March 2018

 Saturday 10th March 1.15pm lunch  Wednesday 28th March 7.30pm Moordown Community Centre, Coronation Green House Hotel, Grove Road, BH1 3AX Avenue, BH9 1TW How to Change Prisons Members’ Annual Lunch A talk by Rob Preece, who is and AGM Campaigns and Communications Manager at the Howard League for Penal Reform. Overcrowded prisons are a menace to society. As we send more and more people to prison, more and more people are swept into deeper currents of violence, drugs, frustration and mental distress. Incidents of assault and self-injury in prisons have risen to record levels. In 2016, prisoners in lost Dorset Humanists is a community group their lives through suicide at a rate of one which has provided a friendly meeting place every three days. If we want prisons to be for non-religious people in Bournemouth places of genuine reform, where people and surrounding areas for over twenty leave less likely to commit crime, we must years. We have established ourselves as a ask ourselves hard questions about how respected voice for reason and humanity, and why we use them – and take steps to and Humanists UK has recognised that we improve them. are one of its most successful partner Since joining the Howard League in 2012, groups. None of this would be possible Rob has worked on some of the charity’s without the loyalty and support of our most successful campaigns. They include subscribing members and so, as a ‘thank the award-winning ‘Books For Prisoners’ you’, we are providing a complimentary campaign, which overturned government buffet lunch prior to our AGM. Visitors are restrictions on prisoners receiving books also very welcome to attend but we ask for from family and friends. A trained journalist, a £3.00 donation for lunch – or you can join he lobbies decision-makers and gives Dorset Humanists on the day! Our AGM is a media interviews and presentations on sociable, enjoyable, and sometimes behalf of the charity. controversial event. Please join us to have The Howard League for Penal Reform is the your say on the future of Dorset Humanists. oldest penal reform charity in the UK. Lunch starts at 1.15pm. AGM starts at 2.15.

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dorsethumanists.co.uk @dorsethumanists Dorset Humanists meetup.com/Dorset-Humanists  Thursday 5th April 7.30pm and every Future dates for your diary… first Thursday evening of the month at Moon th in the Square, Exeter Rd, BH2 5AQ  Saturday 14 April 2.00pm Moordown Learning to Live Well Together. A talk by Dr Pub socials Allan Hayes. th Enjoy stimulating conversation  Weds 25 April 7.30pm Green House over a drink or two at our pub Face to Faith: Christians and Humanists in social evening. Look out for the Dorset Conversation. David Warden and John Humanists signs on the table. We warmly Macdiarmid. welcome regulars and newcomers.  Dean 07713 858773 Other events of interest…  Wednesday 7th March 7.30pm Sandford Heritage Hall, Sandford Rd, Nr Sunday Walks Wareham, BH20 7AJ (Next to Pine Martin Grange Care Home) ‘Out of the Box’ 18th March – A pleasant Humanist/Christian dialogue group presents local walk of about 6 miles (shortcuts possible) taking in parts of Privilege and Inequality Meyrick Park, Talbot Heath, Coy Pond and Lower and Upper Gardens. Rearranged A discussion led by Andrew Salmon. from January and hoping for better weather.  Wednesday 14th March 7.30pm Meet at War Memorial near Town Hall. Skeptics in the Pub at Brunswick Pub, 199 15th April – Bluebells in Roydon Woods. Malmesbury Park Rd, BH8 8PX. £3 About 6 miles around the nature reserve, which is near to Brockenhurst in the New Sense, Nonsense, and Everything In Forest. With luck this should be at the right Between: The Psychology of time to see the bluebells. Conspiracy Theories All walks are between about 6 and 9 miles Speaker Dr Mike Wood is a Lecturer in and usually have an optional short cut. Psychology at the University of Winchester, Please check Meetup for further details and where he teaches social psychology and

any l ast minute cancellations due to conducts research on conspiracy theories. weather conditions. Phil  07817 260498  Thursday 22nd March 7.30pm Elstead Hotel, Knyveton Road, £2.00. Short Talks Bournemouth Labour Party presents an evening with:  Wednesday 21st March 7.30pm Green House Hotel, Professor Steve Keen Grove Road, BH1 3AX. £2.00-3.00 donation requested. If you are not a member of the Labour Party it is essential to register your interest in this and Morality from talk by 15th March by emailing [email protected] a Humanist Perspective Steve Keen, author of Debunking This will be a report from the Dorset Economics and Can We Avoid Another Humanists Ethics Working Group, which Financial Crisis? is one of a handful of has been meeting over the last year to international economists who predicted the investigate and discuss the subject. global crash of 2008. Tonight he will address the question ‘Is the government Each talk is around 20 minutes followed by economically illiterate and intellectually questions and discussion. See Meetup for bankrupt?’. further details.

