Monthly Meetings
of the Humanists
of Georgia
Monthly Meetings
of the Humanists
of Georgia
Directions: The NEW AFS Center, whose space we rent, is located at 4775 N. Church Lane SE, Smyrna, GA. To get there, take I-285 (the perimeter road around Atlanta) to Exit 16 (Atlanta Road). Turn toward Atlanta. Go ˝ mile and then turn right onto N. Church Lane. Go only 300 feet to Atlanta Freethought Hall, which is on the left.
DETOUR TO THE AFS CENTER: North Church Lane will be closed to thru traffic between Atlanta Road and Collins Springs Drive from June 1st to October 28th for bridge replacement over the CSX railroad. To get to AF Hall from I-285, you can still take Atlanta Road towards Atlanta, but continue past N. Church Lane to Plant Atkinson Road. Turn right and go to N. Church Lane and turn right again. AF Hall will be on the right.
Sunday, September 20, 12:30pm
Ethical Systems Group Discussion
Our September meeting will be a group discussion of ethical systems and how they relate to the Humanist Manifesto III. Attendees should familiarize themselves with the documents posted on the HGA forum uploaded specifically for this purpose. They were also sent as an attachment to a forum post last week, so if you have not recently cleared out your emails you should find them there. The ethical systems to be discussed include:
Additional ethical systems that participants wish to discuss are welcome.
Sunday, August 16, 12:30pm
Dr. Richard Bennett
Dr. Richard Bennett, Director of International Programs at Southern Polytechnic State University in Marietta, was our speaker at the August meeting. The topic Dr. Bennett addressed was the current situation in Afghanistan and Iraq. Several problems were identified. Afghanis historically are tribal and don't have the desire to move towards forming a unified national state; in fact there is no historical precedent of a strong native Afghani leader. Iraq also has a history of tribalism and Dr. Bennett thinks that once we leave civil war will break out. The Islamic culture of both nations tends to make them historically more comfortable with a dictatorship than with a democracy. In order for the United States to pull out of Afghanistan, the warlords of the various tribes must be convinced to change their inclination to use high tech weapons we supply them with for their own good collectively instead of using them to fight one another. This will take at least 5 to 10 years.
Sunday, July 19, 12:30pm
Todd Daniel of the Sierra Club on the Population Explosion
Todd Daniel of the Sierra Club was our speaker at the July meeting. Todd spoke on the impending crisis of overpopulation. He tied this in with the devastating effects that it is having upon the environment and how the rate of increase is also increasing - there are now nearly 7 billion people on the planet. He believes that fresh water will become a rarer and more precious commodity and that in the future wars will be fought over this valuable resource. Todd also presented information on organizations that are fighting to make people aware of the problem and encourage people to have fewer children. One interesting fact - in cultures where women have equal rights and more education, the number of children they have decreases - in fact Todd said that educating and empowering women may be the most effective way to deal with overpopulation. Lively discussion transpired during and after the meeting.
The Humanists of Georgia would like to thank Todd for this interesting meeting. We would also like to thank all who took time out of their weekend to attend. I hope to see some of those who attended one of our meetings for the first time at future meetings.
Sunday, June 21, 12:30pm
Are Humanist Values American Values?
At our June Meeting, we discussed how Humanist Values are very much in line with traditional American values. We often hear religious conservatives make the claim “The United States is a Christian Nation”. While it is true that the majority of Americans are Christian, our Constitution is a thoroughly secular document. It was penned by men who were very much influenced by the philosophers of the Enlightenment. These philosophers considered reason to be a better means of revealing truth than divine revelation. They also believed that men should not be governed by Kings, many of whom claimed that their right to govern was divinely ordained. They aspired toward more freedom for common people based on self-governance, with emphasis on individual liberty and individual rights. Humanism espouses many of these same beliefs as expressed in the Humanist Manifesto III.
