About us
Welcome to Central London Humanists!
CLH provides a meeting place for humanists, the secular, and other non-religious people, particularly those who live or work in the central London area of the UK.
Every month we hold a talk/lecture and several social events. Our social activities include group socials, a book group, picnics, walks, museum & cultural visits and theatre trips.
If you're not religious, or doubting your faith or belief and like open-minded communities, and would like to meet like minded people, come along and join us!
As we don't have a membership fee, a donation of £3 is suggested at each meeting. This goes towards our running costs, partnership fees and charitable donations. If it's your first time, we don't expect a donation.
We are a partner group of Humanists UK.
We are an Associate Member of Humanists International.
We're also on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Some of our previous talks are available on YouTube.
Anyone who joins us on Meetup can participate fully in events. They can suggest events, participate in organising events and much more.
As we are such a large group, each year we hold an AGM and elect a committee to help manage the group. To be a voting member of Central London Humanists, or to be a member of the committee, you must be a paid up member of Humanists UK (to join go here).
Upcoming events
10
CLH Weekend Pub Social 🍻 🥘
Queens Head & Artichoke, 30-32 Albany St, London, GBJoin us for a relaxed social atmosphere, great conversations with like-minded people, drinks & food and much more!🥂 🥘🤝
Whether you are joining us at Central London Humanists for first time, or a regular member, our monthly weekend socials are a great opportunity to have a relaxed and fun time at the end of the week, in the company of like-minded and friendly people, who are here to socialise and mingle, expand their networks and horizons, and have thoughtful and insightful conversations.
Date & Time
Sunday 25 October 2026
Time: 1pm - 4pmVenue
Queens Head & Artichoke pubA cosy pub offering a great variety of options for food and drinks, close to Great Portland Street & Regent’s Park Stations.
Look for CLH signs on the tables when you arrive.What we talk about:
The conversations are different every time – from current events to humanism and secularism, with plenty of good laughs in between!
If there’s something specific that you’d like to talk about, we’d love to hear about it.We kindly request a contribution of £3 for our events to help cover various admin costs - but first-timers are welcome to give us a free trial. If you prefer you can also pay online by clicking here.
Views and conduct at CLH events
We encourage dialogue, debate, and sharing of information at our events but ask people to keep their interactions cordial. Any views expressed are those of the individual sharing them and may not reflect those of CLH.Please note that we do not tolerate aggressive, prejudiced, bigoted, discriminating, disruptive, belittling, or otherwise abusive behaviour at our events. (See link to code of conduct below.)
We look forward to welcoming you!
Resources and FAQs
…for members, supporters, and participants in CLH activities
See here for our knowledge base packed with important, useful information about the group, the organisers, and what we offer the community. See here for our code of conduct and complaints policy.
Our events are 18+ unless accompanied by a parent or guardian.10 attendees
CLH Talk | Eugenics is back: why this murderous ideology is resurging
Old Diorama Arts Centre, 201 Drummond Street, London, GBEugenics is back: why an ideology which resulted in the murder of millions is resurging in the 21st century
This is a joint event with the Association of Black Humanists. The talk starts at 7.00 PM, please join us from 6:30 PM.
Eugenics…
is often considered a relic of the past. It’s a political ideology based on the belief that some people are inherently superior and of value to society, whereas others are inferior and of little value. It was popular in the early 20th century, but appeared to fall out of favour after the Second World War because of the atrocities the Nazi regime committed in the name of eugenics.In the 21st century…
eugenic ideology is resurging as it becomes acceptable again to promote beliefs about the inherent superiority or inferiority of different groups of people. This talk will focus on the influence of psychologist Richard Lynn in this resurgence, whose stated aim was to “have a go at the rehabilitation of eugenics”, and how his fraudulent work on race and intelligence has been influential in the recent rise of the far-right.Your speaker
Professor Rebecca Sear is Director of the Centre for Culture and Evolution at Brunel University London, with a background in interdisciplinary research in demography, anthropology and the evolutionary behavioural sciences. Her research has focused on family and fertility, until a recent turn towards understanding the resurgence of scientific racism and eugenics.Event schedule
Join us to socialise from 6:30 PM.
The talk starts at 7 PM
We will pause for a break at 7:45 PM
We will resume for Q&A at 8 PM
Event finishes at 8:30 PM – you can join us at a local pub afterwardsPost event social
As after all our in-person talks at the Old Diorama Arts Centre, we will move on to a local pub for a post event social. So from 8:30 PM we will be going to the Queen's Head and Artichoke, 30-32 Albany St, London NW1 4EA.Payment
We ask for a £5 donation to attend this talk, which can be paid on the door. (Or pay what you can afford.)
If you would prefer to make the £5 donation online or can't attend and would still like to support the event please click here.