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dorsethumanists.co.uk @dorsethumanists Dorset Humanists meetup.com/Dorset-Humanists  3rd – 23rd April or anger. He has been attending Dorset Bournemouth Library (Triangle). Amnesty Humanists meetings since about 2007 and International presents: became a member in about 2012. Photography Exhibition Simon established our Ethics Working Group in 2017 which is a group of eight The main focus of the exhibition is the members of Dorset Humanists who have historic plight of refugees and will feature 30 explored ethical issues in depth over the photographs taken by photographers from last year. It is scheduled to give a short talk the Magnum agency over the past 70 years. about its initial conclusions in March.

 Friday 11th May ‒ Sunday 13th May Having enjoyed ten years of excellent talks and a social life from Dorset Humanists, Weekend Retreat: 'NOT a Digital Detox: Simon feels it is important to give his own How to feel better without logging off'. time by serving on our committee to repay what Dorset Humanists has done for him. Last year, Dorset Humanists member Sue He wants to make sure that we continue to Thomas gave us a short talk about her book attract national class speakers who 'Nature and Wellbeing in the Digital Age'. generate stimulating discussions on social She has been invited by the Othona and scientific issues. If there is sufficient Community, near Burton Bradstock, to run a interest, he would like to establish a retreat reflecting upon our online lives and Humanist choir, particularly enjoying secular our place in nature. More information here carols around Christmas. Simon Whipple in schools As announced in last Cathy Silman presented the ‘three main month’s Bulletin, Simon concepts’ of Humanism to an audience of Whipple has been co- primary school teachers at the launch of a opted onto Dorset revised Dorset RE syllabus. Several Humanists Committee. contacts and leads were made for possible Simon has agreed to school visits. allow his name to be David Warden visited Bishop Aldhelm’s put forward for election primary school in Poole at our AGM. and answered challenging questions from Simon graduated from the University of St 60 eleven-year-olds on evolution and the Andrews with an honours degree in Big Bang. philosophy. He was a junior officer in the Army and then a solicitor specialising in Social Welfare Law. He has served on Still paying your sub committees throughout his working life, notably as chairman of the committee which with old money? established the Surrey Law Centre in 2001, If you pay your annual subscription to and President of Hampshire Law Society Dorset Humanists by cheque or cash this is 2013/14. greatly appreciated but it creates a Simon is divorced, with two adult sons who headache for us throughout the year when are both (to his embarrassment!) we need to send out reminders, sometimes evangelical Christians. He has lived in the several. Many members have switched to a New Forest near Christchurch since 2002. simple and safe Direct Debit system. You could help Cathy our Membership Secretary An atheist since the age of nine, Simon was enormously by following their example. brought up in the Church of England and Please contact her for details. enjoys church rituals and especially church music. He attends church services  Cathy Silman 01202 740550 infrequently without any feeling of hypocrisy  [email protected]