The preamble of the Constitution that the founding fathers framed expresses that among the purposes of the government is the promotion of the general welfare. The amendments added to the Constitution guarantee the rights of women and all citizens regardless of race or religion to participate in their government. In the Humanist Manifesto III, this idea is expressed in the following passage:
"Humanists are concerned with the well being of all, are committed to diversity, and respect those of differing yet humane views. We work to uphold the equal enjoyment of human rights and civil liberties in an open secular society and maintain it is the civic duty to protect nature’s integrity, diversity, and beauty in a secure, sustainable manner."
Thus it becomes apparent that Humanism is very much compatible with the ideas of American democracy, and that Humanistic beliefs follow in the best tradition of the American idealism.
Sunday, May 17, 12:30pm
Picnic and talent contest at Freethought Hall
There is no denying it – the spring picnic was somewhat of a bust this year. It was held on May 17th at the AF Freethought Hall, however the date conflicted with John Barnes annual Flint river party, so some of our membership decided to opt for that event. AF Freethought Hall has a covered pavilion that I thought would make the weather less of a factor, but as luck would have it, the rain started immediately before the picnic and didn’t let up. I am sure this may have dissuaded some from coming. We ended up with less than ten people attending and a lot of hot dogs and hamburgers to eat. I think the people who attended still enjoyed the fellowship and I thank them heartily for participating. I suppose next year we will try to schedule this event on a date where there are no conflicts with other events.
Sunday, April 19, 12:30pm
Chris Wilson - Artifacts of the Caveman Mind
Our Speaker at the April 19 the Meeting was Chris Wilson. His topic was
"Artifacts of the Caveman Mind." Chris Wilson is the author of Healing the
Unhappy Caveman: Why The Human Mind Was Not Designed For Happiness and What
YOU Can Do About It. He works as an internet consultant, is married and
the father of two sons. In addition to being an author, Chris describes himself
as "an entrepreneur, a musician, an avid reader, a social rabble-rouser." To
find out more about Chris, visit his website.
Chris spoke about six different artifacts of the caveman mind that are still with us today:
Chris stressed that while these behaviors prevail across cultures, not every individual may demonstrate them. He also stressed that the human mind is very malleable and we can be taught to be aware of when we are engaging in behaviors rooted in the caveman mind artifacts and to "think around" our first impulses.
Sunday, March 15, 1:00pm
Jim Haught - "Holy Horrors/Holy Hatred" (Joint meeting with AFS)
Our March 15th meeting was a joint meeting with the Atlanta Freethought Society. Jim Haught gave a talk on "Holy Horrors", which addressed the history of religious atrocities, cruelties, persecutions, and massacres that have occurred up to the present day. Haught is the author of several books, his most popular being Holy Horrors: An Illustrated History of Religious Murder and Madness, published by Prometheus Books.
Jim first grew interested in the topic because although religion is generally cited as a positive force and its adherents widely believed to be more moral than unbelievers, he noted how frequently religion played a role in violent events.
One aspect of the talk that was particularly interesting was that sometimes the people who claimed their religious identity to distinguish themselves from whoever they felt threatened enough to attack didn't even practice their own faith with any regularity. Perhaps tribalism and Xenophobia trump religion as the motivation for violence.
Sunday, February 15, 12:30pm
You've Come a Long Way, Baby: Evolution at 150
At our February meeting, Dr Stephen Burnett, Professor of Biology at Clayton State University, spoke on how the ideas expressed in Darwin's Origin of the Species have stood in the 150 years since its publication. Dr. Burnett covered some of the precursors to Darwin who postulated some ideas that bore similarities to Darwin's theory, from Anaximander (520 BCE) who believed that all life might have descended from fish to Darwin's contemporaries such as Alfred Russell Wallace. While the forerunners of Darwin hit upon the idea that plants and animals have changed over time, none of them put it all together and identified natural selection as the primary method through which descent with modification gives rise to whole new species over time.
Stephen fielded several questions during his talk and the group discussed several topics from Lamark and his belief that animals may be able to inherit acquired characteristics through Gould's controversial ideas regarding punctuated equilibrium. The final verdict was that the main ideas expressed in Origin of the Species 150 years ago, that species change over time, and that the changes come through descent with modification, have been validated by scientific evidence and knowledge that was acquired after Darwin in areas such as genetics. Dr. Burnett felt that it was quite an achievement that Darwin's theory has held up as well as it has over the past 150 years. While not everything Darwin theorized was completely correct, his theory has continued to evolve while retaining the basic ideas at its core.
