Humanists monthly meeting - Join the discussion!

Once again there will have 5 topics to choose from - the only point on the day at which a definitive declaration of opinion will ever be asked for - short synopses included below thanks to local group volunteer, Callum.

Have a think about which you might have a lot in particular to say about, or, as the case may be, which you would simply like to sit back and watch be chewed over. See you then!

1. At What Point Does Free Speech Begin to Turn Into Violence, and How Can We Best Navigate This Nuance in the Quest to Maximise It?

Free speech is a fundamental pillar of a just society, but it is often underappreciated that the very act of expression itself can have relevant ethical consequences. How can a liberal democracy enable dissent and expression, for instance, whilst curtailing that - such as libel, hate speech, and incitements to violence - which would cause direct harm to others and/or undercut the same freedoms upon which they are based? And where does the likes of direct civil disobedience - such as that practiced by protest groups like ‘Extinction Rebellion’ - fit into all of this, which is to say at what point do the things we recognise as ‘speech’ and ‘coercion’ begin to shade into each other?

2. Should English Just Be Totally Degendered?

Most European languages separate their grammar into different ‘genders’, which psychological evidence demonstrates both influences how we think (bridges are described as ‘beautiful’ by speakers of languages in which the word is feminine, and ‘strong’ when it is male) and is emblematic of the human intuition’s tendency to divide the whole of reality into two rigid categories - think the ‘Gods’ and ‘Goddesses’ of nature in ancient religions. With English already being so highly degendered - only really having pronouns left - is it time we just got rid of gendering altogether?

3. Is the Social Norm of Monogamy a Remnant of Pre-Secular Morality?

Despite its sweeping transformation of society as a whole there were certain, highly-personal parts of the human condition like gender and romance that the original ‘Age of Enlightenment’ couldn’t make much of a dent in. Monogamy as a prevailing family structure is, perhaps, the most enduring example of this in the West: having (biology tells us) its evolutionary foundations in the likes of ‘mate-guarding’ behaviours that seek to maximise reproductive success by controlling the sexuality of partners that became codified into the traditional legal/religious frameworks of pre-enlightenment European cultures. With Humanism now increasingly penetrating even those formerly off-limits domains, however, might monogamy eventually take its place in retirement alongside other erstwhile ‘human universals’ like absolutism and war, or is there something about the affairs of the heart that make them uniquely, particularly exempt?

4. Should Children be Enfranchised?

Children are to be subject to the political decisions of their parents, the current system implicitly holds, until such time as they are capable of making responsible choices for themselves - the same line of argument employed to deny women’s suffrage for centuries. Clearly the analogy is far from perfect, but in a democracy just how does one decide what constitutes ‘capable’, and is it not a clear violation of the fundamental principle upon which it is based to deny such decisions to anyone at all? All being said, might it be time to give children the vote?

5. Should the Focus of Climate Management be the Long-Term Reversal, as Opposed to Mitigation, of Anthropogenic Climate Change?

Throughout the Industrial Revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries European nations liberated vast quantities of carbon in order to realise today’s developed, comfortable west, the result of which is a climate crisis they are urgently decarbonising to avert. However, those now catching up in the developing world as understandably reluctant to trade-off the ‘almost inconceivable’ benefits to human welfare that come from development in order to do the same. With the technology to permanently remove carbon from the atmosphere now existing and itself requiring huge amounts of energy to implement, we ask: might the long-term solution to climate management that doesn’t sacrifice human wellbeing actually be to increase emissions in the short-term?

Hope to see you on Sunday 10th March!

Doors open at 1.30pm for a 2pm prompt start.

We meet the second Sunday of most months at the Quaker Meeting House, 38 Elmbank Crescent, Glasgow, G2 4PS.

There is a lift that is accessible from ground level and assistance can be given. Tea and coffee will be available for a donation.

All are welcome, member or not, and we look forward to meeting friends new and old.