Humanist Society of Metropolitan New York (HSMNY)

	Welcome to the Home Page of the Humanist Society of Metropolitan New York The Corliss Lamont Chapter of the American Humanist Association HUMANISTS ARE CONCERNED WITH HERE AND NOW, NOT HEREAFTER.

The Humanist Society of Metropolitan New York (HSMNY) is one of many local chapters of the American Humanist Association (AHA). The chapter, as it presently exists, was founded in 1974 by Jesse Gordon and Corliss Lamont. Warren Allen Smith organized a previous Humanist group in Manhattan in the 1950s. Warren, author of the book Who's Who in Hell: A Handbook and International Directory for Humanists, Freethinkers, Naturalists, Rationalists, and Non-Theists, is an active member of the current chapter.

The current Chapter President is Dr. Thomas Riggins. There is a four-member Executive Board consisting of Dave Buehrens, Dorothy Klein, Beth K. Lamont, and Lila Smith. The previous Chapter President was Dr. Julius Manson.

The group meets once or twice per month — generally on the evening of the second and fourth Tuesdays, usually with a speaker followed by a discussion.

We presently maintain a contact list of approximately 300 individuals and if you provide us with your postal mailing address, e-mail address, and telephone number we will occasionally notify you, usually via telephone, regarding upcoming special events. This list is used for no other purpose, but is provided to AHA headquarters. However, if you're viewing this Web page then you probably have Internet access and we would request that you also sign up for the free ChangeDetection e-mail notification service (see link to our ChangeDetection sign up below) or our RSS 2.0 / XML 1.0 syndication feed (see link to our RSS feed below). You can also follow us on Twitter and find us on Facebook (see our Twitter and Facebook links below). Additionally, all of our past newsletters/meeting notices are available on this Web site for viewing (see link to our Newsletters page below).

Please call us at (914) 588-5284 with all Chapter-related questions, or e-mail us at info.hsmny@corliss-lamont.org.

We welcome your participation. You may wish to become a member of the local group ($25 annually) and/or of the American Humanist Association, which can be contacted toll-free at (800) 837-3792.

MEETING SCHEDULE FOR THE 2010 SEASON

	Second Tuesday	Fourth Tuesday
January	12 ⁽¹⁾
February	9 ⁽²⁾
March	9 ⁽³⁾
April	13 ⁽⁴⁾
May	11 ⁽⁵⁾
June	Summer Hiatus
July
August

⁽¹⁾ Tuesday, January 12, 2010: We will meet from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM in the Elliott Library, Room 507, at the New York Society for Ethical Culture, located at 2 West 64th Street at Central Park West [ click here for map ].

Bring your ideas and issues that are of great interest to you for discussion. The meeting is open to all.

Hoping to see you there!

Special Note:

Announcement of Tom Paine Meeting!
On Friday, January 29, 2010, the Greater New York City Chapter of the Bertrand Russell Society will join the Humanist Society of Metropolitan New York in a celebration of Tom Paine's birthday at the Jane Street Tavern, 31 Eighth Avenue, at 7 PM. Several people will speak briefly about the significance of Tom Paine during his life and the relevance of his thought today — if you would like to speak, please let us add you to our list — and a video may be shown. The organizing committee consists of Beth Lamont for HSMNY and the two of us for BRS; if you have suggestions for the program, please share them with us.

Eric Walther, ericwalther1@juno.com
Tom Riggins, jtr2@nyu.edu

We hope that many of you can join us! If you know you can make it, please let us know; but also feel free to drop in on the spur of the moment.

Eric and Tom

⁽²⁾ Tuesday, February 9, 2010: We will meet from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM in the Elliott Library, Room 507, at the New York Society for Ethical Culture, located at 2 West 64th Street at Central Park West [ click here for map ].

Welcome all, to a compatible group of Freethinkers who will be discussing current events, foreign policy, political affairs, and philosophy. Please bring your concerns and ideas. Light snacks are available. Hope to see you there!

Call Beth at 914-588-5284, if you wish, for details.

