Ethical Views March 2012 Vol. 126, No. 7 Newsletter of the Ethical Humanist Society of Philadelphia

After three decades of working to reform public schooling so that all Sunday Platforms children can get the education they need, I concede defeat. I have been Sunday, March 4, 2012 defeated by intractable resistance to making all schools great schools. For Apocalyptic Environmentalism: Is the decades we have watched as 10-15,000 End Near? Philadelphia students drop out of high school. In Philadelphia, nearly one out “Get to Know Us” Social, Hugh Taft-Morales, Leader of of every two adults is functioning at a Sunday, March 4, the Ethical Humanist Society of low-literate level. That removes two- 7:00-8:30 PM Philadelphia thirds of them from any hope of gainful employment. So why am I still an Come learn about the history Many environmental activists warn that optimist? ignoring climate change is leading to and philosophy of Ethical dramatic ecological and humanitarian Humanism. Leader Hugh Taft- catastrophe. Some say we’ve already Sunday, March 18, 2012 Morales will offer about a 30- passed the tipping point - that rising minute presentation followed sea levels and collapsed ecosystems Can Capitalism Be Fixed? by reflections from members on what Ethical Humanism means will threaten our very survival. How Hugh Taft-Morales, Leader of do we process such challenging the Ethical Humanist Society of to them. We will then open it up predictions? Do we take comfort in Philadelphia to a lively question and answer critics who denounce these activists as period. The evening offers exaggerating Cassandras? Or has the The Occupy Movement feels like a those new to ethical humanism horror of ecological apocalypse driven cry of anguish and a plea for justice. a chance to learn more about it our species into nearly suicidal denial? It results from seeing greed rule and in a relaxed atmosphere. Wine What’s a humanist to do? people suffer. What should we do? and cheese will be served! Open Is capitalism so broken that we need to the public - please RSVP to: to replace it? Can it be fixed through [email protected] Sunday, March 11, 2012 oversight and regulation? Can it be saved from within through responsible stewardship? Explore these questions Poverty, and Why I (Still) Believe We In This Issue Can Do Something About It and more with Ethical Culture Leader Page Hugh Taft-Morales. 1 Sunday Platforms; “Get to Know Judith Renyi, Executive Director, Us” Social Mayor Nutter’s Commission on 2 Top Ten Reasons to Attend Literacy Sunday, March 25, 2012 The Reason Rally on March 24 in Washington! Mayor Michael Nutter recently Spring Festival appointed Dr. Rényi to her current 3 EHSoP Enters the Virtual World; position to address adult readiness for Members of the Education Ethics on the Square; Camp Linden Volunteer Day; The Day the Universe work in the new knowledge economy. Committee, Terry Marian Martin- Murley, Chair Changed (#7); Worldly Wisdom; She was most recently Dean of the Quote-Unquote Schools of Graduate and Professional Studies at Rosemont College. Previous It’s spring! It’s spring! The bird is on 4 More Drama at the Ethical; Kate Esposito Announces B’Earth Day positions include Vice President for the wing! Time for the Spring Festival at the Ethical Society, with music, Party for Camp Linden; Darwin Day Academic Affairs at the American Celebration; Will there be debates? College of Education, President of the dance, poetry, and celebration of this NEA Foundation for the Improvement time of renewal. Weather permitting, 5 Calendar of Education, and founding Executive an invasion of the Square is not out of 6 Flower Dedications, Sunday Director of the Philadelphia Partnership the question. Morning Volunteers for Education. <> Insert - Invitation to look like a talk-show set. So, in and our relationships. As a honor of one of my daydreams to be the movement, Ethical Humanism Top Ten Reasons to next David Letterman, I offer you my shares many values with Attend The Reason “Top Ten Reasons to Attend the Reason our friends who identify as Rally on March 24 in Rally!” Drum roll, please… atheists, agnostics,freethinkers, Washington! engaged Buddhists, Unitarian • Reason number 10 to attend Universalists, deists, secular Hugh Taft-Morales the Reason Rally: Ben’s Chili humanists, and more. But we are a distinct and unique In discussions with visitors Bowl! Check it out at 1213 U Street, NW, Washington, lineament in humanism that from Europe attending humanist should be better