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dorsethumanists.co.uk @dorsethumanists Dorset Humanists meetup.com/Dorset-Humanists Digital assistants such as Alexa, Google What Next for Humans Assistant, Siri, and Cortana are becoming increasingly popular. Some companies are in an Age of Machines? also using ‘c hatbot s’ for customer service Ninety people packed into purposes but Kate informed us of one the Purbeck Lounge at the chatbot that became increasingly fascist by Bournemouth International absorbing and reinforcing the biases of the Centre to celebrate Darwin humans it was chatting with. Day and to hear Kate Companion care robots can help people to Devlin’s fascinating glimpse live independently in their own homes. into the future of humans Japan is a world leader in this sector. A and artificial intelligence. robot called Robear can help with moving and handling but users need to ensure that ate commenced her talk with some it is fully charged to avoid accidents! rhetorical questions: “Are we all going Companion robots can have applications to K to die? Will we turn into machines? help patients with dementia and children Or can we live in harmony with artificial with autism. Robot pets can be therapeutic intelligence?” She also shared the first and they leave no mess! We can establish verse of Richard Brautigan’s poem “All empathy quite easily with such machines. Watched Over By Machines Of Loving Robot ethicists are concerned however that Grace”: this amounts to a form of deception. Should I like to think (and we put such robots in a shell that looks the sooner the better!) human? Could such machines have non- of a cybernetic meadow human sentience? It’s very hard to identify where mammals and computers what consciousness is in any case. Would live together in mutually care robots deprive people of real human programming harmony contact or can we benefit from both? If we like pure water keep old people in their homes will this touching clear sky. exacerbate the housing crisis? The applications of AI include robot vacuum One of Kate’s research topics is ‘intimate cleaners, bomb disposal machines, relationships with technology’. Can we have autonomous weapons, machines which will love, companionship, attachment, and sex be able to carry out surgery better than with machines? There is a new wave of sex humans, and machines which can read your technology which is of particular interest to emotions. disabled communities and for long-distance relationships. Life-sized silicon Kate made a distinction between AI and hypersexualised female robots are not yet robots: AI is analogous to the human brain commercially available but they are being and robots to the human body. She also developed in prototype. This raises another made a distinction between ‘narrow AI’ set of ethical questions. There is a worrying (machines that can play chess) and the type emphasis on the female form and can a of AI that can accomplish ‘deep learning’ robot be raped? Would this perpetuate and the ability to play abstract strategy sexual violence? Kate claimed that violent games like Go. Artificial intelligence needs a computer games haven’t spilled over into lot of data which it can then use to make real life. But should we ban something connections much more rapidly than because we find it distasteful? Some people humans. Deep learning is characterised by claim to be happier with non-human artificial neural networks which mimic the companions but Kate also asked whether human brain. human-like robots freak us out because Computers are not very good yet at they look like dead bodies. recognising the difference between a cat Kate also warned us of the dangers of and a dog although Google decided to hacking. Sex robots could reveal your teach its algorithms to recognise cats.

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dorsethumanists.co.uk @dorsethumanists Dorset Humanists meetup.com/Dorset-Humanists deepest perversions to complete strangers. Some researchers are concerned that ‘sex Humanist Pledge at robots may literally fuck us to death’ because unlike human partners they don’t Holocaust Memorial Day get tired. Maggie Pepin Kate reminded us that machines already The theme for this year’s building a detailed profile of your life. All HMD at the Bournemouth such data is biased however because the International Centre was people who can’t afford the technology are ‘The Power of Words’ and not being represented. these are the words I said In the distant future transhumanists are at the event: asking whether we will merge with “We have to be so careful machines to become cyborgs. We are how we use words don’t already using pacemakers, contact lenses, we?. How we think of and how we refer to and other bits of technology to enhance our other people is paramount. Stereotyping bodies’ capabilities. In the future will an elite leads to prejudice, prejudice to mockery and have brain implants? Those who can afford persecution, persecution to genocide. it will upgrade but will this create a two-tier system? The future may be exciting but we And what do we call ourselves? This year need to keep an eye on it. the British Humanist Association became Humanists UK, so that's what I'm known as Despite concerns and some scary now. But I'm still the same person. What are scenarios, Kate is an optimist because you? What are you proud to be? You could there is always a counter to optimism. She say, 'I support human rights because I'm a reminded us that Socrates thought that ...' and name your nationality or your writing would be the death of memory. We religion or a group you belong to ... But, you asked the audience if they were optimistic know, in your heart you support human and excited, pessimistic and terrified, or rights because you're a human. We all are sitting on the fence. A few were pessimistic and our similarities far outweigh the sum of and terrified and the rest were split between our differences. optimism and sitting on the fence. I beg you again, as I always do, to Kate concluded her talk with the last verse acknowledge our common heritage, our of the Richard Brautigan’s poem: common humanity, and to stand, if you are I like to think able, while I read the pledge: (it has to be!) We pledge ourselves of a cybernetic ecology To give equal value to each and every where we are free of our labors person and joined back to nature, However different they may be from us returned to our mammal To establish justice and peace brothers and sisters, To feed the hungry and heal; the broken and all watched over To welcome the refugee and the stranger by machines of loving grace. To console the bereaved  Kate Devlin is a Senior Lecturer in To bring hope to those in want Human Computer Interaction and Artificial So that all may rejoice in liberty Intelligence at Goldsmiths, University of That is the right of every human being.” London. She was recently named as one of London's most influential people.  See Letters & Emails for a link to a Sam Harris TED talk on AI.

