Dinner and Lunch Speakers
Dr. Paul Kurtz, Keynote Speaker
The Keynote Speaker, Dr. Paul Kurtz, is Editor in Chief of Free Inquiry, founding member
and Chair of CSICOP (Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal),
Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the State University of New York, and to continue listing
his credentials would take the rest of this page, so we'll stop here. He spoke passionately
about his subject, the critical need for atheists and freethinkers of all stripes to come together
in common cause against the loss of reason in public discourse and the need to pull together
against the ultraconservative movement in our government. He expressed great concern for the
future, comparing what's happening under the current administration with the McCarthy era.
To learn a bit more about how Paul Kurtz thinks, take a look at his recent article entitled
"The New Mediacracy: A Threat to Democracy".
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Dr. Massimo Pigliucci
Massimo Pigliucci's talk was entitled "In Search of a Rational Ethics for Humanists".
In this lecture, he steers a course between the two extremes of absolute morality and
total relativism, using primate evolution as his guide. Included in his discussion were
ideas from several different disciplines, including game theory, neurobiology, and
philosophy. Massimo used slides extensively throughout his discussion, and has kindly
provided them for us via the
internet.
(Note that the language used to display these slides requires the use of Internet
Explorer or another browser that uses its rendering engine.)
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Robert G. Ingersoll in His Modern Incarnation of Ross Sloan
The great freethinking orator of the 19th century was
Robert G. Ingersoll, who was able to hold audiences rapt and whose eloquence in support
of freethought, against the paralyzing force of religion, and in favor of the rights of
all, including women and blacks. He was a great man, whose like hasn't been seen since—or
has it? Ross Sloan treated us to a speech Ingersoll gave, and his audience was engrossed.
Mr. Sloan brought the great Ingersoll back to life.
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Debate Between Dan Barker and Rubel Shelly
We were treated to a debate between former preacher who came to his sense and
became an atheist, Dan Barker, and Christian
apologist Rubel Shelly on whether the god of the Bible exists.
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In case you were wondering if many people showed up, this picture gives you
a view of a small section of the Saturday evening audience. Now, where did this
silly idea come from about atheists being a small minority? It seems that what we
lack is only a willingness to come out and say it. Let's all take a cue from
the brave speakers at our convention—instead of being quiet, let's proudly
state, "I'm an atheist." Really, it's a very simple thing to do, and you'd be
surprised at the results. As often as not, the listener will get a smile of
relief and say, "Me too!" Maybe you'll get questions about it, which you can
answer honestly. What we need to do is stand up and be counted. There are more
of us than there are of nearly any, possibly every, religious group in this
nation. So, next year, come and join us! It's fun, it's educational, and
the comaraderie must be experienced to be believed.
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