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Humanist Association of Toronto |
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| February, 2007 - "Leaving Islam" - Three presenters (2 members of HAT and one practicing Muslim) |
| September 2006 - "Are You Ready for the Rapture?" - Peter Kastner (poet/singer/songwriter/actor) |
| June 2006 - "Reflections of an Ex-Seminarian - An Irreverent Look at Reverence" - Rick Salutin (Globe & Mail Columnist, Playwright, Social Activist). |
| May 2006 - D. J. Grothe, "Extremist
Religious Threats to our Freedoms" D. J. Grothe is the coordinator of the U.S. Campus Freethought Alliance. |
| April 2006 - "Canada's Non-Religious
Millions, How Do We Reach Them?" Dr. Robert Buckman, President, Humanist Association of Canada. |
| February 2006 - American
Backlash Michael Adams, best-selling author and President of Environics Research, discusses some of the data included in his new book, which tells the previously "untold story of social change in the United States," and what the fragmenting of American values means for Canada and the world." |
| January 2006 - We Are All
Africans Philosopher and evolutionist
Christopher di Carlo
presents new data about human evolution and racism and describes how his
teachings have "led to student complaints, curtailment of freedom of speech and
potential loss of employment at (at least) one university." See the
Press Release. |
| December 2005 - "Supernatural Beliefs - Are
They Natural?" A joint meeting with the Ontario Skeptics for a presentation by HAT Spokesperson Michael Schulman. Michael will use evidence from archaeology, anthropology, sociology, psychology and neurology to explain the origins and persistence of beliefs in supernatural forces and creatures, from gods to goblins, angels to astrology. |
| November 2005 - National Security
Certificates - Dangers & Alternatives Guest speaker, Guidy Mamann is the senior lawyer at Mamann & Associates. 40 Years ago he immigrated to Canada from Morocco in the company of his father, mother and two siblings. He graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1985, and has been practising immigration law since being called to the Ontario bar in 1987. He was formerly employed as an Immigration Officer at Toronto's Pearson Airport. He is certified as a Specialist in Immigration Law and is one of 28 lawyers in Ontario to hold such a designation. He presently writes a regular column for the METRO News paper. Mr. Mamann will address: What the system does. The conditions in which detainees are held. Offer alternative approaches. |
| October 2005 - Knowledge and
Civilization - Dr. Barry Allen Guest speaker, Dr. Barry Allen, received his Ph.D. in philosophy from Princeton University and taught at the University of Chicago and Hebrew University before joining the philosophy department at McMaster University. He is the author of Truth in Philosophy and Knowledge and Civilization as well as articles on Foucault, Nietzsche, and Pragmatism. His critique of traditional philosophical approaches to knowledge and the truth has enormous implications for contemporary humanist thinking. |
| September 2005 - Climate Change and the
Moral Dilemmas it Presents Guest speaker, Mary Pattenden, is the Director of Climate Change Programme at Pollution Probe, one of Canada's oldest and most respected environmental organizations. Previous to this she was the Director of Development for the International Council for Local Environmental Intiatives, which works with cities worldwide and has also produced television programming on the environment and health issues for CBC and TVOntario. Climate Change is one of the greatest threats today and it is presenting us with profound moral dilemmas as we make decisions regarding its impacts. With concerted early action to mitigate climate change, we can expect severe impacts on natural, cultural and economic systems worldwide over the next century. With delayed action, the impacts in some areas will be catastrophic. The moral dilemmas of mitigating and responding to these impacts have international, intergenerational and interspecies dimensions. How we deal with them today will profoundly affect the lives of future generations. |
| June 2005 - "The Ritual Gap: Ideas for a populist, humanist movement " - Gail McCabe. |
| May 2005 - "Astronomical Events of 1066: Divergent Ideas" - Lister Sinclair. |
| April 2005 - "Literary Surprises in
