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RichardCarrier-08-2017

Dr. Richard Carrier – The Scientist in the Early Roman Empire

It’s a colosseum smack down!
The Roman Empire strikes back!
Pagans, Christians, Ancient Scientists, Oh My!

Ancient scientists:
Who were they?
What did they accomplish?
What did people think of them?
How did they advance the sciences?
And what does this tell us about how pagans and Christians differed in their scientific values?

Richard Carrier received his Ph.D. in ancient history from Columbia University studying this subject. He will précis his forthcoming book of the same title, take questions from the audience, and sell and sign his many other books.

Richard Carrier is a philosopher and historian with degrees from Berkeley and Columbia, specializing in the contemporary philosophy of naturalism, and in Greco-Roman philosophy, science, and religion, including the origins of Christianity. He blogs and lectures worldwide, teaches courses online at The Secular Academy, and is the author of many books, including his defense of a naturalist worldview in Sense and Goodness without God, his academic case for the non-existence of Jesus in On the Historicity of Jesus, his work on historical methodology in Proving History, his study of ancient science in Science Education in the Early Roman Empire, his responses to 21st century Christian apologetics in Why I Am Not a Christian and Not the Impossible Faith, and an anthology of his papers on the subject of history in Hitler Homer Bible Christ. He has also authored chapters in many other books, and articles in magazines and academic journals, and on his namesake blog, covering subjects from politics and philosophy to feminism and polyamory. For more about Dr. Carrier and his work see www.richardcarrier.info.

When:
Tuesday, August 15th, 2017
7:00 – 9:00 pm

Social gathering:
5:00 – 7:00 pm

Ticket Prices
:
General Public: $$ Cash donation at the door
Friends of the Centre: Free

Meetup.com
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Calgary Annual Pathway & River Cleanup

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The Cleanup runs on Sunday, May 7 from 9:00 AM – Noon. This year we will be cleaning a section of Pathway, the north portion of Elbow River, Inglewood & Ramsay area between 9th Avenue SE to Agriculture Trail SE

Look forward to seeing you there!
Join us for a social gathering following the event.

About the cleanup
The Pathway and River Cleanup event is about sustainability; it’s about Calgarians coming out to care for our highly valued parks, pathways and waterways. The goal of the event is to mobilize Calgarians to help clean and remove the litter that accumulates. In addition to being an eyesore, the garbage can be deadly to Calgary’s wildlife. It’s also about encouraging Calgarians to become stewards of City parks.
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Details
Please arrive by 8:45 AM so we can hand out supplies and take some group photos before we start. Disposable latex gloves and garbage bags will be provided; however you may wish to bring your own sturdier gardening or work gloves.
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Dress Recommendations:
· Sturdy footwear, leather gloves and long pants.
· Water, snacks, sunscreen, bug spray, hat, camera.

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Unfriending the Future: Motivated Empathy in Science and Political Advocacy by Michael Kruse

Date:Feb 4, 2017 @ 2:30pm (2hrs)

Location: Mount Royal University, Moot Court (EA 1031)

Unfriending the Future: Motivated Empathy in Science and Political Advocacy by Michael Kruse, Executive Director for “Bad Science Watch”

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“When we are faced with the irrational and conspiratorial claims of the alternative medicine community the science minded community often responds with anger, incredulity and frustration.

Sometimes these messages are not from the easy targets of the fringe but from our own family and friends. But how often has our argumentative response been effective?

It is worth taking a look at not only our goals and our tactics, but our audience as well.

We know that psychological phenomena like the backfire effect combine with ideological anti-corporate attitudes to work against any rational arguments, we have seen it happen time and again.

This was the state of frustration we were in when we started Bad Science Watch. We made a decision to think about our audience and set goals focused on making real change.

This talk will focus on the role that empathy plays in picking targets and setting goals and the success we have had in creating a message that has resonated with our audience and supporters.”

Bad Science Watch is an independent non-profit consumer protection watchdog and science advocacy organization dedicated to improving the lives of Canadians by countering bad science. We are driven by a vision of a safer, healthier, and more prosperous Canada where critical thinking and sound science are paramount in the making of important societal decisions.

http://www.badsciencewatch.ca/

TICKET PRICES

  • 
General Public: $15 pre-event, $20 at the door
  • 
Friends of the Centre: $10
  • Students: $5

Tickets can be bought online through Eventbrite.

CFI Calgary – Faith on the Plate 2.0 – Dr. Camille D. Ryan

Date: Thursday, October 20th from 7:30-9:00pm
Location: Mount Royal University, Room EA 1024 (Faculty of Arts)

The facts and fiction of food production in an information-rich world.

A skeptic’s guide to the hype around the science of agriculture and food.

What does “organic” mean? Are GM foods “dangerous”?

What are the facts of agriculture and food production?

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Dr. Camille D. Ryan
- Social Sciences Lead at Monsanto Company; Professional Affiliate at Bioresource Policy Business and Economics, University of Saskatchewan

https://camiryan.com/

See the event page on Meetup.

Admission:
General Public: $10
Students: $5
CFI Canada Members: Free!

A Talk by Gary Bauslaugh – Assisted Death in Canada – What Went Wrong

Date: Thursday, September 29th, 2016

Time: 7:30pm – 9:00pm

Location: Mount Royal University, Room EA 1004 (Faculty of the Arts) (see map below)

Cost: free for CFI and MRU Secular Humanists members (with card) and $10 for the general public

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View this event on Meetup.

Gary Bauslaugh is the author of three books related to assisted death in Canada; his most recent (The Right to Die, April 2016) tells the stories of the courageous Canadians, from the 1940s to the present, whose often heroic actions helped create a climate of acceptance of the idea that assisted death should be legalized in Canada.

The Supreme Court of Canada’s historic ruling in February, 2015, declared the law prohibiting assisted death unconstitutional, and provided guidelines for new legislation which would be in tune with our Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Then it was up to the politicians to pass actual legislation, an exercise that many of whom have been advocates for progressive reform on assisted dying looked forward to with great hope and anticipation.

The results, however, were problematic. Bauslaugh spoke out against the proposed legislation and on May 6 was called to Ottawa to speak on the matter to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights. His views were reflected in the Senate’s initial rejection of the legislation.

Still, the flawed Bill was passed in June – a negation of the efforts of many Canadians, over many years, to protect the right of grievously ill and suffering Canadians to have a dignified and peaceful death.

In his talk Bauslaugh discusses how and why this happened and looks at where we go from here.

Gary Bauslaugh is a Victoria writer who has served as President of the Humanist Association of Canada and on the board of CFI Canada. He was Editor of Humanist Perspectives for five years. Recent books include The Right to Die – the courageous Canadians who gave us the right to a dignified death; Robert Latimer, a story of justice and mercy; and The Secret Power of Juries. (All published by James Lorimer and Co., Toronto).

Tickets will be sold at the door. This event is free for CFI and MRU Secular Humanists members (with card) and $10 for the general public.