Sunday, January 18, 12:30pm
Election of Officers
by Mark Refuss
I am happy to report that our January meeting was a success as we were able to fill our officer positions without too much arm twisting. Dave Patterson will be our President and Frank Vickers agreed to assume the Vice Presidency. Obama and Biden – eat your hearts out. Kathy Sayeg will be our new treasurer. Steve Burnett also agreed to take minutes during board meetings so I guess that makes him the unofficial Secretary. Larry Curry has agreed to continue maintaining the HGA forum and member list. Board members/Directors are Mark Refuss, Steve Youthment, Fred Sayeg, and Steve Burnett.
We have money in the bank and rent which is paid up for several years. We have a good start at acquiring speakers for the upcoming year and discussed taking a field trip to the Northwest Georgia, Tellus Science Museum.
I am very optimistic about the future of our organization under the leadership of Dave and Frank. Thanks to everyone for taking part in HGA.
No December Meeting
We will not be having a meeting in December due to the large number of commitments that many of us have this time of year.
Sunday, November 16, 12:30pm
Bob Berlin, Georgia's Humanist Celebrant
The speaker for our November meeting will be Bob Berlin. Bob will discuss what it means to be a Humanist Celebrant. Additionally, he will discuss Humanism and sexuality. Bob graduated from Mercer Law School. He specialized in marital law and has been a family therapy counselor. Bob also studied sexology at the San Francisco Institue for Advanced Studies. Having practiced law for 45 years, he has been a state representative and a judge in Bibb County Georgia. Bob is also a professional clown. Bob has been a Humanist Celebrant for approximately ten years. With such a varied background, there will surely be something for everyone in Bob's presentation.
Sunday, October 19, 12:30pm
Marie Shockley, Returned Peace Corps Volunteer
"Still
Asking What You Can Do For Your Country?"
The speaker at our October meeting was Marie Pearson Shockley. Marie is a returned Peace Corp Volunteer who served in Namibia from 2002-2004 and she spoke of her experiences there. Marie Shockley has been selected as a recipient of the Peace Corps Franklin H. Williams Award for 2008. The Franklin H Williams award celebrates the ongoing civic contributions of diverse returned volunteers who have worked tirelessly in their communities. She will be honored at an awards ceremony at Peace Corps headquarters in Washington DC on Thursday, June 19, for her continued commitment to community service.
Marie joined the Peace Corps after she retired in 2000. She related how she had been inspired by hearing President Kennedy's call to serve your country. This would explain the title of her talk, "Still Asking What You Can Do for Your Country."
Marie arrived in Namibia in July of 2002, which is winter in Namibia just before Monsoon season. Marie spent ten weeks training in Namibia before she began her community based training duties in Oshikuku. During this time, she became familiar with the language of Namibia through instruction and by speaking with villagers. There are thirteen dialects spoken in Namibia, which complicates the task of learning to communicate effectively.
Marie lived in a small block building and her family lived in nearby huts. She described what it is like to live among the subsistence farmers of northern Namibia. The people eat mahango, which is a wheat. The breakfast meal consists of mahango with milk, the noon meal mahango with juice, and the evening meal mahango with a little meat. The villagers also brew mahango beer. The temperature in the summer can be as high as 120 degrees. Once a month, Marie would journey to a hotel in a nearby city to bathe. For the most part, Marie adjusted well to her life in these primitive settings and had no health issues.
Marie successfully established two schools during her service, complete with libraries. She taught a variety of subjects, from reading and writing to how to use a computer to connect to the Internet. She also taught birth control and disease prevention, particularly important in a land so ravaged by AIDS. Since the Bush administration came into power, the State Department, which oversees the Peace Corps, has pursued an abstinence only policy. Marie was supposed to adhere to this, but she found ways to work around the system and to provide much needed condoms to those who wanted them. As she put it, teaching abstinence only birth control makes no sense in a culture where a man could possess several wives.