Click for full-size image

⁽³⁾ Tuesday, March 9, 2010: In lieu of our regularly scheduled meeting, members of the Humanist Society of Metropolitan New York will be attending a panel discussion at the New York Society for Ethical Culture entitled, "Obama: Change We Can Still Believe In?". Please see Common Cause's description of the event below and we look forward to seeing you on Tuesday night. For those who are available, we are meeting in the lobby at 6:30 PM to discuss a few topics related to our chapter.

"More than a year after a critical shift in American politics, where do we stand? A volatile economy, two prolonged global wars, and a domestic values war have created a moment of global economic flux and domestic uncertainty for the United States. The current administration has mammoth goals: to reform the healthcare system; to stabilize employment, the financial industry, and lending; to reform immigration; to boost military intervention in Afghanistan; to draw down troops in Iraq; and to begin paring down the deficit, to name just a few.

Join Common Cause New York, Demos, the New York Society for Ethical Culture, and The Nation Institute for a public forum with leading journalists, policymakers, and scholars to discuss these and other salient issues. Panelists will provide original, incisive commentary on the administration's 2010 political, economic, and cultural agenda and its execution. What benchmarks or achievements would define a successful year, according not just to historians and experts, but to everyday citizens? This event invites audience members to contemplate their own measures for progress going forward, and to brainstorm their own complicit role, if any, in the success or failure of these achievements by the White House and Congress."

What: Panel Discussion on "Obama: Change We Can Still Believe In?"
Date: March 9, 2010
Time: 7:00 PM (Doors open at 6:30 PM. Seating is first come, first served.)
Location: New York Society for Ethical Culture, 2 West 64th Street at Central Park West, New York, NY
Admission: Admission to the Auditorium is free with a $10 suggested donation.

Panelists include Katrina vanden Heuvel, editor and publisher of The Nation; Ben Smith, senior political writer at politico.com; Gretchen Morgenson, assistant financial editor and columnist at The New York Times; and Dr. Benjamin R. Barber, distinguished senior fellow at Demos and director of CivWorld at Demos. Christopher Hayes, Washington editor of The Nation and fellow at the New America Foundation, will serve as moderator.

For additional information about this event: please call 212-874-5210×144 or view the announcement.

⁽⁴⁾ Tuesday, April 13, 2010: In lieu of our regularly scheduled meeting, members of the Humanist Society of Metropolitan New York will be attending a panel discussion at New York University (NYU) entitled, "Can Market-Based Methods Really Solve Social Issues?". Demos, a non-partisan public policy research and advocacy organization headquartered here in New York, has provided the following description of the event.

"A new movement called philanthrocapitalism promises to save the world by applying a market-based perspective to various social and economic challenges. How well can this approach solve the complex and nuanced goals of fundamental social transformation? Some argue that philanthrocapitalism is a new and innovative way to breathe life and resources into the causes for which we advocate. Others maintain that business-based solutions are based on an entirely different set of principles, and will never inspire the collaborative spirit necessary for true change.

Join Demos, the Roosevelt Institute Campus Network, the Stern Business Ethics Society, and the Wagner Policy Alliance for an exciting debate on the role of business methods in philanthropy. Prominent scholars and practitioners will draw upon their expertise to discuss and debate the costs and benefits of philanthrocapitalism in tackling our toughest social problems, both in the US and globally."

What: Panel Discussion on "Can Market-Based Methods Really Solve Social Issues?"
Date: April 13, 2010
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: New York University, Lecture Hall 101 at 19 West 4th Street, New York, NY
Admission: RSVP

Panelists include Michael Edwards, Distinguished Senior Fellows at Demos, Author of Small Change: Why Business Won't Save the World, and Visiting Scholar at NYU's Wagner School of Public Service; Devin Stewart, Director of the Global Policy Innovations Program at the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs and NYU Professor on Sustainability and Business Ethics; and Rex W. Mixon, Former Head of the Enforcement Division of the New York Stock Exchange and NYU Stern Adjunct Professor of Business Ethics.