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dorsethumanists.co.uk @dorsethumanists Dorset Humanists meetup.com/Dorset-Humanists Studdert Kennedy High and Lifted Up in : A which the poet writes that ‘I hate the God of Power on His hellish heavenly throne, Contradiction in Terms? Looking down on rape and murder, hearing little children moan… The very God of At our February ‘Out of the Box’ dialogue Heaven is not Power, but Power of Love.’ meeting in Sandford, retired vicar and author Hugh Maddox outlined a set of For Hugh, the resurrection means that beliefs he refers to as ‘Christian Humanism’. ‘failure and death are not the end – new life is always available and death is not the ugh began his talk by sharing his end’. understanding of Humanism. He said Hugh noted that the Bible is an anthology H it means being open minded and that and that the book of Leviticus is full of life and its origins can be explained in socialist legislation. He described the Bible scientific terms. He spoke about the ‘false as ‘a love letter from God’ and that he hears gods’ of individualism and materialism and God speaking to him through it. that we belong to each other and the earth. He accepted that ‘religious experience’ can Hugh described prayer as an activity which more or less be explained in psychological ‘takes you out of yourself’ and helps you ‘to terms but not ‘explained away’. look at the world through the eyes of God who must weep at all the refugees, poverty Hugh said that he does not believe in a God etc’. Through prayer Hugh asks ‘Dear God, who is a separate, male, human-type being, what do you want to do with me ?’. who intervenes and who judges, and who required the sacrifice of his son in order to On miracles, Hugh is open minded. He appease his anger. He said he would be explains some in rational terms, for example prepared to machine-gun a God like this. he thinks that Jesus inspired 5,000 people Instead, he defined God as ‘that which was to share their picnics with each other rather at the very beginning and will be at the end, than performing a miracle with a few loaves the source of everything that is, the basic and fishes. On the other hand, he heard principle in everything that is animal, about or witnessed the disappearance of an vegetable or mineral, which is outside time. untreatable mole on a woman’s arm and He described this as a ‘colossal thought’ thinks this was a possible miracle. which is an indefinable mystery. He thinks that the used Hugh has given up the idea that God to be tolerant but that it has become more intervenes. Instead, God works ‘through missionary, aggressive, and wanting to ban nature’. God can influence us to the extent prayers. He mentioned the National Secular that we are willing to be open. Society in this regard. He said that cathedrals are used for ‘common grief’. A constant theme throughout Hugh’s talk was that although he does not believe in a Religion is not about believing a whole load separate male human type of God he of daft things but about having an attitude to nevertheless relates to him or it ‘as if’ to a life which includes compassion, honesty, mother or father. He ‘lives with paradox’. He wonder, gratitude, and acceptance. believes that God has total love for us and In the Q&A session, Hugh said that he that he handed the world to us and refuses ‘believes in love’ and has to live by it. He to interfere – like a human parent who wasn’t sure that he would if he didn’t believe refuses to interfere. Hugh also said that in the source of this love. ‘God himself suffers’ and that Calvary [the crucifixion] shows us the suffering of God.  Hugh’s book Tales of a Huggable Vicar Jesus is ‘the human face of God’. [This was (2012) is a readable and entertaining a reference to a book by John Robinson, autobiography. the Bishop of Woolwich who caused a storm in the 1960s with his book Honest to God.] Hugh quoted a poem by G. A.