During our meeting, Marie shared many photographs of the villages where she lived and of the people whom she lived among. She brought baskets and other items that had been crafted in Namibia.
Thanks to all of those who attended and a special thanks to Marie for her fascinating talk.
Sunday, September 21, 12:30pm
PICNIC ON THE GROUNDS
The annual picnic in September was a huge success. There was a good turnout and despite the lack of detailed planning regarding food and condiments, it all came together at the last moment. There were several guests at the picnic who I hope will consider returning for future meetings and social activities. Thanks to all for making the picnic a success. At one time we held this picnic in honor of Thomas Paine. Perhaps we should consider returning to that theme or consider a new theme to highlight this annual event.
Sunday, August 17, 12:30pm
Dr. Richard Bennett - Middle East Affairs
Dr. Richard Bennett spoke to us in August. Dr. Bennett has been a valuable resource to our understanding of Middle Eastern affairs. Dr. Bennett is Director of International Programs at Southern Polytechnic State University and has spoken to us regarding Islam and the complexities and difficulties associated with the various Islamic sects.
Dr. Bennett discussed, to some extent, the ideal platform of a presidential candidate in dealing with Iraq. There seems to be no solution to the problem in Iraq. Dr. Bennett suggested that the Muslim community would view anything short of complete annihilation or unconditional surrender as a victory for Muslims. It was also suggested that the goals of our mission to Iraq have and continue to change. Immediate withdrawal would be viewed as a sign of weakness and it was suggested that perhaps the best opportunity for leaving would have been shortly after Saddam Hussein was overthrown.
As usual our crowd was very inquisitive and Dr. Bennett's presentation quickly turned into a question and answer period. Thanks to all for their participation.
Sunday, July 20, 12:30pm
Jeff Nall - The New Progressive Alliance: Uniting Secular, Spiritual and Religious Progressives
Review by Mark Refuss
Jeff Nall returned to Atlanta to speak with us about a New Progressive Alliance. Jeff's goal was to get us involved and to help him "bridge the gap" between hard core atheism and religious fundamentalism. As a fourth generation atheist, Jeff has also been profoundly influenced by a host of religious figures who have "broken the mold" so to speak, and found common ground with freethinkers advocating pacifism and church-state separation among other things. Jeff explores this common ground in his book "Perpetual Revolt".
Jeff's common ground approach is and has not been without controversy. Some in the atheist community have referred to his alliance as "namby-pamby" atheism. Jeff seems to long for a return to our Enlightenment legacy and fears that it has been left behind. The Progressive Alliance recognizes the diversity of belief among the religious and that there exists a commonality of belief among religious and non-religious individuals. Religious belief involves more than a belief in God, and many have confided that they don't believe in the dogmatic literalism of the bible. Martin Luther King Jr. was among those quoted to emphasize progressive religiosity and highlight the importance of love. "The enlightenment, Jeff stated, was not just an atheist affair."
We can approach life in two ways according to Jeff. We can claim that truth with a capital T is paramount, or we can concede that truths are tentative and emphasize liberty and free choice. He later stated that "truths get muddled when put into the social process." The social context of an issue must be addressed and stated that "pure scientific philosophical discourse will fail in a democratic society." I for one agree with the importance of social context and would find little in common with those who promote their version of an absolute truth. I would disagree that truths are tentative and instead claim that our understanding of truth is tentative. Stephen J. Gould stated: "In science, "fact" can only mean "confirmed to such a degree that it would be perverse to withhold provisional assent." "I suppose that apples might start to rise tomorrow, but the possibility does not merit equal time in physics classrooms." So, as for me, when something has been confirmed to such a degree it becomes the basis for my argument, the foundation on which I would invoke free and honest discourse and hope, but not force others to see things my way. If truth, or at least our understanding of truth, did not trump all, we would not have any basis for free and honest discourse and truly would live in a "namby-pamby" world of relativism.