Alternatively you can do a transfer using our account details: Central London Humanist Group, Sort code: 30-94-25, Account number: 19143068, Reference: TalkBehaviour at CLH events
We encourage dialogue, debate, and sharing of information at our events but ask people to keep their interactions cordial. Any views expressed are those of the individual sharing them and may not reflect those of CLH.Please note that we do not tolerate aggressive, prejudiced, bigoted, discriminating, disruptive, belittling, or otherwise abusive behaviour at our events. (See link to code of conduct below.)
Please note this event will be recorded and we will take photos for publication on CLH media channels. If you do not wish to be featured in video or photographs please contact the CLH team in advance or make us aware at the event.
Resources and FAQs
…for members, supporters, and participants in CLH activitiesSee here for our knowledge base packed with important, useful information about the group, the organisers, and what we offer the community. See here for our code of conduct and complaints policy.
Our events are 18+ unless accompanied by a parent or guardian. We encourage dialogue, debate, and sharing of information, but ask people to keep their comments cordial. Any individual's views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the group at large.
42 attendees
Beyond Stoicism: An Evening with Professor Massimo Pigliucci
·OnlineOnlineCentral London Humanists is delighted to welcome Professor Massimo Pigliucci for the next instalment of our Global Roots of Humanism series.
The Global Roots of Humanism series explores philosophical traditions from around the world that have shaped, prefigured, or run parallel to modern humanist thought.
This time we turn to one of the most influential ethical traditions of the ancient Mediterranean world: Stoicism.
Founded by Zeno of Citium in Athens around 300 BCE and later shaped by Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius, Stoicism placed reason, virtue, and our shared humanity at the centre of the good life. It taught that we should look to ourselves and to our fellow human beings for ethical guidance, not to divine revelation. Its idea of cosmopolitanism, that we are all citizens of a single global community, remains one of the most enduring contributions of ancient thought.Professor Pigliucci will guide us through three questions that sit at the heart of any humanist reading of Stoicism:
- Were the Stoics proto-humanists, or something else entirely?
- How did Stoic ideas shape later humanist thinkers, from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment and beyond?
- What do modern humanists owe to Stoicism, and what can a secular reading of it offer us today?
Along the way we will look at what was lost, absorbed, or displaced when Stoicism gave way to Neoplatonism and Christianity in late antiquity, and why Stoic ideas have re-emerged so powerfully in our own century.
The session will run for approximately 45 minutes, followed by a live audience Q&A.Professor Massimo Pigliucci is the K. D. Irani Professor of Philosophy at the City College of New York. Trained originally as an evolutionary biologist, he has spent the last two decades writing and teaching on practical philosophy, virtue ethics, and the public understanding of science.
He is the author of more than a dozen books, including:- How to Be a Stoic: Using Ancient Philosophy to Live a Modern Life (2017), which brought Stoic thought to a global general audience
- Nonsense on Stilts: How to Tell Science from Bunk, a leading defence of scientific reasoning against pseudoscience
- A Field Guide to a Happy Life, a practical modern reworking of Stoic ethics
- The Quest for Character: What the Story of Alexander and Aristotle Offers Us Today, on virtue and leadership
- Beyond Stoicism (2024), which broadens the lens to include the Sceptics, Epicureans, and other Hellenistic schools
- His latest book is How to be a (Happy) Skeptic
He writes the Figs in Winter substack newsletter and the Art of Living column for Philosophy Now magazine.
Event details
Date: Wednesday 28 October 2026
Time: 19:00 to 20:30 UK time
Location: Online via Zoom (link sent to registered attendees)This event is open to all. Whether you’re a long-time humanist or just curious to explore indigenous ethical traditions, you’re warmly invited.
Please RSVP to receive your Zoom link.
🎧Listen to Prof. Pigliucci's recent interview on the Humanism Now Podcast here: https://www.humanism.now/massimo-pigliucci-on-how-to-be-a-happy-skeptic-the-power-joy-of-doubt/
How to Join:
Register here on Meetup or Eventbrite. We do not charge to attend our online talks – but we ask for a £5.00 donation from those who are able, to help cover the group's costs (we do not have a membership fee like other groups).An online donation of £5 can help us continue offering events like this and more - please use this link.
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Central London Humanists is a volunteer-run community group. We aim to provide a safe space for the humanist community in London to come together for fellowship, learning and fun. We receive no financial support and are entirely funded by donations from our membership and event attendees.Our events are 18+ unless accompanied by a parent or guardian. We encourage dialogue, debate, and sharing of information, but ask people to keep their comments cordial. Any individual's views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the group at large.
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Stay Connected with Central London Humanists- Subscribe to our mailing List
- For more events follow us on Meetup
- Chat with fellow members in our WhatsApp Community
- Follow us on Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube
- Listen to the Humanism Now Podcast
For any questions email us at info@centrallondonhumanists.org.uk
34 attendees
Past events
1385
