Southampton Atheist Soc

On Monday we have the privilege of hosting renowned philosopher Dr. Stephen Law, who will be presenting his Evil God Challenge, a talk based on his paper of the same name. Law proposes that the arguments theists employ for the existence of an all-good God can be changed to also argue for an all-evil God: for example the problem of evil becomes the problem of good. If this is true, then theists must either accept an all-evil God is just as probable as an all-good God, or abandon their arguments.

Stephen Law is a Senior Lecturer at Heythrop College, London, the Editor of the general-public philosophy journal Think, and a distinguished supporter of the British Humanist Association – as well as the author of many introductory books on philosophy.

It’s certain to be an interesting talk and will be followed by a Q&A, after which we will be going to the pub. The event will be on Monday in Nuffield LT/A (the main lecture theatre in the centre) at 19:00.

As the society is full of interesting and opinionated members, we’re trying out a new event format on Monday, whereby members present short talks (5-10 minute) on some topic of interest or annoyance to the speaker. Think Skeptics in the Pub, for Internet-age attention spans.

If you are interested in giving a talk, please let us know (see Contact Us at the top of the page or contact Sam). Do not worry if this is a little short notice: there will likely be an opportunity to do so next year, depending on the success of this event.

This will be in the usual place (Nuffield LT/B) at the usual time (7pm). This event will be followed by the customary pub visit.

P.S. Please could people planning to speak arrive a little earlier, as this will ensure a smooth operation, particularly if you plan on using a PowerPoint.

Tonight’s meeting is a discussion of The Handmaid’s Tale, which takes an interesting look at a future America, overtaken by theocratic forces and the subsequent erosion of womens’ rights. As always with book nights, we aim to discuss the broader issues surrounding the book, so it’s not essential to have read the book beforehand.

Note: this meeting is in B34/1020 (that’s the same room we had our discussion about The Selfish Gene, if you were there for that), at the usual time (19:00). Hope to see you there!

On Monday (regular time and place – Nuffield Lecture Theatre B, 7pm) we’ll be watching Kumaré, a documentory film about American filmmaker Vikram Gandhi, who fashions himself into an Indian Guru with a fictional philosophy. After gaining a cult following, he must reveal to his followers that he made it all up!

We’ll be going to the stags for drinks afterwards.

Southampton Christians in Science are holding a talk on “Destroying the Myths In the History of Science and Faith” which a few society members will be going along to. In the words of the organisers:

In this lecture Dr. Chapman [historian of science at Wadham College, Oxford] will examine common misunderstandings about key events in science-faith relations. He will expose the facts and opinions that have long been forgotten that have been supplanted by modern propaganda. His book “Slaying the Dragons” strips away layers of misunderstanding and misinterpretation and helps us to appreciate that science and religion are not the common enemies we think they are.

The talk will be taking place at 7:30pm on Tuesday 30th April, in B46 (Physics) Lecture Theatre A.