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dorsethumanists.co.uk @dorsethumanists Dorset Humanists meetup.com/Dorset-Humanists that made me glad to get away from the Christian Humanism? A suffocating fog of theology. response Hugh said that the humanist movement has become less tolerant and more aggressive. recognise Hugh’s set of beliefs as a brief He thinks that the church can cater for phase I went through on my journey from believers and unbelievers alike when I evangelicalism to . It is variously needed for a response to disasters. I am described as ‘liberal’ or ‘radical’ Christianity reluctant to criticise Hugh who is one of the and sometimes as ‘Christian humanism’. nicest vicars you could hope to meet but I Hugh appears to accept science and yet he think he has an old-fashioned and rather wants to go beyond it to some kind of arrogant belief that the Church of England ‘ultimate source’. In the Q&A session when I can cater for everyone’s pastoral and asked him if he was making factual claims spiritual needs. It’s simply not true, as the about this he said that ‘factual’ was a bit too increasing popularity of humanist strong. When I suggested ‘hunch’ he and humanist pastoral care shows. seemed more comfortable with that. On miracles, Hugh seems unaware that the What I like most about Hugh’s take on story of Jesus feeding 5,000 people is Christianity is his repudiation of the God of simply a rewrite of a story from the book of 1 power although I was taken aback when he Kings. The gospels are creative fiction, not said he could take a machine gun to such a historical reports. On the spontaneous God and surprised that none of the disappearance of a mole this is surely a Christians present challenged him on this common occurrence. I’ve had a mole violent imagery. For Hugh, God is love and disappear from my own back. the source of love. Jesus is ‘the human face So does Hugh believe a whole load of daft of God’ and his death by crucifixion ‘shows things? I think I would characterise Hugh’s us that God himself suffers’. version of Christianity as wanting to have For a talk billed as ‘Christian Humanism’ I your cake and eat it. It is a belief system felt that Hugh’s account of Humanism was based on emotion and sentiment which far too brief and unsatisfying. He said it presupposes, but does not try to prove, entailed accepting science, believing that some theological beliefs about the ultimate we belong to each other and the earth, and nature of reality. Hugh doubts that his repudiating the ‘false gods’ of individualism commitment to love would be as secure if and materialism. There was nothing here he did not think that ‘God’ was the source of about living a full human life, perhaps love. The difference between Hugh and me because Hugh denies that death is the is that I do not share these presuppositions cessation of life. I appreciate Hugh’s focus and nor do I think they are necessary in on love but there is also a rather gloomy order to be fully committed to the human preoccupation with suffering in his outlook. values of compassion, honesty, wonder, Hugh’s human icon is the crucified Christ. In gratitude, and acceptance. Hugh’s belief the humanist tradition I want to point to system is more Christian than Humanist icons of human health, vigour, proportion, although I acknowledge and welcome the and beauty like Leonardo’s Vitruvian Man or fact that we have a lot in common in terms Michelangelo’s David. of values. Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of David Warden Hugh’s talk was his insistence that God is not a separate, male, human-type entity but  This response replaces Chairman’s View at the same time Hugh relates to him/it as if this month. David graduated with a degree he/it is a father: in other words, a separate, in theology from the University of Kent in male, human-type entity in a parental role. 1982. Hugh played the classic get-out-jail-free card by saying that we have to ‘live with 1 Elisha multiplied twenty barley loaves to feed paradox’. It was this kind of double-speak 100 men in 2 Kings 4:42-44

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dorsethumanists.co.uk @dorsethumanists Dorset Humanists meetup.com/Dorset-Humanists hence will be able create universes or even God!!! Watch Sam Harris TED talk here: Can we Letters build AI without losing control over it? & Emails From Martin Brennan I am still enjoying life in Japan, the land of It’s your column… the robots! I enjoyed your Facebook post about Kate Devlin's talk. Do you know if anyone is using the term 'roman' for robot- From Carol Wilcox, Secretary of Labour human hybrids? I don't know whether I Land Campaign invented it or not, but I have been using it for several years and have never seen it in I don't get along to meetings and am not print. active, but I want to say how much I appreciate the bulletin. I was very interested From Roger West in Sarah Goode's good work and your I want to help in my own way to make our article with regard to dialogue with religious society better. When I was a Councillor I groups. On the question of money creation I worked as an independent and did what my recommend Reclaiming the State (2017) by residents wanted and championed their William Mitchell and Thomas Fazi which I causes. I didn't then know the expression believe to be more grounded than Positive 'representative democracy' but I was in fact Money, but the Positive Money campaign working to that principle. We hear daily on has done a wonderful job in raising the the radio that Local Government is now no issue. Our Labour Land Campaign chair longer fit for purpose. None of the political was saying recently that we could do with parties want to challenge it as it is a way to learning from Positive Money on how to bolster up the national parties. A possible connect. answer is an Elected Mayor because at least he/she can be kicked out of office. From George R, Morocco From Aaron Darkwood I have just finished reading by which is not I was quite saddened available in Morocco, so I asked a friend to to see renowned bring a copy from the States. Strangely Humanist and writer enough, much of the content is what I had on the thought when I was around 13 years of age. BBC news site talking I then told my parents I no longer wanted to about his prostate follow the Catholic faith. They were open- cancer experience, but minded enough to accept my decision. pleased he is now recovering. As a person who has had testicular cancer I like to From Graham Marshall spread awareness of these things. So if you are a man under 40, please check your I feel that Artificial Intelligence will be MUCH genital regions at least weekly for any more important than cute robots to please abnormalities, lumps or swelling. Testicular lonely and sex-starved people. One day we cancer typically has no pain so catch it early will be amazed to know that we once rather than ignore anything. For those of us trusted doctors with limited and outdated over 40 it's very wise to get prostate human knowledge. We will be diagnosed by screening which can be just a blood test. ‘AI doctors’ with all human medical Finger probing is only done in suspected knowledge at their disposal and experience cases ‒ I know this can be a deterrent to of all people who showed similar symptoms getting checked. As this one is a killer, don't ‒ not just the one the doctor treated twenty put it off. years ago. Perhaps the AI of a million years

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dorsethumanists.co.uk @dorsethumanists Dorset Humanists meetup.com/Dorset-Humanists