically AND empirically at a debate I attended in Oxford in February:-

All fascinating stuff, to me at least! ... but then I'm not trying to own your mind, just tickle it!