Filling the Void

Wednesday 23^rd November 7.30pm
The Green House Hotel,  4 Grove Road, Bournemouth BH1 3AX

Incorporating Dorset Humanists’ 20^th Anniversary!

With special guests Jonathan MS Pearce, Gareth Howells and Louis Howells

Join us for an inspirational evening of poetry and music with our special guests Jonathan MS Pearce, who has edited a volume of poetry for humanists and atheists called ‘Filling the Void’, and Gareth Howells of award-winning folk band Bemis, with his son Louis.

There is often thought to be a God-shaped void in humanist and atheist lives, but that is far from the truth and our lives can be filled with meaning and purpose. ‘Filling the Void’ helps to document this with a wide variety of thought-provoking and emotional poems. Jonathan and Gareth will deliver an eclectic selection of their favourite poems from the book, and Gareth and Louis will be providing some appropriately themed musical entertainment.

David Warden will bring the evening to a close with a brief review of some of the highlights of Dorset Humanists over the past 20 years, and remember those who made it possible. Wine and light refreshments will be available.

Jonathan Pearce is a Hampshire-based philosopher who has written and edited many books that will be of interest to humanists and atheists, including ‘Free Will?’ , ‘The Little Book of Unholy Questions’, ‘The Nativity: A Critical Examination’, and ‘Filling The Void: A Selection Of Humanist And Atheist Poetry’. He also writes the popular ‘A Tippling Philosopher’ blog for the Patheos blog network.

“Join us for an inspiring celebration of creating meaning, purpose and community in a life without gods”

Free entry (donations appreciated).     Everyone welcome!

(The Green House Hotel can also be accessed via its rear entrance in Gervis Road. The hotel has a small onsite car park, and roadside parking is also available in Gervis Road).

Please indicate your interest in attending this event on Meetup.com and/or facebook as it helps raise our group’s profile on these sites (Meetup also offers you timely email reminders and an easy way to discover other interesting groups in your area). To help you find them, here are the direct links to our event listings on these sites:

http://www.meetup.com/Dorset-Humanists/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/dorsethumanists/events/

You can also help us promote Dorset Humanists and this event by displaying an A4 poster. Download an A4 printable copy here, or email Dave at DHcensus(at)hotmail.co.uk for a PDF.

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

Life on Mars: Then and Now

Wednesday 23^rd July 7.30pm
The Green House Hotel,  4 Grove Road, Bournemouth BH1 3AX

With astronomer James Fradgley FRAS

Serious searches for evidence of life on Mars began in the 19th century and for many years it was believed there were canals on the planet’s surface. Astronomer Percival Lowell, even suggested they were built by an intelligent civilisation, but famed British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace severely criticised his claims and concluded that complex life on the planet was impossible. However, the search for life on Mars is far from over and continues today via astronomical observation and exploratory space missions.

In this well-illustrated presentation, distinguished astronomer James Fradgley will recount the fascinating history of the search for life on our planetary neighbour, and explain our current knowledge of, and future plans to increase our understanding of this most intriguing red planet.

Join us for a fascinating tale of curiosity, imagination and scientific ingenuity.

Free entry (donations appreciated).     Everyone welcome!

(The Green House Hotel can also be accessed via its rear entrance in Gervis Road. The hotel has a small onsite car park, and roadside parking is also available in Gervis Road).

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

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

Life in the Universe – are the Aliens there? by James Fradgely - Saturday, 8th January 2.00pm

Are we alone in the Universe?
Come to our January talk to find out.

When: Saturday, 8th January 2.00pm
Where: Moordown Community Centre, Coronation Avenue, Moordown BH91TW


In this talk for Dorset Humanists, James Fradgely will assess the likelihood of there being complex life elsewhere in the universe. He will talk about exoplanets, the „Drake Equation., the development of the Universe and our own galaxy, how complex life may have developed, biological and environmental constraints on its development, and why human beings are so interested in this question. 


James Fradgely is Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and Chairman of the Wessex Astronomical Society.