Toronto" - Greg Gatenby. Greg Gatenby was born in Toronto in 1950. He has published several books of poetry, but is perhaps better known as an author for a) his two anthologies about dolphins and whales in art, music and literature, b) for his further two books examining how foreign writers have written about Canada, and c) for his acclaimed Toronto: A Literary Guide. In addition to his work as a writer, Greg Gatenby was, until recently, the Artistic Director of the annual International Festival of Authors and of the weekly Harbourfront Reading Series, a post he assumed shortly after the inception of the program in 1974. Under his directorship, the program featured readings and talks by more than 4,000 authors--including fourteen Nobel laureates--from more than 90 nations. The program--and Greg Gatenby—have received major profiles in the world's leading periodicals. Time Magazine, for example, declared that he had, more than anyone else in the city, helped to make Toronto one of the literary capitals of the northern hemisphere. The program and his directorship have also received singular praise from Newsweek, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Times of London, Le Monde, the Sydney Morning Herald, the Asahi Shinbun, Corriere della Sera, and El Pais among many others--and the Los Angeles Times described his program as the "Olympics of world literature." In 1989 Greg Gatenby was given the City of Toronto Literary Award, an honour conferred annually upon a person who has made an outstanding contribution to Toronto letters. The previous winners of the Prize were Margaret Atwood and Michael Ondaatje. In 1991 he was made an Honorary Lifetime Member of the League of Canadian Poets. And in the year 2000 he was named to the Order of Canada, the highest honour that can be conferred on civilians in his native land. Since the late 1970s, Greg Gatenby has been an outspoken advocate for authors, and for freedom of expression. He was one of the five founding members of the reconstituted PEN Canadian Centre, and one of the four principal organizers of the PEN World Congress in Toronto in 1989. He also served on the reconstituted board of the Writers Development Trust, helping that organization find its feet and re-establish itself as one of the leading literary organizations in the country. For two years in the early 1990s he hosted a television book-show for TV-Ontario, and for some years was the chief book reviewer on the flagship arts program of CBC Radio. In 2002 he also hosted a program called "Authors at Harbourfront" for the national Book TV Network. He has given readings from his own work--and has given talks and lectures about Canadian literature--in most of the European nations, as well as in the USA, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, China, and Taiwan. Currently, Greg Gatenby is overseeing the establishment of the world’s first Festival of International Visual Artists. In addition, he is a columnist for Books In Canada. Details of Greg Gatenby's awards and publications |
| February 2005 - “Some Ethical
Principles for Understanding Intersex” Guest speaker Morgan Holmes, Assistant Professor of Sociology at Wilfred Laurier University, is a well known and respected authority on the subject of our February talk. More frequently than one might expect, a child is born, healthy in every respect except that he or she cannot readily be assigned a gender. Is the child male or female? Parents cannot help thinking of friends and neighbours asking the same question. Then there is the school yard and the naïve cruelty of other children. Social, cultural, and physiological factors come into play. Medical science has its traditions, often surgical, with questionable results. Parents are presented with agonizing decisions. |
| January 2005 - Barry Zwicker, "The Great
Conspiracy: The 9/11 News Special You Never Saw" Read Barry Zwicker's biography. |
| December 2004 - Rick Green, Frankenstein Battles Van Gogh - Science vs. the Arts |
| November 2004 - Religion and Mirages - Pluses and Minuses - Guest speaker: Dr. ROBERT BUCKMAN, oncologist, author, TV personality and President of the Humanist Association of Canada. |
| November 2004 - Humanist Lectures by Bill Cooke - Guest lecturer: Bill Cooke. |
| October 2004 - Sharia Law and You - Guest lecturer: Homa Arjomand has been a committed activist for women’s and children’s rights and needs. From the age of 17 in Iran it has been impossible for her to look away when injustice stared her in the face. Whether it was being jailed or being fired, there was no threat or negative experience that deterred her. When it seemed that Sharia Law might be instituted as part of the legal structure of Ontario, she leapt into action and formed the Campaign Against Sharia Court in Canada. It was clear to her that such a court would be detrimental to Canadian Society as a whole, and would be particularly onerous for Muslim women and children.She has been tireless in the battle to keep our laws secular and contemporary. The opposition to Sharia is founded upon the principle of one law for all. While this fight has been initiated by the introduction of Sharia courts, the battle is against all religious decisions being supported and enforced by the courts and police of Ontario. The battle is for secularism and equality. |