Jeff recognizes that important issues like separation of church and state are worth fighting for because they are part of our value system and are not hard scientific laws like gravity. It was refreshing to hear him advocate peace, liberty, and societal unity as a transcendent force uniting our species. I can't wait to finish his book.
Max Trombee wrote:
"Jeff Nall impressed me...smart, articulate, apparently at home with all the enlightenment philosophers, and a very effective spokesman for his "New Progressive Alliance". I, for one, agree with Jeff that an anti-religion position is counter-productive. Most of us know mainline Christians who are decent, ethical and, except for their religious observance, practicing humanists".
Larry Woods wrote:
Jeff Nall's July presentation reminded us of the folly of blanket judgments about groups. He did us a service with the reminder that many people in religious communities value tolerance and share values in common with us.However, he would have us ally with the wrong wing of religiosity. The "Progressive" agenda is anchored in the use of force. We have several thousand years of evidence that a franchise of force corrupts the giver and the receiver. Our humanist tradition is rooted in reaction against religious "Activists" who see no conflict in torture and killing to "save" a fellow human. The corruption of power is equally potent among the non-religious power seekers. See Stalin, Mao, and your pick of any dozen current sorry dictatorships.
It appears to me there is no difference in the weaknesses of the human mind that cause us to cling to religious superstitions or political superstitions. We Humanists seem all too eager to embrace the use of force if it is dictated by a majority (Democracy). This appears to be foolish in the face of the 85-95% (pick your poll) plurality of our fellow Americans who claim religious beliefs.
We should be concerned with protecting individual rights from majority abuse. If there is interest in exploring this issue, I would be happy to contribute a longer article or a program.
Jeff Nall is a writer, speaker, and activist. His writing has appeared in select journals and a range of independent magazines including Z magazine, Toward Freedom, and The Humanist. Two of his essays appear in the activist anthology Cost of Freedom. Nall earned a Master of Liberal Studies degree from Rollins College and is currently pursuing a PhD in Comparative Studies: Public Intellectuals at Florida Atlantic University. He lives with his wife and children in West Palm Beach.
Jeff Nall is the author of the newly released book Perpetual Revolt: Essays on Peace & Justice and The Shared Values of Secular, Spiritual, and Religious Progressives.
Sunday, June 15, 12:30pm
Sheri Kling, Singer/Songwriter
Sheri is an accomplished singer/songwriter, guitarist, and storyteller who weaves together powerful music and vivid stories to inspire people to find the stories at the center of their own lives. Described by Florida's Bradenton Herald as a "natural Southern gal storyteller in the Lucinda Williams/Flannery O'Connor vein," Kling moved away from metro Atlanta just over a year ago to fulfill her long-time dream of living in the mountains. Since moving to Habersham County, she has become a community columnist for The Northeast Georgian newspaper and appeared onstage at the Sautee-Nacoochee Center in the premiere production of "Headwaters: Stories from a Goodly Portion of Beautiful Northeast Georgia." Sheri has released three critically acclaimed music CDs since 2002 and her recorded commentaries have been aired on Georgia Public Broadcasting.
Sheri's program is entitled "True Colors: Living with Purpose, Passion & Joy." First delivered at the 2005 annual convention of the Brewster Kaleidoscope Society, this presentation's themes are universal and compelling. Set against the story framework of the Hero's/Heroine's Journey, Sheri shows us how the kaleidoscopes we played with as children are perfect models of:
Through blending her powerful music with vivid stories from her own "heroine's journey," Sheri will bring energy and spirit to our June meeting.
NOTE: We will have a BOARD MEETING this month starting at 11:30. Please mark your calendars to arrive early. After the board meeting we will have our usual social at 12:30 and meeting at 1:00.
Sunday, May 18, 12:30pm
Dr. Andrew Cohen (professor of Philosophy - Ga. State University)
Are you a moral relativist? Andrew Cohen orchestrated a stimulating discussion on relativism, objectivity, and their relationship to morality. Our society seems to have migrated towards an acceptance of moral and ethical relativism. Relativism was defined as a value that is indexed, or determined by, either individuals, cultures, or some other reference.
