Central London Humanists

 
 
 

London Humanist Choir are delighted to invite you to their One Life concert, taking place on 2 July at Conway Hall, London.

Join them for a summer’s evening of joyful music, and some fantastic live comedy too, in celebration of the one life we know we have.
This will be the first One Life concert since 2019, and we are delighted they are back. This year the compere is Maya Kolaska, and the event is co-hosted by Humanists UK at Conway Hall – a wonderful venue with so much humanist history behind it.

This is an external event hosted by the London Humanist Choir.
Please book your place with them.

What: One Life 2022 | London Humanist Choir
When: Saturday, 2 July, 19:00
Where: Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL

Admission is just £5. In return, you can expect to be entertained with music from the UK's foremost atheist, humanist, and secular choir and comedy from special guests from London’s comedy scene.

How about coming to our Summer Party first and then going over to the One Life concert in the evening?

 
 
 

Our monthly pub evenings are always a great opportunity to meet interesting people, chat, do a little networking, and enjoy a fun evening out.

Whether you’re new to Humanism or already a member, this is a fantastic space for anyone who is non-religious, questioning their beliefs, or open-minded and looking to mingle.

Date: Wednesday 6 July
Time: From 6pm
Feel free to join us whenever you’re able to – we’re usually there until closing time.

Venue: Somers Town Coffee House
A lovely pub, close to Euston & Kings Cross stations.
You’ll find us towards the back of the pub, on the left of the bar – look out for the Humanist signs on the tables.

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 you’d like to talk about, we’d love to hear about it.

A voluntary donation of £3 is suggested - but first-timers are welcome to give us a free trial. If you prefer you can also pay online by clicking here: https://checkout.square.site/merchant/ML71XMH66FX5E/checkout/ALWCDLQ3S7AVPLFZ62PZGXLU

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.

More about the venue:
All indoor facilities are wheelchair-friendly/accessible.
Free Wi-fi is available.
It’s easy to reach – close to Euston and Kings Cross stations, and on 18 different bus routes!
View a map here

More about Humanism:
https://www.centrallondonhumanists.org.uk/about-humanism/

We look forward to seeing you!

 
 
 

TOPIC:
Is the Metaverse consistent with humanist values?

Please read full details and guidelines below!

The Metaverse, an expansive use of online 3D virtual reality to connect the “digital avatars” of people at play, at home, at work and in essentially all activities, promises us an alternative life - independent of our physical bodies, actual locations in time and space, and even the laws of nature.

The harms and benefits of the now commonplace forms of social media that have been with us for over a decade have been well documented.
Will the more immersive Metaverse have an even greater effect on how humans relate to each other? The occurrence of misogyny, hate speech, sexual harassment and other antisocial behavior in the nascent Metaverse is already being reported.

Can for-profit companies like Meta (formerly Facebook), Microsoft and TikTok be trusted to provide safeguards on the Metaverse, when they have not succeeded in doing so on earlier forms of social media?
Will interacting with others via avatars undermine people’s skills in communicating and relating to each other in the real world.
Will the Metaverse amplify opportunities for bad actors to invade our privacy more deeply, to conduct more intrusive surveillance, or to more effectively propagate disinformation?

Will the Metaverse engage and capture our attention even more effectively than earlier social media? Will immersion in a make-believe digital life cause us to squander the one finite, real lifetime we all have?

In short, is the Metaverse -- either fundamentally or as it is likely to be implemented -- inconsistent with humanism?

WHAT IS THE CLH DISCUSSION GROUP?

Our r vision is to create a friendly and inclusive online space, where we can all discuss important issues, analyse data and interpretations, and learn from one another.

Discussions will be held online via Zoom so participants can join from anywhere in the world.

We’re planning a variety of interesting topics that are relevant to us as Humanists, with themes ranging from philosophy to current events and the world around us. The inaugural discussion is exclusively for existing CLH participants and members, but we do plan to open it up to the public at a later stage.

A voluntary donation of £3 is suggested - please use https://checkout.square.site/merchant/ML71XMH66FX5E/checkout/ALWCDLQ3S7AVPLFZ62PZGXLU or send an EFT to : Central London Humanist Group, sort code[masked], Account number[masked]

GUIDELINES

We ncourage bold discussion, diverse points of view, and constructive interaction. To this end we will all be following a few simple guidelines:

1. Each participant will have a chance to speak for a maximum of 2 minutes at a time. Our facilitators will keep track of this and alert you if you need to wrap up.
There’s no limit to the number of times you can speak, but facilitators will do their best to ensure that everyone who wants to contribute has a fair chance to do so.

2. Don’t interrupt. If you’d like to respond to something specific, please wait for that person to finish speaking and raise your hand - digitally or physically, at the facilitator’s discretion.

3. One of our top priorities is to keep these sessions friendly and respectful. We’ll be discussing some controversial topics which can bring out a range of emotions, but we’re here to challenge ideas, not criticise people. Intolerance and rudeness will not be tolerated.

4. We’ll provide suggested reading prior to some sessions. These are not compulsory for participation, but the aim is to provide a good foundation for discussion.

5. When referencing research or other sources of information, please provide a link if possible, so anyone who is interested can follow up. You can share these in the chat window.
Please don't use the chat window for side discussions though - we'd like everyone to be involved in the main conversation.

Get in touch if you have any questions... We can’t wait to explore ideas with you!

 
 
 

Goldilocks and the Three bears, Jane Austen, Thomas Hardy, Lords Byron and Tennyson, a Nobel Laureate for literature, Dr Samuel Johnson, and many more literati have local connections. Enjoy a stroll around the north of Streatham visiting locations connected to it's famous literati.

Start time: 10.30 am We will be at the cafe from 10 for a 10.30 start.

Meeting Point: Perfect Blend Cafe opposite Streatham Hill Train station. A short bus ride from from Brixton tube station.

To see a map of the walk go to:- https://www.lambethlocalhistoryforum.org.uk/walks/

End Point: Streatham Hill Station

Distance: 8 km , mainly flat on footpaths suitable for wheelchairs.

Finish Time (approx.): 1.30 pm we can take a late Lunch at one of the many eateries along the last 15 minutes of the walk. To be decided by popular vote.

A voluntary donation of £3 is suggested -but first-timers are welcome to give us a free trial. If you prefer you can pay online by clicking here (https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=ZWCNRJ25BDL96)

We encourage dialogue, debate and sharing of information on our site but ask people to keep their comments cordial. Any views expressed here are those of the individual posting them and may not reflect those of the CLHG.