| September 2004 - Mob Rule: Pot, the Law, and Organized Crime: '20s Prohibition All Over Again - Guest speaker: James Dubro for the past three decades has been a well-known writer on organized crime and policing, a documentarian and an author. He has published five best-selling books, including “Mob Rule” and “Dragons of Crime.” He has helped produce many major television documentaries, including the famed award-winning CBC television “Connections” series on organized crime, and CITY-TV’s, “Rough Cuts” and “Witness.” He co-authored the definition of organized crime for the “Canadian Encyclopedia.” He is the past President of the Crime Writers of Canada (CWC), recipient of the CWC’s Arthur Ellis Award in 2002 and a contributor to magazines as diverse as Canadian Business, Icon, Hamilton Magazine, “Xtra”, Toronto Life, and Eighteenth Century Life. He has a BA from Boston University, an MA from Columbia University and has taught biography and eighteenth century literature at Victoria College at the University of Toronto. He has recently written a critical introduction to a new edition of Morley Callaghan’s first novel, “Strange Fugitive,” for Exile Editions, Toronto, due Fall 2004. |
| May 2004 - Unlearning Oppression ~ Encountering the Aboriginal World-View - Guest speaker: Ann Pohl, founding member of the Coalition for the Advancement of Aboriginal Studies and Spokesperson for the Coalition for a Public Inquiry into Ipperwash, talks about "what we know, don't know, mis-know and dis-know" about Canada's First Peoples. |
| April 2004 - Islam & Islamic Law: The Threat to Canada and the World - Guest Speaker: Fatemolla, journalist, playwright and human rights activist, on Islam's approach to human rights and the highly controversial current attempts to introduce Islamic Sharia law into Canada's system of civil justice. |
| March 2004 - Paradoxes of Happiness: An Anti-Theological View - Guest speaker: Dr. Ronald de Sousa, Professor, University of Toronto Department of Philosophy. Dr. de Sousa, a sought-after speaker at philosophy symposia around the world, is the author of the book "The Rationality of Emotion" and dozens of journal articles on the role of the emotions in cognition, ethics and aesthetics. |
| Febuary 2004 - 9/11 ~ The Untold Story - Guest Speaker BARRIE ZWICKER, journalist, broadcaster, Humanist and Executive Director of the International Inquiry Into 9/11 to be held at the University of Toronto this summer, presents evidence of the Bush administration's complicity in the 9/11 attacks. |
| January 2004 - Small Fish in Big & Small Ponds: Humanism in Canada & Elsewhere - Guest Speaker DR. ROBERT BUCKMAN, physician, author, TV personality and President of the Humanist Association Of Canada, will bring us up to date on the progress of Humanism here and abroad. |
| December 2003 - Fire & Ice, the U.S. and Canada and the Myth of Diverging Values - As one of Canada's leading market researchers, MICHAEL ADAMS speaks to us on the topic of his recent book of the same title. While it may appear that Canada & the US are bosom buddies, this may not be the case when considering the rapid changes occurring within the two countries vis-a-vis religion and "traditional values." |
| November 2003 - Can a Skeptic also be a "believer"? - While there are more than a few "un-believers" in our Humanist Association, ERIC MCMILLAN, President of the "Ontario Skeptics Society for Critical Inquiry" feels confident that he can defend a position that being a "Skeptic is not in conflict with also believing in God. Can he pull this rabbit out of the HAT? Come and see! |
| Sept 2003 - Prostitution and the Law - Guest Speaker VALERIE SCOTT, professional prostitute and spokesperson for the Sex Professionals of Canada argues for a change to the legal status of prostitutes; but it may not be what you think. Come and find out. |
| June 2003 - Religion and anti-religion in Science-Fiction - Guest Speaker, Nebula-award winning author ROBERT J. SAWYER, "the dean of Canadian science fiction" has written both about aliens who are deistic (Calculating God) and atheistic (Hominids), Sawyer discusses science fiction's special perspective on both religion and anti-religion. |
| May 2003 - Cyberculture: between the realm of the made and the realm of the born - Cyberculture investigates the frontiers of life; it explores the intertwining between the realm of the made and the realm of the born; it ponders the transformation of man's evolution (from the biological to the cultural). OLLIVIER DYENS, author and professor at Concordia University prepares us for the brave new world of cyborgs, thinking machines, and inorganic "life" which may eventually replace us mere mortals. |
| April 2003 - Universe on a T-Shirt - Can science uncover a single theory that explains all of physics -- a theory so elegant and simple it could fit on a T-shirt? Canadian science journalist and broadcaster DAN FALK traces the 2,500-year-old quest for the Holy Grail of physics, the "Theory of Everything. His illustrated talk explores issues of philosophy and religion encountered at the frontier of scientific enquiry. |
| March 2003 - Bertrand Russell's Politics & Humanism - Bertrand Russell, Humanist and philosopher, was noted for his sometimes controversial stands on political issues. DR. PETER STONE, adjunct professor, Univ. of Rochester Dept. of Political Science discusses how Russell's political views were (or were not) related to his Humanistic beliefs, and whether Humanism implies certain political positions. |
