Filmosophy II

Filmosophy 2 PosterThursday 23rd August 7.30pm
Moordown Community Centre, Coronation Avenue, Moordown, Bournemouth BH9 1TW

An evening of short discussions inspired by ethical dilemmas from the movies.

Would you entrust the security and fate of the human race to a single world government; or maybe you’d prefer an artificial intelligence specifically designed to act as a protective dictator? (Inspired by I, Robot)

A gang leader is held by an isolated police station, awaiting transfer and trial, when his gang make an all out assault, in order to free him. Should the gang leader be released to save the lives of the police officers, or should he be held and brought to justice, no matter what the cost? (Inspired by Assault on Precinct 13)

Join us at the second of our popular ‘Filmosophy’ evenings to debate these and many other moral dilemmas arising from the world of film. Don’t worry if you’re not a movie buff, as we’ve prepared a set of handy plot summaries to ensure we can all participate.

‘An enjoyable approach to debating some big questions’

Free entry (donations appreciated).     Everyone welcome!

Please help us promote this event by displaying an A4 poster. Download a copy here, or email Dave at DHcensus(at)hotmail.co.uk for a PDF copy.

Click here to view details of other forthcoming and recent events on this website.

Dorset Humanists Reloaded!

DH logo logoSeveral of our members and supporters have recently reported difficulties downloading our recent bulletins, newsletters and event programmes from Google Docs. We’ve discovered this is a ‘known bug’ (known by Google but not by us!) with certain internet browsers and we apologise for any inconvenience caused.

To resolve the situation, we’ve moved our documents to a different server, which should ensure quick and easy downloading for you. Updated links for our latest bulletin, letter and events programme can now be found under the heading ‘Dorset Humanists’ Info’  on the right of this page.

Richard Dawkins due at Ancestor’s Trail 2012

dawkins2 The organisers of the 2012 Ancestor’s Trail event are delighted to have confirmed Richard Dawkins as their keynote speaker

The Ancestor’s Trail is a shared walk over the Quantock Hills in Somerset, which takes place this year on the Bank Holiday weekend: 25th – 27th August 2012.

The event was inspired by Richard Dawkins’ book “The Ancestor’s Tale - a pilgrimage to the dawn of life” and rewinds the evolutionary history of our species, and many others, back to our shared origins 3.7 billion years ago. The Ancestor’s Trail traces the same journey on foot, and aligns Darwin’s Tree of Life with the many footpaths straddling the Quantock hills.

Symbolically, as each group follows their trail, they walk further into history until, at pre-specified times, they rendezvous with the walkers following the Human trail. In this way the ever-increasing band of ‘pilgrims’ arrives together at the Dawn of Life ~ Kilve beach, appropriately famous for its fossils.

Along the trail, rendezvous points will be marked by appropriate words of wisdom, music and performance. Many people choose to walk the Human Trail (13.5 miles), but there are  also numerous alternative shorter routes (some less than a mile).

In addition to the eponymous walk, the weekend includes a host of top quality lectures, and other entertainment. Confirmed speakers include, Richard Dawkins, Alom Shah (author of the Young Atheist’s Handbook), Prof. Norman Mclean (Author of Silent Summer) and many more.

For full details of evening event prices, accommodation options (including camping), and a list of speakers, please visit http://ancestorstrail.net/

Dorset Humanists at Bishop Wordsworth’s School

Bishop Wordsworth's School, SalisburyOn 13th June, Dorset Humanists’ Richard Scutt visited Bishop Wordsworth’s Church of England School in Salisbury to explain Humanist beliefs and values at the school’s ‘Multi-faith Day’.
 
Richard led four one hour sessions on Humanism, presenting to around fifty 14-15 year old boys in total. Each session began with Richard outlining various definitions of Humanism and detailing our core beliefs and ethics. He went on to discuss how we ‘live these beliefs’ using reason, empathy, compassion and the Golden Rule. There was so much response and discussion after presenting the basics that Richard almost abandoned the rest of his presentation in order to debate real issues with the boys and their teachers. A wide range of subjects were discussed, including the role of Bishops in the House of Lords, discrimination and prejudice, Halal meat, and, of course, faith schools! Richard explained why Humanists favour inclusive education, but several boys felt parents should have the option of choosing faith schools if they wished. It was encouraging to hear the boys expressing progressive attitudes on many issues, including declaring themselves against gender and sexual orientation based discrimination. We were also interested to discover, by a show of hands, that 50% or more of the boys were not religious, which suggests a fair and transparent entrance selection process at this school. 

