The Toastmasters year runs from July 1 to June 30, so this is our last meeting of 2012 – 2013, and we never need much inducement to celebrate!  Instead of our usual program, August Berkshire will provide the evening’s entertainment, with a presentation titled “The Illusion that Free Will is not an Illusion”

He will discuss the ramifications of a natural universe without gods or free will, in which evolution shapes our ethics and actions.  Is life worth living?  How do we derive meaning and purpose in our lives?  Can we avoid fatalism?  What does this say about cooperation, altruism, praise, blame, ethics, responsibility, crime, punishment, justice, rehabilitation, and revenge?  Should we be optimistic or pessimistic about the future?

August Berkshire is a past president of Minnesota Atheists, a past vice president of Atheist Alliance International, and is on the speakers bureaus for the Secular Student Alliance and the Center for Inquiry.  He has been an atheist activist since 1984 and is the author of numerous pamphlets.  He is the owner of the ATHEIST car license plate for Minnesota and is proud to be listed in the reference book “Who’s Who in Hell.”

We will grill hamburgers outside, with all the fixings, but feel free to bring your own steak, fish, vegetables or whatever you wish to grill.  We will also provide salads, soda, beer and wine, as well as camaraderie and conversation.  Everyone is welcome.  Bring a friend!