Individual relativism is indexed to the individual whereas communal relativism is indexed to a community. Epistemological subjectivism is not about what we believe but about knowledge. Moral subjectivism would allow one to be considered right based on the idea that moral value is indexed to ones own belief, and therefore cannot be considered wrong. Dr. Cohen found fault with both of these ideas. Epistemological subjectivism disallows communication and moral subjectivism disallows moral critique and improvement. It would, therefore, not be sensible to criticize anyone's morality if there was in fact no objectivity, nor could we make claims to moral progress if there is no objective standard by which we could evaluate our judgments. Without objectivity it would not be possible to have an argument, as discrepancies only exist when one is making a claim to truth. For instance the "Pro-choice" advocate may state that abortion is OK for me; therefore I will have an abortion if necessary. The "Pro-life" advocate may state that abortion is wrong for me; therefore I will not have an abortion. There are no discrepancies in these claims because neither is making an "objective" claim to truth.
Dr. Cohen surmised that there are some universal norms concerning morality. For instance, there are no societies, to our knowledge, where murder and theft are considered acceptable. This was not to be mistaken for a sociological issue, however, as that in itself would make it somewhat relativistic. So, universal objectivism (truths) was defended, but it was made clear that their self-righteous cousin, absolutism, was not to be defended. The absolutist would argue that right is right and wrong is wrong and that context is irrelevant. Universalism recognizes the importance of context. For instance, an absolutist would argue that child infanticide is wrong, no matter the circumstances. The universalistic view is that the killing of a child (even though a difficult and agonizing action) might be the right thing to do if it could, with certainty, be shown to result in saving the family. The idea being that one less mouth to feed would be enough to keep the family (minus the child) alive.
Why might people claim, in support of relativism, that there are no objective truths? Perhaps it is because of the difficulty in recognizing objective truth. Dr. Cohen demonstrated where some mathematical truths are easy (i.e. 2 + 2 = 4) and some are difficult (i.e. 3i˛ + 2i = ?). The latter equation deals with imaginary numbers and is more difficult to comprehend. That does not mean that it is subjective. Similarly we would generally consider the idea of boiling human babies an easy moral question whereas abortion presents a much more difficult dilemma. This does not mean that there is no right answer to the abortion question. Dr. Cohen pointed out that it is also just as important to recognize the existence of wrong answers. If we claim then that there are in fact objective truths, this does not mean that everything is objectively true.
A discussion ensued regarding the three major areas of philosophical pursuit as related to morality. Teleological philosophers deal with seeking the ideal life thru mimetic activity and reason. Deontological philosophers pursue moral rights and wrongs claiming that we are morally obligated to certain behaviors. Consequentialism considers the results of the activity to be paramount. The most famous consequentialist was Jeremy Bentham who advocated that we should pursue the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of people.
Dr. Cohen suggested that one reason for the recent migration towards relativism is the mistaken belief that relativism is necessary to demonstrate tolerance of others views. He stated that "it would be better to say that toleration is simply both objectively and morally important." Dr. Cohen is writing a book on toleration. Perhaps we can persuade him to return to discuss that important concept.
Andrew J. Cohen has published numerous articles in moral and political philosophy and is currently working on a book on toleration. He teaches at Georgia State University and, as of August 2008, will be an Associate Professor in the Philosophy Department there.
Sunday, April 20, 12:30pm
End Times or Changing Times. A look at tomorrow through our changing cultural, economic, historical, and social patterns
Sandy Arroyo gave a presentation on "End Times or Changing Times". Sandy traced how human society changed and evolved throughout history, from the earliest times of the hunter gatherers, through the advent of agriculture and the birth of cities, the industrial age, to the post-industrial phase that has been established in developed nations such as the United States. He drew upon Alvin Toffler's theories as presented in his book entitled "The Third Wave":
One of the major changes that Sandy identified that is having an increasingly broad effect upon the direction our societies are headed in is the privatization of government services, not just in the United States, but across the world. Power is shifting away from governments to private corporations. With this shift often comes a change in emphasis from the public welfare to corporate profits.