| February 2003 - Crime Without Punishment? - JOAN RUZSA, Co-ordinator of Rittenhouse, speaks on replacing our current system of retributive justice and imprisonment with "a better method of dealing with criminality". The goal is to close our prisons and "bring positive transformation into the lives of victims, offenders and their families." |
| January 2003 - "Dying Humanistically" - what you should know - learning the pratfalls of dying Humanistically in a religious culture. The presentations include arranging a funeral, making wills, arranging for organ donations, assuring that a non-religious ceremony is performed and tips on approaching the myriad of issues involved in dying as a Humanist. |
| December 2002 - The Trouble With Christmas - TOM FLYNN, author, editor of Free Inquiry magazine and self-styled "Anti-Claus," presents an irreverent examination of the Western world's most popular sacred cow, with a look at the holiday's bizarre past, present and future. |
| November 2002 - Does our "Voting System undermine democracy in Canada? - Canada is governed not by the majority of the voters but by a minority. WAYNE SMITH speaks about the effect of our voting system and discusses alternatives for improvement. Founded in 2000, Fair Vote Canada hopes to build a nationwide grassroots campaign for voting system reform in Canada. |
| October 2002 - God, Rage and Science - Dr. ROBERT BUCKMAN asks, When people pray are they making contact with the mind of a god, or the concept of a god in their own mind? What is the connection between god, belief, and aggression? Are humans hard-wired to collaborate in many activities, some of which include killing large numbers of other humans? Glimmerings of answers are discussed. |
| September 2002 - In Praise of Superstition - Dare we defy the supernatural forces (in which we donít believe) by launching our 2002-3 program of monthly guest speakers on Friday the 13th? Yes! Join us as we welcome celebrated author and anthologist JOHN ROBERT COLOMBO for what should be a funny and fascinating talk. |
| May 2002 - Should Religion Be a Public or Private Matter? - Dr. AUSTIN DACEY, Director of the Center for Inquiry in Amherst, New York, discusses whether "the privatization of religion" would reduce the influence of religion on political and social policy-making. |
| April 2002 - Humanism in Opera: A Personal View - JOHN RUTHERFORD, Art Head and Consultant in Art to the Toronto Board of Education, and Background Speaker for the Canadian Opera Company. Mr. Rutherford will present a new insight into some of the great musical works of art. How does religion and the Church measure up in Verdi's operas? Why, in Tosca, was Cavaradossi described as a "Voltairian? |
| March 2002 - Culture and Cognition in Human Evolution: the 'Baldwin Effect' - Dr. PAUL THOMPSON, Professor of Biology and Philosophy at the University of Toronto, is the author of numerous books and articles on evolutionary theory. He believes that the interaction of evolution with learning is an important mechanism in understanding the role of culture and cognition in evolution. |
| February 2002 - The Latimer Case - An In-depth Look at the Man, His Daughter, and the Circumstances That Led Up to His Controversial Decision - ANNE ABBOTT, a fellow member of HAT and a woman who has had Cerebral Palsy since birth, will give her views on the Latimer case. She will also give us insight into what it was like growing up and how she became a humanist. |
| January 2002 - Contraception Through the Ages - PERCY SKUY, former Chairman of the Board, Pharmaceutical Manufacturers' Association of Canada; author, Tales of Contraception; founder of the world's only museum devoted to the history of contraception. Mr. Skuy will also present a short video on one woman's fight for acceptance of contraception. |
| Dec 2001 - Bohemian Embassy Night II - Headlining the show will be singer NANCY WHITE. The HASEK family also will be performing, and we can expect a reading by GEORGE MILLER, former poet laureate of the Bohemian Embassy. Once again, the show will be ably hosted by our own DON CULLEN. |
| Nov 2001 - Supporting a Dying Person - returning to HAT for the fourth consecutive year, Dr. ROBERT BUCKMAN, oncologist, author, TV personality and President of the Humanist Association of Canada, offers suggestions on how to talk to and help someone who's dying. |
| Oct 2001 - Evolution and Morality - Harvard Anthropology Professor CHRISTOPHER DICARLO, currently Visiting Scholar, University of Guelph Department of Philosophy, discusses how and why ideas about right and wrong, co-operation and altruism developed and survived in the human species. |
| Sept 2001 - "Homelessness: The Making & Unmasking of a Crisis" - Outspoken city councillor and former mayoral candidate JACK LAYTON describes the causes of and potential cures for this increasingly serious Canadian urban problem. |