For additional information about this event: please e-mail Jinny Khanduja or view the announcement.

While we usually meet in the Elliott Library at the New York Society for Ethical Culture, because we are not generating any income to offset the NYSEC's expenses for the use of their great space, that they have graciously offered us for many months now, when they are having other events, none is scheduled for our Humanist Tuesday, so we are not invited to meet there this month.

Our young new Activist Humanist, Michael Rose, whom you Folks will enjoy meeting, is dedicated to furthering Humanist Interests and promoting the HSMNY Chapter, had even suggested meeting at his own home when he learned that we'd sort of worn out our "freebie" welcome at NYSEC. He learned of the Humanist philosophy upon reading Good Without God by Greg Epstein. He wondered why he has not heard of us before. Good question! Where have we been? Even more important: where are we going?

We might have a social gathering before and after the event at NYU if others would be interested in doing this? This event requires an RSVP and if there are enough members who are interested, we might register in our HSMNY Chapter name. Please let us know.

Click for full-size image

⁽⁵⁾ Tuesday, May 11, 2010: We will meet from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM in the Elliott Library, Room 507, at the New York Society for Ethical Culture, located at 2 West 64th Street at Central Park West [ click here for map ].

40 years ago, in May 1970, a young man, Douglas Leen, along with a student delegation protesting our war in Southeast Asia, took 8,500 signatures to Washington, D.C. demanding an accounting of the U.S. presence there. This young man, still very vocal and Antiwar, but now a Vietnam Vet, was in D.C. again a few days ago to brief his Representatives.

Click for full-size image

His cryptic comment on his travels: "I rarely fly sober due to a perilous flight back from Vietnam which involved a missing engine, flaming wing, 12,000-foot dive, a missing window and a buddy with a missing leg."

Doug and his partner, Martina, here from Alaska with their PowerPoint presentation of touring Antarctica, will be our featured guests at the meeting.

When we think of Alaska, we think of the melting glaciers and the plight of the Polar Bears; about new mentions in the news of the Exxon Valdes with the current Gulf of Mexico oil spill; and oh, of course, how could we forget? Sarah Palen!

Unlike Sarah, our guests are concerned with preserving wildlife and the ecology, especially the National Parks, even distributing posters and information at national gatherings about the Civilian Conservation Corps (which needs to be revived today). Among other humanistic concerns, Doug, who "is trying to retire from dentistry," still provides services to some of the remote villages in Rural Alaska.

Doug Leen maintains a blog where you can read about his adventures.

Along with other scattered Abercrombie descendants, he is in New York for a first-time Family Reunion to visit the 1926 Westchester Castle named ELDA for Elizabeth, Lucy, David and Abbott, the children of its builder.

Please bring Friends, along with your questions, concerns and comments, to a meeting that we expect will be our liveliest ever! Hoping to see you there!

Summer Hiatus Announcement

The Humanist Society of Metropolitan New York will be off on Summer Hiatus during the months of June through August, inclusive. Regularly scheduled meetings will resume in the Fall.

Programs for all other dates will be announced. Always consult this Web page or our RSS feed for the latest and most up-to-date meeting schedule information. All programs are subject to change. All meetings are open to the general public, as well as members of the press — Chapter membership is not a requirement to attend. If you would like to attend a meeting, then just drop in — no prior arrangements are necessary.

Our 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999, and 1998 Meeting Schedules have been archived.

What is Humanism?

If you're new to the subject of Humanism and would like to see a definition of it, please visit our What is Humanism? page.

Articles and Reports

Michael Moore Videos, clips of three interviews conducted in March 2010 with Michael Moore discussing the issues surrounding health care reform legislation, plus the trailer for his 2009 movie, Capitalism: A Love Story.

Thomas Paine Bicentennial, photos and other materials related to the celebrations held at Thomas Paine Park at Foley Square in New York on June 8, 2009.

Evolution and Ethics, Comments on the 2004 U.S. Presidential Election Debates, an essay by Beth Lamont.

