HUMANIST SOCIETY OF WEST YORKSHIRE
Affiliated to the British Humanist Association

NEWSLETTER (120), NOVEMBER 2009

Next Meeting, Thursday 12th November 2009, 7.30 to 9.00pm at Swarthmore
“Student Atheist , Humanist and Secular Societies” Norman Ralph, Founding President of the National Federation

The atheist, humanist and secular student movement is one of the fastest growing trends to be seen in UK universities.  Since 2006, the number of student societies has grown nearly fivefold and the total number of students involved has risen from around fifty to several hundred.
One of the main reasons for this unprecedented growth is the continued influence of Christian and Muslim student groups on student politics and subsequently their influence on higher education in general.              Norman’s talk will mostly be about the success story of modern student groups and the challenges they have faced in terms of vandalism, personal attacks and death threats.
So come along to hear some good news of progress and the dirty tricks of which the religious are quite capable.   The Secretary/ Treasurer will be in the Café from 7.00 to collect any remaining subs whilst you have your pre-meeting coffee! ( I trust that will not put you off!)

   October meeting “Intelligence and Schepticism” Gijsbert Stoet,  cognitive psychologist

          The room was completely filled with an audience of 31members and students - the largest we have ever had!
            There is a basic conflict between humanism and the scientific study of human differences.  The politically correct view is that all are equal, some are successful and some are not.  I. Q. is predictive of many ‘variables’ in real life, e.g. length of life.
The first Humanist Manifesto of 1933 was very optimistic about human nature.  Later events make this seem far too optimistic. The manifesto of 2003 is much less optimistic.  This view of human nature is nice but is it too idealistic and it is now time to accept that many people are just ’bad’?  Christians believe in ’original sin’, i.e. all people are born bad and can only be ‘cured’ by belief in the reward of an afterlife in heaven and the punishment of an afterlife in hell.  Psychologists make a study of examples of unusual, seemingly senseless behaviour.  Examples are:-
1) The Vanessa George abuse of children; this could not be understood as she is a woman and so it caused shock waves.
2) Four teenagers attack a 71 year old man, not for robbery but seemingly for ‘devilment’.
3) This is not just a British problem; two German teenagers beat a 50-year old man to death.
4) The brutal lives of Stone-age Britons; surveys of skulls show that their societies were much more brutal even than we are now!
So, what causes violence?  Can we prevent it?  Why are some violent and others are not?  Low I.Q. is one factor in violent crime. The Netherlands had liberal social policies - re-educate rather than imprison - but these programs did not pay off!  Is violence related to certain personalities? The political argument is between left-wing and right policies.  In the 1970s there was a strong left-wing movement - researchers said treating all offenders equally was not the best way forward; this was strongly attacked.
Correlating national crime statistics with national mean I.Q.s shows that countries with high national mean I.Q. do better than those with low mean I.Q.
Can we prevent violent behaviour?  National mean I.Q. correlates with educational achievement, scientific productivity and number of patents. Nevertheless, it seems that high intelligence does not automatically lead to moral behaviour or consistent attitudes.  Should the humanist manifesto be so optimistic or should it  refer to human frailty.  The view from the floor was that the manifesto should be idealistic and the meeting ended with many  ‘getting their oar in’
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Annual subscriptions
            These are now due for the year ending October 2010. They remain at £15 Single and £23 household (two members at the same address).  Concession rates of  £10 single and £15 household are available for full-time students, state pensioners and those on income-related state benefit.   Please ensure that you have not already paid and then send your cheque (made out to “Humanist Society of West Yorkshire”) to the Hon. Sec./Treas. or bring it to him in the Café before the November meeting

Book-reading group.  A member, Anne Jackson is looking to start such a bi monthly group.  The proposed books are:- R. Dawkins - “The God Delusion”, D. C. Dennett - “Breaking the Spell”, S. Harris - “The End of Faith” and T. Paine - “The Age of Reason”. Please contact us directly for details.

Want to be a humanist lion thrown to the Christians?  A  Christian study group is holding a discussion event over the weekend of 16th-17th January. At the Potternewton Centre, Potternewton  View, LS7 2DW.  They would like to include two people who have once been Christians, but have since rejected those beliefs.  Contact Noel Moules on 0114 288816 or office@anvil.org.uk.  You might make some de-conversions!  Go armed with Matthew 10 34-39 viz. “Do not think I have come to bring peace, but a sword.  For I have come to set a man against his father, and daughter against her mother and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in law; and ones foes will be members of ones own household.  Whoever loves father or mother more than me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me.  Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.”  How could any rational person follow such a malevolent charlatan?

Quote of the month “Is it any wonder the strident voices of atheism are attractive to contemporary people when churches split apart over the irrational fear of the feminine? (Muriel Porter, The Age)

Diary; meetings, unless indicated otherwise, are at Swarthmore 2-7 Woodhouse Sq. LS3 1AD at 7.30.
3rd December; “Just Suppose” Mike Lawrence, 
14th January; “The New Atheists” Tim Stephenson.
11th February; “What Darwin Didn’t know”  Written and presented by the Professor of Evolutionary Biology, Imperial College.  This programme was on BBC4 at a late hour, so you may well not have seen it.