Summarising the experience, Richard said, ‘I had an excellent time discussing Humanism at the school, and was very impressed by the boys’ level of engagement, and their thoughtful questions and responses’. 

Multi-faith day is an annual event at Bishop Wordsworth’s, and this is the fourth time that Dorset Humanists have taken part, alongside speakers representing Baha’i, Buddhist, Moslem, Hindu, and various Christian groups. In an article for the school’s 2012 ‘Wordsworth’ magazine, Ambrose Connolly writes: ‘……..Interestingly for a multi-faith day, there were also people there who had no belief in God. This was particularly interesting as it offered a different perspective and contrast to all the other speakers…from Theist traditions’.

David Warden, Chair of Dorset Humanists, said, ‘I’m delighted that more and more schools are incorporating an understanding of Humanism into Religious Education lessons, and that Dorset Humanists are able to actively support the process’.

Bishop Wordsworth’s is a Church of England secondary school for boys providing grammar school education. The school is situated within the grounds of Salisbury Cathedral, and many classrooms offer a stimulating view of the famous Cathedral’s spire. Perhaps the most famous ‘Old Wordsworthian’ was author, Sir William Golding, who taught at the school for many years.

Dorset Humanists were instrumental in the consultation process that led to the inclusion of secular, non-religious philosophies such as Humanism into local RE syllabuses across Bournemouth, Poole and Dorset so that children learn to think more broadly about religion and philosophy. Dorset Humanists also has representatives on local Standing Advisory Councils for Religious Education (SACRE).

Religious Education is a statutory part of the basic curriculum for all pupils, but it is not a National Curriculum subject. Instead it is a local responsibility of the Children's Services Authority (CSA) through its SACRE, who form an Agreed Syllabus sub-group which produces the local agreed syllabus, monitors its effectiveness and appropriateness, and formally reviews it every five years.

Humanism in Schools: Dorset Humanists recommend the website ‘Humanism for Schools’ which contains a wealth of excellent resources for teachers and students. To arrange a school visit, please contact Dorset Humanists’ Education Officer, Chris Street.

Creating a Better World for Animals and People

IFAW2Saturday 8th September 2.00pm
Moordown Community Centre, Coronation Avenue, Moordown, Bournemouth BH9 1TW

A presentation by John Berry from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW)

IFAW works to improve the welfare of animals by reducing commercial exploitation, protecting wildlife habitats, and promoting conservation policies that advance the well-being of both animals and people.

John will focus on three key projects in Southern Africa and India, as well as providing an overview of the group’s other activities around the world that include relocating animals in natural disasters, and protecting endangered species from poachers.

Free entry (donations appreciated).     Everyone welcome!

If you can help us promote this event by displaying an A4 poster, please download a copy here, or email Dave at DHcensus(at)hotmail.co.uk for a PDF copy.

Click here to view details of other forthcoming and recent events on this website.

July Bulletin and Newsletter

DW 6298984 (crop) Seumas Milne in The Guardian writes, 'Finance has usurped democracy... we need finance to work for society rather than the other way round'.  Come along to our "Humanist Manifesto" event this Saturday to explore political solutions for some of our most intractable problems. We’ll also be enjoying strawberry cream teas!

In the Bulletin this month, we have a full report of the BHA Conference in Cardiff, schoolchildren hearing about Humanism, and news about our 6-week course in Humanism and atheism starting in the Autumn. 

In Chairman's View I explain how you can take action to help a 30-year old Indonesian man who has been imprisoned on account of his atheism.

We look forward to seeing you soon.
Best wishes,
David Warden
Chair, Dorset Humanists

Click here to view details of our forthcoming and recent events.