September 2, 1011


September 11

Morality Without God
Walter Sinnott-Armstrong
Stillman Professor in Practical Ethics
Department of Philosophy and the Kenan Institute for Ethics

Professor Sinnott-Armstrong presentation will be based on his book, Morality Without God? The goal of this book is basically to show that atheists can be and are moral. He is co-director of the MacArthur Law and Neuroscience Project and co-investigator at the Oxford Centre for Neuroethics. He has worked in the fields of ethics, philosophy of law, epistemology, philosophy of religion and informal logic. He also authored Moral Skepticisms and edited Moral Psychology, Volumes I-III. His articles have appeared in a variety of philosophical, scientific, and popular journals and collections.

For more information see Walter Sinnott-Armstrong,

September 18

Niklaus Steiner
Director of the Center for Global Initiatives
UNC Chapel Hill

 

A native of Switzerland Professor Steiner moved to the U.S. in his youth. He has moved between cultures all his life, and this experience shapes his academic focus. Steiner earned his Ph.D. in Political Science at Northwestern University. His research and teaching interests include migration, refugees, nationalism, and citizenship, and has several publications, including Arguing About Asylum: The Complexity of Refugee Debates in Europe (St. Martin's, 2000) and The Problems of Protection: UNHCR, Refugees, and Human Rights, eds. His most recent book International Migration and Citizenship Today (Routledge, 2009) is a thought-provoking examination of the ability of international migrants to move and the ability of states to control this movement.

For more information see Niklaus Steiner.


September 4

James Coley has agreed to continue the discussion of his August 21st talk, Beyond Shame and Guilt. Given the interest shown during our August 28th discussion, we should have a lively exchange of ideas this Sunday.

James Coley

September 28

Our discussion group will focus on issues and concerns raised by Platform Speakers Walter Sinnott-Armstrong and Niklaus Steiner in their September 11th and 18th presentations to EHST. Their topics covered Morality Without God and Immigration and Asylum.

 


September 4

This Sunday is our regular collection day for the IFC food pantry. Items this organization needs this month can be seen at Priority Items.

September 16

The Bellwether Book Club will discuss Charms for the Easy Life by Kaye Gibbons. Time and place to be decided. This book explores a family without men. ". . . the Birches live gloriously offbeat lives in the lush, green backwoods of North Carolina. Radiant, headstrong Sophia and her shy, brilliant daughter, Margaret, possess powerful charms to ward off loneliness, despair, and the human misery that often beat a path to their door. And they are protected by the eccentric wisdom and muscular love of the rema."

September 18
Tentative

Ethical Action Committee Meeting. We will meet at Whole Foods, 12:00 Noon, to discuss community projects EHST members will be participating in, including Project Connect, Habitat for Humanity, Project 5,000, and the yearly Gay Pride Parade.

September 22

Our scheduled cook and serve project for IFC is this Thursday from 4 to 7:15pm. Contact Amy Piersma to sign up.

EHST members cook and serve meals at the Inter-Faith Council for Social Services' community kitchen once each month. The food is donated from the community and anyone who is hungry can eat. Our entire membership participates. On the fourth Thursday of each month, January through October, five to six members cook from 4-6pm, and several members serve from 6-7:15. It's great fun and a worthy endeavor!

Fall Programs UNC Humanities in Action is presenting a series of programs paying homage to the tradition of civic humanism. These will be at Flyleaf Books. Check the link for topics and dates.