| May 2001 - No Heaven, no Hell - Humanism & Death - Guest Speaker Dr DONALD AINSLIE, Assistant Professor, University of Toronto, Deptartment of Philosophy, Member of the U of T Joint Centre for Bioethics. For Humanists, what is the meaning of death? How do we, should we cope with dying? |
| April 2001 - Investigating "Miracles" - An illustrated talk by forensic scientist Dr. JOE NICKELL, one of the world's pre-eminent investigators of so-called supernatural phenomena (saintly apparitions, bleeding and weeping icons and statues, etc.). Dr. NICKELL is Senior Research Fellow with CSICOP ~ Committee for the Scientific Investigations of Claims of the Paranormal in Amherst, New York. |
| April 2001 - Bohemian Embassy Nite - This spectacular fun-filled fund-raiser for HAT stars celebrated comic genius DAVE BROADFOOT, blues artist and HAT member MICHAL HASEK, classical mezzo-soprano BARBARA SADEGUR, folk-music legends MARY JANE & WINSTON YOUNG, composer-pianist DAVID WARRACK and emcee DON CULLEN, founder of the Bohemian Embassy. |
| March 2001 - "Human Rights" for Animals ? - Guest speaker CHARLOTTE MONTGOMERY, author of the new book "Blood Relations: Animals, Humans and Politics", will discuss some of the scientific, ethical and economic issues surrounding the growing movement for animal rights. A recent Toronto Star review of her book praised her "crisp analytical skills and moral foresight." |
| February 2001 - Keeping God in his place - Guest speaker ALAN BOROVOY, General Counsel of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, will bring us up to date on the never-ending struggle to separate church and state in Canada. |
| December 2000 - The Biology of Belief: Religion and the Brain - Guest speaker, Dr ROBERT BUCKMAN, on recent research linking fundamentalist fervour and mystical visions to the neurophysiology of the brain's temporal lobes. |
| November 2000 - Do We Still Need God? (Did "we" ever?) - Following the tremendous success of last November's symposium ("Can You Be Good Without God?") which was jointly sponsored by HAT and HAC, we will hold a similar event and, once again, HAT member and HAC President ROBERT BUCKMAN will present the case for humanism among a panel of leaders from various religious faiths. |
| November 2000 - Ancient Philosophers against Religion - Prof DOUGLAS HUTCHINSON, Associate Chairman, University of Toronto Department of Philosophy, discusses early Greek sceptics, agnostics; what they thought, said and wrote, and what happened to them. |
| October 2000 - The Circumcised Penis: Improved or Impaired? - LAWRENCE BARICHELLO, Executive Director of INTACT, will discuss the history, beliefs, laws, ethics and medical evidence surrounding male infant circumcision. |
| September 2000 - What Is Humanism? What Is a Humanist? - HAT Spokesperson SHEENA SHARP, who gives lectures on humanism to other organizations and groups, will offer her presentation to us for feedback and what will surely be a lively discussion. |
| July 2000 - Our (Belated) 10th Birthday Party- Pot-luck & Barbecue - Celebrate the first 10 years of HAT - come wish ourselves a Happy Birthday and Many More at our annual summer party! Bring some food to share and your own beverage. |
| May 2000 - Imagine Democracy - Guest Speaker: JUDY REBICK, Host of CBC-TV's Straight from the Hip and Past-President of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women, will talk about her new book on citizen activism and participatory democracy. |
| April 2000 - Magic or Medicine? The Lessons & Challenges of Complementary Remedies - Guest speaker Dr ROBERT BUCKMAN, HAT member, physician, author and President of the Humanist Association of Canada, will discuss how much of "alternative medicine" (and traditional medicine, for that matter) is really "faith healing." |
| March 2000 - Spanking - A parent's Right or a Criminal Act? - Guest speaker CHERYL MILNE, Staff Counsel for Justice for Children and Youth, will brief us on the current legal battle to amend the Criminal Code and protect Canadian children from corporal punishment. |
| February 2000 - Dying with Dignity: The Legal Issues - Guest speaker: CYNTHIA ST. JOHN, Executive Director, Dying with Dignity. Life is a sexually-transmitted terminal disease, so we might as well learn what our options for leaving it are. We'll be brought up to date on the current legal problems affecting living wills, organ donations and voluntary euthanasia. |
| January 2000 - Renew Your Hangover Party! - at the Van de Vens. Assuming we survive Y2K, we figure it will take a week to get over the "millennial" hangover. Bring pot-luck edibles to share, your own drinkables, and a musical instrument if you have one. |
| November 1999 - "The Campaign to End Public Funding of Ontario Separate Schools." RENTON PATTERSON of Civil Rights in Public Education (formerly Friends of Public Education) will bring us up to date on his organization's efforts, including a formal complaint filed with the United Nations Human Rights Committee regarding the religious discrimination inherent in the funding of Ontario's Catholic schools. |
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"Live well and help others live well." (Mario Bunge) |