understood. meetings like those of the International DC. The best chili since1958. Now you can eat where the This is our chance to be Humanist and Ethical Union, I often President eats! There are ambassadors for Ethical ask them, “What surprises you most veggie chiliburgers and hot Culture! about the United States?” I have dogs too. been impressed with one common • Reason number 4: Sightseeing! response: the power of religious • Reason number 9: D.C. ain’t (Have you seen the new MLK Jr. memorial yet?) fundamentalism. Perhaps never before that far away. With gas prices as they are, why not take a in our history has this force been • Reason number 3: It’s a great vacation close to home - make politically so well organized or so opportunity to remember all a weekend out of it. Try effective. the other great moments carpooling. Admittedly, the fact that on the National Mall, such the fundamentalists were behind • Reason number 8: Have coffee as King’s “I Have a Dream” Prohibition in the 1920’s is testament and bagels at Hugh’s home speech, numerous civil rights to their strength a hundred years ago. before going down to the rally. marches, and the inauguration The new wave of religious extremism, We live a pleasant half-mile of many presidents. walk from the Takoma Metro however, is more shocking given the • Reason number 2: There is Station which can whisk you liberal assumption that despite our a great lineup of speakers down to within a half mile of flaws, the United States is a modern, including: Richard Dawkins, the rally in 14 minutes. We tolerant, and educated nation. Here author of The Selfish Gene, The aren’t far from I-95 and it’s in the city upon a hill (yes, I know it Blind Watchmaker, The God much easier and cheaper to Delusion, and The Greatest is a religious metaphor -- the irony park near our house than to Show on Earth; Adam Savage, is intended) religious intolerance is park downtown. RSVP to: co-host of Mythbusters; PZ growing. Evolution is dismissed as [email protected] Myers, blogger at Pharyngula; “merely a theory,” women’s control so that I have enough coffee Taslima Nasrin, activist for of their bodies is being attacked, and and bagels! gender equality, free thought, believers in the end-times promote • Reason number 7: This may be and human rights and author apocalyptic foreign policy. of more than thirty books; But there is hope. A wide the world’s largest gathering of freethinkers and non- Lawrence Krauss, author, variety of people are resisting irrational most recently of the New York and dangerous fundamentalism. Under believers! (Yeah, you could be a little part of history.) Times bestseller, A Universe many banners -- humanism (religious From Nothing: Why There and secular) rationalism, secularism, • Reason number 6: The is Something Rather Than atheism, agnosticism, freethought, and excitement of the unexpected: Nothing; Hemant Mehta, “The skepticism -- they are gathering at the with so many freethinkers in Friendly Atheist” and chair of National Mall in Washington, DC, on one place you never know Foundation Beyond Belief; March 24th. While Ethical Humanism what may happen. David Silverman, President has its own particular unique history of American Atheists; Roy and philosophy, we can work together • Reason number 5: This is a Speckhardt, Executive Director with this broad coalition to resist great chance to explain to of the American Humanist the violation of separation of church others what is unique about Association; and Rep. Pete and state by the religious right and to Ethical Humanism -- our Stark, the first openly atheistic support reason and common sense. focus on deed before creed, member of Congress. Those of you who made it to our explicit non-theism, our the first of our Great Thinkers Series - naturalistic humanism, our • The number one reason to our own little Philadelphia contribution congregational warmth, and attend the Reason Rally: to reason - know that I set up the stage the support we give each other Reason is a good thing! <> Ethics on the EHSoP Enters the Square: Sunday, “The Day the Universe Virtual World Changed,” Installment #7 With some trepidation, I have March 18, 7:00 PM recently increased the Society’s Monday, March 19, exposure on the Internet by updating Great Thinkers and Social 7:30-9:30PM our Facebook page and uploading Reform: Ideas in Action: videos of Hugh’s platforms (and “Du Bois, Inclusion, and Power” A philosophically fun video special performances including the and gorilla act) to YouTube. Since