The New Mandate For United Nations Peacekeeping, a review of the Brahimi Report by Beth Lamont.

Why Humanists Should Reject The "Social Contract", an article by Thomas Riggins.

A Report and A Suggestion on the meeting of August 22, 1998, Sex, Lies, and Leadership, concerning the Clinton Presidential scandal, by Beth Lamont.

The Other Humanists, a report on the Siloists, by Beth Lamont. Includes comments submitted to us by visitors to this Web site.

Comments on the ICC, an article about the United Nations Diplomatic Conference on the Establishment of a Permanent International Criminal Court, held at Rome, Italy, during June and July 1998, by Beth Lamont. Originally published in 1998.

Comments on the ICC - Part II, a follow-up article about the current status of the International Criminal Court, by Beth Lamont. Originally published in 2003.


	A brochure comparing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to the Humanist Manifesto and describing efforts of humanists to support the United Nations is available for on-screen viewing. A second version, designed especially for printing, can be downloaded for use by Humanist Chapters to promote Humanism and the U.N.

Newsletters and Meeting Notices

Copies of old HSMNY Chapter Newsletters in the form of Adobe^® Acrobat^® PDF (Portable Document Format) files are available for downloading/viewing/printing on our Newsletters page.

Equal Time for Freethought Radio Show

Half-Moon Foundation, Inc., sponsor of the Humanist Society of Metropolitan New York Web site, is pleased to host a streaming audio archive of older Equal Time for Freethought radio shows on our Archive page. Hosted by local humanists and atheists, the show includes news, interviews, and commentary, and airs live on WBAI Pacifica Radio in New York City each Sunday.

Additional Information

Although as our name implies, we welcome visitors and members from the entire New York metropolitan area, if you're in Northern New Jersey and cannot travel into the city to attend our meetings, you may wish to visit the Humanists of North Jersey, which holds monthly meetings in Fair Lawn. Additionally, the New Jersey Humanist Network holds monthly meetings in Bridgewater.

If you would like to see a list of Humanist, Freethought, Skeptical, Atheist and other similar organizations from around the world, take a look at The Freethought Directory.

The Humanist Society of Metropolitan New York is pleased to be a charter member of the Council of Ethics-Based Organizations (CEBO).

The Rant & Reason blog, sponsored by The Humanist magazine, is recommended reading.

The Human Values Weblog (blog), sponsored by Half-Moon Foundation, Inc., is also recommended reading. RSS 0.92, RSS 2.0, and Atom 0.3 syndication feeds are available.

Sign up with the free ChangeDetection™ notification service to receive an e-mail message whenever this Web page is updated. This will ensure that you are alerted to all additions and changes made to the HSMNY meeting schedule. Simply fill-in your e-mail address and click the OK button to register for this free service.

Another way to stay alerted to all additions and changes made to the HSMNY meeting schedule is to use your favorite RSS Feed Reader / News Aggregator program or Web-based service to subscribe to our syndicated RSS 2.0 feed.

You can also follow us on Twitter @HSMNY.

You can also find us on Facebook.

Please report any technical problems with this site to webmaster.hsmny@corliss-lamont.org.

We support the Blue Ribbon Campaign for online freedom of speech, press and association. Please visit the Electronic Frontier Foundation for additional information on free speech and civil rights in the on-line world.

This site sponsored by Half-Moon Foundation, Inc.
116 Hawkes Avenue, Ossining, NY 10562-2006 USA

Trademarks and service marks shown are the property of their respective owners and are used for informational and identification purposes only and without intent to infringe.
This site contains links to third party sites. These links will let you leave the Humanist Society of Metropolitan New York Web site. The linked sites are not under the control of the Humanist Society of Metropolitan New York and the Humanist Society of Metropolitan New York is not responsible for the contents of any linked site or any link contained in a linked site. The Humanist Society of Metropolitan New York is providing these links to you only as a convenience, and the inclusion of any link does not imply endorsement of the site by the Humanist Society of Metropolitan New York.

This page last revised: June 12, 2010.