Links of Interest for May 11, 2017

The ISHV Cyber Think Tank is a digest of articles, interviews, video and audio, and other musings compiled by ISHV Board Member Robert B. Tapp.

ARTICLES

David Breeden, Assumptions are Imaginary But They’re not Social read

David Breeden sees current UUA turmoil in the flawed documents of the US tradition:

Following Jean-Luc Nancy, “If you don’t have freedom and rights, I don’t have freedom and rights—all I have is domination. And domination isn’t freedom or rights. Being exists because of being-with—I exist because you exist as a free agent in community exactly as I do, and visa-versa. That’s community. That’s freedom….It’s an American problem. Perhaps the US simply can’t reach consensus on this sort of social imaginary. Might one tiny little religion? Hmmmmm.” read

David Breeden. Savoring The Milquetoast: Why This Humanist Remains a Unitarian Universalist

“think the answer is an essential insight of Humanism: to universalize is to tyrannize. Universalizing Humanism, even if we think it is the only and the one true way, creates tyranny. Perhaps we think that this particular tyranny is the truth, yet the insight deconstructs itself when examined closely. Perhaps there are universal human truths; but who decides or declares that universality? Partial truth and relativized understanding appear to be the eternal human condition. This reminder may be the greatest gift of Unitarian Universalism to Humanists. UUism, with its insistence on creed-less gathering, is always going to seem a bit old fashioned and quaint to Humanist ears. Yet when we look at the religious spectrum and compare the state of UUism to the other end of the religious spectrum . . . well, milquetoast tastes very wholesome, doesn’t it? How’s that for a reminder?” read

Adam Parker, Herb Silverman reflects on his life, beliefs as a public atheist read

Michael Stone, Neil deGrasse Tyson Finds No Evidence For God’s Existence read

David Breeden, Savoring The Milquetoast: Why This Humanist Remains a Unitarian Universalist read

D. Ashley Campbell, Science Mike Building a “Christian Science” Liturgy for the Nones read

rjosephhoffmann, Our new Prezident read

Anthony B. Pinn, Humanism and the Challenge of Privilege read

Jesse Singal, Here’s a New Way for Researchers to Find Stealth Atheists read

Terry Mortenson, The Religion of Naturalism read

Steve Pinkerton, Blasphemy isn’t just a problem in the Muslim world read

AUDIO/VISUAL

Trailer for Netflix new film on Madalyn Murray O’Hair watch

Sam Harris, Reality and the Imagination (Yuval Noah) watch

Sam Harris, What Should We Eat? A Conversation with Gary Taubes watch

Steven Pinker: The Elephant, The Emperor, And The Matzo Ball (43m) watch

Stephen Fry: ‘What is a humanist ceremony?’ (2m) watch

The Darwin Day Lecture 2017, with Lawrence Krauss | Cosmic Natural Selection (1h 12m) watch

Forbidden Knowledge: A Conversation with Charles Murray (Sam Harris) watch

Steven Pinker: The Elephant, The Emperor, And The Matzo Ball (43m) watch

Stephen Fry: ‘What is a humanist ceremony?’ (2m) watch