I’ve been operating on the theory of discussion series learning by doing, these efforts are not without kinks of various kinds, simply because I have not figured out how to do things in a seamless way like linking one site with another. The corollary of the theory is that doing something is better than doing nothing. So I am offering these W. E. B. Du Bois modest efforts thus far. Hugh Taft-Morales will lead a For the curious, here’s how to catch discussion with Prof. David McBride, Come view and discuss a video series up with EHSoP activities online: Pennsylvania State University, regard- by James Burke, “The Day the Universe Changed.” Burke entertainingly explores Both Facebook and YouTube can be ing the importance of W. E. B. Du Bois, links between knowledge and reality. Join accessed under “Ethical Humanist a visionary sociologist, philosopher, Ethical Culture Leader Hugh Taft-Morales activist, and Philadelphian. We Monday, for this seventh installment Society of Philadelphia.” On called, “What the Doctor Ordered: Social YouTube other key words will access will begin the evening discussing Impacts of New Medical Knowledge.” many of our items, plus supposedly Du Bois’s groundbreaking work, Free and open to the public. related items that were not uploaded The Philadelphia Negro. As part by us. (Use Hugh Taft-Morales, of our program, Prof. Amy Hillier, phillyethics, ethical humanism, etc.) University of Pennsylvania, will WORLDLY WISDOM: A new volunteer, Vince McKenna, speak about a research, education and Discussion of Mrs. Dalloway has established a Meet-up account outreach project, “Mapping the Du which is currently being used for Bois Philadelphia Negro,” and offer signing up younger people to attend creative ways to teach about DuBois. the Great Thinkers Series. It’s already Free and open to the public. attracted a number of sign-ups for the Ben Franklin Great Thinkers This is the third in a series of event last month. You can access stimulating conversations about some this account at: http://www.meetup. of the American thinkers connected to com/Ethical-Humanist-Society-of- humanism and freethought. Tuesday, Philadelphia March 20, 7:00 PM For our own website page, go to: Camp Linden Volunteer Led by Terry Martin-Murley http://www.phillyethics.org, where Day: Saturday March 24 you can find basic information about the Society, as well as an archive Please join the Camp Linden Quote-Unquote Commi�ee and other EHSoP members of Ethical Views, all updated by for a day in the outdoors doing good, Percentage decrease in the webmaster Nick Sanders. median U.S. income during old-fashioned physical labor at our the “Great Recession”: 3.2 If you do look at our uploaded beau�ful camp in West Chester. Rides material, it would be helpful if you available from Ri�enhouse Square, During the subsequent would comment, indicating “like” or depar�ng 10:00 AM. If driving “recovery”: 6.7 yourself, please try to arrive 10:30 to a more lengthy observation to make 11:00. Our major task will be pain�ng Portion of income growth us look as active and vibrant as we the bath house. For informa�on. call since the recession going to corporate profits: 9/10 are. Jeffrey at 215-327-4579. The rain date --Betsy Lightbourn is March 31. --Harper’s Index -- Hugh goes ape; members go bananas. Must be Darwin Day. --Betsy Lightbourn When he signed on to this job as our Leader, Hugh vowed to take Ethical Humanism out onto the Square. Little did we imagine the exact scenario that More Drama at the Ethical occurred at the Darwin Day Celebration on February 4. After warning us that 1. We are repeating our one- we would be “following a monkey,” act playwriting contest of 2011, our “special guest gorilla” led a group and announcements have now of about 25 of us out on to Rittenhouse gone out locally and nationally. Square where we joined him in singing Scripts will be arriving March “The First DNA” to the tune of “The 2 through May 2, and a panel of First Noel,” punctuated with a few readers is needed to pick the gorilla sounds. winners. Contact Pat McGeever at [email protected] to After singing, the “gorilla” cavorted volunteer. around the Square engaging in a simian manner with occupants before returning 2. On Sundays this summer we to the Ethical. The performance was the will be doing readings of the finale of an evening of evolutionarily runner-up script from 2011 themed song and games designed to (July 15) and of a short play emphasize the importance of Darwin for improv (date TBA). If you and