Change is occurring at an ever increasing pace, inducing what Toffler described as "Future Shock". As we face ever greater challenges from problems such as global warming, overpopulation, and the exhaustion of the world's resources, reactionaries try to obstruct our leaders from making changes to cope with these problems.
Still, Sandy believes that these are changing times, not the end times. During times of change it is more often the case that the leaders who effectively implement the policies necessary to adapt to change usually appear midway into the change instead of at the beginning. Let us hope that these leaders make their appearance soon!
Thanks to Sandy for his interesting presentation and to all of those who came and participated.
Sandy Arroyo is a public school teacher of thirty years. He has been teaching history, sociology, psychology, and geography. He also spent eight years as a Vice President in AFT/BTU as an Economic Services Administer and Benefits Administer for Rollins Inc. He has created three web portals: The Classroom, The Album Shop, and Inspired Art. Sandy is currently working in photographic art with Inspired Art.
Sunday, March 16, 12:30pm
Ten Lessons from the History of Ideas that Every Secular Humanist Should Know
Once again, Dr. Dennis Martin educated us with a philosophical history of Secularism. This month's lecture was titled, "Ten Lessons From the History of Ideas That Every Secular Humanists Should Know". Dennis presented a history of secular ideas and discussed challenges by non-secular humanists. Appropriate responses to those challenges were presented. Included in the list of ideas were those of Corliss-Lamont as found in "The Philosophy of Humanism".
Thanks Dennis for another great presentation especially on such short notice.
Sunday, February 17, 12:30pm
Your inner chimp: Evolutionary Biology and Human Behavior
As has become tradition for our February meetings celebrating Darwin's birthday, Steve Burnett gave another informative presentation in his series on Evolutionary Biology. This month, Steve's presentation was titled: "Your inner chimp: Evolutionary Biology and Human Behavior".
Steve began by reintroducing us to Charles Darwin and his three major works. "On the Origin of Species", where Darwin established evolution by common descent, "The Descent of Man", discussing human evolution and sexual selection, and "The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals", where Darwin discussed the communication of emotions in man and animals. Additionally, evolutionary terms such as fitness, selfish genes, and natural selection were defined and clarified. The term selfish gene, for instance, has been incorrectly associated with genes that cause selfish behavior. The correct terminology refers to the genes' inherent propensity to replicate.
The striking similarities between animal and human behavior along with anatomical and genetic similarities boldly stands alongside the geological data as evidence of common descent. Although similarities abound, Steve cautioned us to not read too much into statements such as, "humans share 99% of their genetic makeup with chimps." Although we may share a numerical base pairing of A, T, C, and G, differences in phenotypic expression are prominent due to embryological development, switching genes, and other factors. Regarding the statistical similarities of chimp and human DNA, I once heard a geneticist state, "boy I sure cherish that 1 percent".
Chimpanzees, like humans, possess an ability to make tools. Steve recounted how chimps can self medicate themselves by eating certain types of plants and pass that knowledge on through cultural avenues. It has been suggested that some animals are "self-aware" as evidenced by behavior associated with a simple mirror test. Certain animals sometimes respond as if they were self-aware but this is not evidence that they are in fact self-aware. Sounds like the guided reservations of a good scientist to me. Why can't they ever just tell us what we want to hear? After all, I'd really like to be able to discuss global warming with my dolphin friends someday.
Both humans and animals are territorial. Additionally, both may be xenophobic, as they generally express a preference for someone in their own group. Both exhibit kin selection as they treat relatives more favorably than non-relatives. It is apparently more advantageous for an individual to aid the reproduction of a relative's genes than to aid the reproduction of a non-relative's genes.
It seems that human males can't escape the extravagances exhibited by our animal cousins. The Handicap Principal apparently thrusts itself on the females of our species in the form of expensive jewelry, outlandish automobiles, and the like, as if to say "look at me - price is no object". Male animals exhibit similar extravagances in the form of costly plumage (the peacock tail) or oversized heads (in the case of some bats).
