New Humanist Advent Podcasts

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Which scientist or philosopher would you nominate to celebrate as we currently do Jesus on Christmas Day?
Listen to my pick of the podcasts:

• Richard Dawkins on Alfred Russell Wallace
• Tim Minchin & Josie Long on Kurt Vonnegut
• Carl Sagan's wife Ann Druyan on Hippocrates, Democritus, Ibin Al Hasein??, Giordano Bruno, Edmund Halley, Michael Faraday, Charles Darwin, Nikolai Vavilov, Carl Sagan.
• Mark Steel on Jean-Paul Marat
• Stephen Fry on Robert Hooke,
  
• Robin Ince on Carl Sagan
  
• Simon Singh on Galileo
• Laurie Taylor on his father
• Marcus Brigstocke on Wally Brocker
  

All podcasts here.

Recognise bad faith

Your chance to vote in an election that Sarah Palin might even win: the worst faith practitioner of the year

Comments (23)

• 
• • Caspar Melville
  • guardian.co.uk, Tuesday November 11 2008 16.20 GMT
  • Article history

One of the biggest complaints about us non-religious types is that ours is essentially a negative position. Rather than being "for" something in a thrusting positive "yes-we-can" type of way what defines us is that we are against – God, religion, superstition, pseudoscience. While faith-based people are all about proposing, all we do is oppose, and we do it, it is argued, in a trivialising, smug, sarcastic and cynical manner that pays insufficient respect to the feelings and deeply held beliefs of others.

Well quite. Take the New Humanist Bad Faith Awards 2008, just launched by New Humanist magazine (polls are open until the end of November). How typical that at this moment of great Obama-optimism the sceptics would launch an initiative that appears to be aimed solely at mocking. For those who are sick and tired of jumped up atheists sneering at the god-ful, then I strongly urge you not to follow this link to the online poll.

The rest of you, come on over for some superior satirical sneering.

For this year's award we have invited some of our very best contemporary mockers to introduce the shortlist by podcast. Visit the blog to hear American biologist PZ Myers put the case for Sarah Palin, columnist Johann Hari finger Rowan Williams for his sharia shenanigans, Ariane Sherine of the atheist bus campaign recount how she owes at all to Stephen Green, comedian Nick Doody recall Tony Blair's contribution to world peace, comedian Robin Ince admit to his Ann Coulter obsession, me speak for the Bond-villianish Darwin-denier Adnan Oktar and comic Natalie Haynes, in an unprecedented twist, nominate the entire board of school governors of St Monica's High School, Prestwich for their backward strides in girls' health.

Competition has been fierce since the launch last week. With over 4,500 cast so far Sarah Palin is currently ahead by the length of a hockey stick (here's a vote she just might win), with Ann Coulter and Adnan Oktar neck and neck in second and rank outsiders St Monica's governors showing surprisingly strongly with 10%. The winner will be announced in the January issue of New Humanist and online.

Of course there is a place for respectful interfaith debate and consensus building. But the Bad Faith Awards isn't it. If you feel inclined to have your say in who has made the most ridiculous faith-based statement of the year and play your part in exposing an enemy of reason, cast your vote now.

How should we brand non-belief?

reposted from: http://blog.newhumanist.org.uk/2007/10/new-humanist-editor-how-should-we-brand.html
Chris Street comments are in bright green; highlights in blockquotes (yellow).

New Humanist editor: How should we brand non-belief?

Our editor Caspar Melville posted on the Guardian's "Comment is Free" site late last week with a piece on Sam Harris's suggestion that atheists should ditch the term "atheist", along with the endless list of other labels the godless tend to employ - "humanist", "secular humanists", "rationalists", "brights" and so on.

Harris's words stand in stark contrast to Richard Dawkins' US-based "Out Campaign", aimed at encouraging atheists to "come out" and admit their non-belief, wearing T-shirts emblazoned with a big red "A" for Atheist. Dawkins was in the audience for Harris's speech to the Atheists Alliance International Conference, and afterwards said he was still thinking about his reaction to it. On Comment is Free our editor jokingly suggests he may be considering rebranding his "Out Campaign", and asks what "A" stands for if it no longer stands for "Atheist"? Needless to say Comment is Free's readers have weighed in with their suggestions. Take a look, it's all good fun.

New Humanist Update #76 (10 September 2007)

New Humanist: The magazine for free thinkers

reposted from:New Humanist Update #76 (10 September 2007)

This issue our cover story by rising star Paul Sims asks if we should be worried about the rise of radical Islam on university campuses; meanwhile veteran Pakistani journalist Maruf Khwaja warns of the nuclear threat presented by his country's deepening crisis where Jihadis are gaining the upper hand. Elsewhere, Laurie Taylor introduces our major feature on humour where Jonathan Miller (president of the Rationalist Association which publishes New Humanist), Martin Rowson and Natalie Haynes draw on their more than a century of experience making us laugh to speculate on what humour is for, scientifically speaking. Natalie (a first time author as well as a rising comedy star) pops up again to investigate the latest crop of supernatural TV shows, while Sally Feldman turns her typically forensic gaze on the renewed fixation with virginity.

Chris Street attended this talk in London - good - apart from the £50 Traffic congestion charge!

Plus Rahila Gupta on the rise of modern slavery, Yves Gingras on why scientists shouldn't indulge mysticism, and Lucy Mangan on her search for put-downs for the pious. In our reviews section there's the Vicar of Putney on why you should read the Bible, Stan Cohen on the latest from JM Coetzee as well as books on Islamic democracy, British apathy, Jewish photography and 'real' sociology. And don't miss Laurie Taylor's Endgame column where he spills the beans on the BBC's paranoia over trust.

Don't forget to keep up to date with the New Humanist blog (linked to in the newsletter). Updated daily, the blog brings you links to key articles from across the web, news of upcoming events, and links to all the silliest news stories and clips from the bizarre world of religion.

For anyone who hasn't seen a copy of the magazine, follow the link in the newsletter to order a FREE trial copy via our website.

CONTENTS

* Pakistan on the brink, Virginity on the turn, Slavery on the rise: Sep/Oct New Humanist out now

* Jonathan Miller's science of humour

* Cover story: Degrees of hate?

* Quack science: Christopher Brookmyre on why his new novel his dedicated to the debunkers of pseudo-science

* Editorial: Those calling for partition in Iraq should remember the partition of India and Pakistan

* Follow the New Humanist blog

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Listen to Jonathan Miller on how humour makes us human

On July 4th New Humanist held an event at the Royal Society of the Arts in London featuring Rationalist Association president Jonathan Miller, comedian Natalie Haynes and cartoonist Martin Rowson discussing how humour makes us human. A audio file of the entire event is now up on the RSA site, have a listen, its pretty good fun.

Hosted by Laurie Taylor

I attended this show in London... great fun (apart from the Congestion Charge fine!)