evolutionary thought today. have the chops and the urge to Pictured: (1) Hugh Taft-Morales perform, contact Pat. (gorilla), with Leonard Weeks and Sharon Wallis; (2) back inside, guests Kate Esposito Announces treat themselves to banana splits while the gorilla chomps on just bananas; B’Earth Day Party (3) gorilla dances with a female of the for Camp Linden species. (She was a doll.) So SAVE THE DATE! Catch the warbling on video: http:// I was happy back in 1970 when the first youtu.be/hoo1w_CLd9U. Earth Day was proclaimed for April 22nd since it was my birthday. Normally, I like to let my birthday just pass by with little Will there be debates? to no fanfare, and I do NOT like or want presents, but this year I’m thinking, LET’S PARTY! Announcing Upcoming Elec�ons of the Board of So, the plan, still in formulation, is a Pot Trustees of the Ethical Luck event on Sunday, April 22nd at Humanist Society of 2:00 p.m. at the Society. $10.00 if you Philadelphia at the Annual Photographs by Betsy Lightborn bring something to eat, $15.00 if you Membership Mee�ng on don’t, and the proceeds will go to the Sunday, May 20th! I think camp. Any extra donations will be greatly we‛ve been appreciated. The posi�ons of President, Vice- Me too. President and three trustees are open. upstaged. We’re hoping to do some folk or square If you are a Society member interested dancing, have a Flying Screaming in serving on the Board of Trustees, Monkey contest, play Earth Games and contact Terry Mar�n-Murley, chair of do some of the activities and play some of games the campers experience at Camp the Nomina�ng Commi�ee, at terry. Linden. Also, we’ll eat. There will be [email protected]. Your request stickers and prizes too! So, come along, for candidacy must be submi�ed in grab your monkey and let loose for Camp wri�ng no later than one month before Linden, and help make this year better the Annual Mee�ng. than ever for the kids. March 2012 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 Submissions open for 2012 one-act playwriting contest *4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11:00 a.m. Meetings Apocalyptic nvironmentalism: Is the End Near? 6:30 p.m. Education Committee Hugh Taft-Morales 7:30 p.m. Get-to-Know-Us Social Ethical Action Committee 7:30PM *11 12 13 14 15 16 17 11:00 a.m Pennsylvanians Meetings for Alternatives Poverty, and Why I (Still) to the Death 6:30 p.m. Believe We Can Do Penalty Finance Committee Something About It Meeting 7:30 p.m. Community Committee Judith Renyi 7:00pm

*1811:00 a.m. 19 20 21 22 23 24 Can Capitalism Be Fixed? 7:30 p.m. 7:00 PM Meetings Reason Rally WORDLY Hugh Taft-Morales The Day the WISDOM: 6:30 p.m. in DC Mrs. Dalloway 7:00 PM Universe EHSoP Board Amnesty Changed 10:00a.m. Ethics on the Square Terry Martin- International Camp Linden “Dubois, Inclusion & Power” Hugh Taft- Murley 7:00 p.m. Morales Volunteer Day 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 11:00 a.m Meeting Rain date for Camp Spring Festival 7:00 p.m. Camp Linden Meeting Linden I think we‛ve been That‛s upstaged. too ba-a-a-d. Again!

MARCH BIRTHDAYS *Child care provided 04 Terry Mar�n-Murley during all platforms 11 Lew Wilkinson 19 Christa Vanderbilt 23 Susan Jo Klein 26 Ruth Ann Dubb Ethical Views is published monthly Ushers - Betsy Lightbourn, except July and August. Coordinator SUNDAY March 4 - Jim Cummings & Editor, Pat McGeever Nick Sanders Layout, Janice Moore MORNING March 11 - T.B.A. Production, Dotti Wesley March 18 - T.B.A. Web Master, Nick Sanders VOLUNTEERS March 25 - Bill & Sandy Coffey*

Ethical Humanist Society *Bill and Sandy have committed of Philadelphia themselves once a month through the end of May Hugh Taft-Morales, Leader Richard L. Kiniry, Leader Emeritus Greeters - Ken Greiff, Coordinator Flower Dedications - David March 4 Ralston, Coordinator Board of Trustees March 11 - T.B.A. Temma Fishman, President March 18 Jeffrey Dubb, M.D.,Vice President March 25 Linda Richardson, Treasurer March 4 - Lyle Murley: “For Nick Sanders, Secretary Terry‛s birthday” Kate Esposito March 11 - T.B.A. Coffee Hour Lunch Arnold Fishman Cleanup Ken Greiff Marta Guttenberg March 18 - Jim Cummings: March 4 - Groups A-E (& John Betsy Lightbourn “Dedicated to my wife Adlyn” McCormick) Garry O’Rourke March 11 - Groups F-K (& Bill & Sandy March 25 - Jeffrey Dubb: “To Coffey) honor Ruth Ann‛s birthday” (215) 735 - 3456 March 18 - Groups L-O offi[email protected] March 25 - Groups P-Z www.phillyethics.org

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