Cuckoldry is an evolutionary mechanism which promotes cheating by a mate so as to produce more offspring. Human customs such as strict religious prohibitions may have evolved in an attempt to reduce this tendency.
Steve explained how males are somewhat costly and unnecessary for reproduction among some animals. He further explained why our species exhibits an approximate 50/50 ratio of males to females. Males, it seems, may have a high cost to benefit ratio, but it still pays to care for male offspring as one male can pass on his genes many times. Females may require similar costs but maintain a more constant payoff in terms of progeny. All things considered, the math requires an approximate 50/50 ratio.
Altruism was also discussed. Altruism was defined as behavior which exhibits an unbalanced cost to benefit ratio. Altruism requires that the cost be greater than any return on the investment. It is difficult to determine if behavior is truly altruistic or the result of some other evolutionary mechanism. For instance, vampire bats will regurgitate a small amount of blood to a bat which had an unsuccessful hunt. Since the lifespan of a bat is severely limited without regular food, this behavior would prolong the recipient's life at an apparent net cost to the provider. Since bats show a preference for assisting their relatives, it is possible that this is not true altruism, but rather an example of kin selection. One would think that occasional assistance given to a non-relative would confirm altruistic behavior in bats, however a tendency to require reciprocation after future hunts might simply be an example of tit for tat behavior. The seemingly selfless behavior of humans in assisting those in danger may be evidence of altruism. However, humans, much like animals, evolved in small groups so it is not clear if this type of human behavior is altruism or an extension of kin selection to include a larger group.
Evolution does not plan for the long term. In fact, it doesn't plan at all. Rather, evolution runs its experiment in the here and now. Consequently, it may be that our behavior is biased toward the short term. Why, for instance are so many athletes willing to resort to steroid use given the knowledge that it can produce such long term deleterious effects? Will we make significant changes to combat global warming before it becomes a disaster? Perhaps our willingness to accept long term harm in favor of short term gratification is a behavior partially the result of our evolutionary history.
Steve discussed eugenics (the idea that we can control our evolution). He emphasized the problems associated with attempts to genetically engineer our offspring and warned of the possibility of unintended consequences. Variability, he stated, is the best means of preventing genetic disasters. Steve concluded by assuring us that we will continue to evolve; we cannot stop changing in response to our environment.
For clarification of any of the above concepts please contact Steve. If any of the previously stated ideas have been misstated please accept my apologies and understand that they are the interpretations of a layperson.
Note: The February meeting opened with a short discussion on acquiring speakers for future meetings. Mark Refuss introduced a video collection for the HGA/AFS library. Videos on DVD are available to be checked out of the library. Most DVDs feature previous speakers from either HGA or AFS meetings. Please remember to return the DVD when finished. For those who would like a copy to keep, DVDs may be purchased. Prices are marked and most of the proceeds go to either HGA or AFS as the buyer chooses.
Sunday, January 20, 12:30pm
New Year's Revelations
On January 19th, we held our first meeting of 2008. We discussed a lot of general information including the fact that the AFS should be closing on a new property on February 15th. This is the same church that they had attempted to purchase last year, but the title seems to be clear this time. Assuming that all goes well, this will eventually lead to AFS moving to that new location and HGA doing so as well. It is anticipated that this move will take place gradually, with renovations being needed at the new location before it is ready to use. As we receive information about this, we'll try to get some volunteers together to help AFS with the renovations!
We held our officer elections and the following officers were elected:
President: Mark Refuss
Vice-President: Dave Patterson
Secretary/Treasurer: Larry Curry
Social Committee co-chairs: Kathy Sayeg and Kelly Wilhoit
Board Member at Large: Steve Burnett
Board Member at Large: Betsy Malone
Board Member at Large: Cindy Roesel
Board Member at Large: Steve Yothment
Betsy Malone also agreed to be in charge of programming and working with visitors. She also talked about trying to get a good children's program running so that we can try to attract more members. Thanks to everyone for coming and we look forward to another great year for the HGA!