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Show 376: Personal Responsibility, the Social Contract, and the Future of Naturalism in the Age of “Occupy”

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Is there a relationship between a naturalized view of human behavior and rejecting a system which lavishes extreme rewards on some, and doles out harsh privation and punishments to others?

The strongest argument against our becoming an egalitarian, socially just society is the commonly held idea that if things in someone’s life are going badly, they have no one to blame but themselves. But does understanding that human behavior is ultimately caused by factors that are not freely chosen make it more likely that someone would support a more compassionate social agenda?

It’s not surprising that most people in our society subscribe to the belief that people have free will. And that, regardless of the determining factors, they can always choose to behave in a manner that runs contrary to cause and emanates from them alone. Nor should it be surprising that those with this view believe that people who behave in ways we like deserve reward and those who behave in ways we dislike deserve hardship.

What is surprising, however, is that, of the relative few who accept that our behaviors are determined by factors we do not choose and that our actions at any given moment are always the only actions to which the prior determinants could have led, most seem to feel that keeping our system of applying reward and punishment to motivate desirable behavior is justified, albeit with some moderate amelioration.

Does this make logical sense? Does it make moral sense? Is it the most effective approach to protecting our society and maximizing people’s greatest potential to contribute? If not, is there a more effective approach to protecting society and supporting desirable behaviors than retaining the fiction that it is justified to hold people (in the traditional sense) responsible?

Continue reading “Show 376: Personal Responsibility, the Social Contract, and the Future of Naturalism in the Age of “Occupy””

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Show 375: Humanist for the Holidays

Humanist for the Holidays – Call-In Special!

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With the holiday season comes a lot of cognitive (and emotional) dissonance for politically conscious humanists. If you were raised with religion, you might have fond memories called up by holiday decorations that clash with your current understanding of exploitation and consumerism. Meanwhile, you’re visiting family and friends who may not be aware of your “un-believer” status.

So how do humanists maintain integrity during the holidays while still having fun? Call in with your stories, advice, and questions and we’ll sort it all out on Equal Time For Freethought!

We will speak with Greg Epstein, Humanist Chaplain at Harvard University, about humanist celebrations and how humanists and atheists can live full, moral lives without religion, and with Patrick Colucci, Vice Chairman of the HumanLight committee, who will discuss the first ever international humanist winter holiday, now celebrating its 10th year!

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Show 374: “Thank God for Evolution” w/ Michael Dowd

“Thank God for Evolution” w/ Michael Dowd

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This Saturday, evolutionary evangelist – former pastor and author of ‘Thank God for Evolution’ – Michael Dowd, will speak with host Matthew LaClair on the subject of evolutionary theory and the sciences.

Since 2002, Reverend Dowd and his wife have traveled across the country, addressing more than 1,500 theistic and secular groups alike on the subject of evolutionary theory. How can the sciences be communicated to those with varying religious and political views? Should “religious” language be a part of this discussion? Is it hypocritical to believe in a Supreme Being with no factual information, while simultaneously accepting evolution? Can secularists and theists learn some things from one another?

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Show 373: Rationale for a Movement

Rationale for a Movement

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The “Occupy Wall Street” protests may indicate that after decades of moving ever further to the right, our nation might now be willing to take a more progressive approach to addressing societal problems.

But like its conservative counterpart, to be sustainable, a progressive approach needs to be supported by a socio-political narrative which resonates with the general public.

At its core, the conservative rationale for perpetuating and expanding our top down, authoritarian, and highly stratified system resulting in extreme winners and losers is based on traditional narratives which teach that people are naturally greedy, lazy and antisocial, and because of this, our “big carrot/big stick” system is the only system that can work.

Progressives know this argument is fallacious, but arguing against the default setting of traditional beliefs while managing to keep the audience listening will be a challenge.

So what is the philosophical thinking that informs the OWS organizers?  Is there anything that resembles a cogent view that they commonly hold?  If so, how can this be conveyed to the general public?  And if not, how will this new movement resist the push back from mainstream conservatives who were successfully rolled back the mid 20th century social-economic gains, to a large extent by appealing to people’s underlying conservative mind set.

Join us as we speak with representatives from the Occupy Wall Street movement live in our studio.

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Show 372: The Lolita Effect w/ Meenakshi Gigi Durham

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This week, Sunsara Taylor will speak with Meenakshi Gigi Durham who is an associate professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Iowa. Durham researches media and the politics of the body, with emphasis on gender, sexuality, race and youth cultures. She holds a joint appointment in the Department of Gender, Women’s and Sexuality Studies.

Durham’s 2008 book, “The Lolita Effect: The Media Sexualization of Young Girls and What We Can Do About It,” provides strategies for empowering girls to make healthy decisions about their sexuality. Her research has received significant coverage in news outlets such as CNN, The New York Times, The Times of London, Frontline, People, “Dr. Phil,” The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Salon.com, in addition to being reviewed in scholarly journals.

Durham is writing a new book, tentatively titled “Technosex,” about how bodies/sexualities are translated into the virtual environment through practices like sexting.

Sunsara also will speak to two as yet unnamed guests on the rise of violent pornography and child pornography in America.

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Show 371: Providing the Rationale for a Movement

Providing the Rationale for a Movement

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The appearance of the “Occupy Wall Street” protests, on which our host Michael O’Neil recently reported, and the newly  launched “Move Your Money Day” (November 5th) may indicate that, after decades of moving ever further to the right, our nation might now be willing to take a more progressive approach to addressing societal problems.

But just like its conservative counterpart, to be sustainable, a progressive approach will need to be supported by a socio-political narrative which resonates with the general public.

At its core, the conservative rationale for perpetuating and expanding our top down, authoritarian, and highly stratified system of extreme “winners and losers” is based on traditional narratives which teach that people are naturally greedy, lazy and antisocial – and that given this, ours is the only system that could work.

Progressives and Leftists know this argument is fallacious, but arguing against the default setting of traditional beliefs – while managing to keep the audience listening – has always been difficult. This is why we think the work of award winning documentary filmmaker Adam Curtis is of vital importance.

Curtis’ work examines how throughout the 20th century, and thus far throughout the 21st, religion as well as other traditional beliefs have effectively been used to manipulate the popular imagination into supporting the conservative policies that have resulted in an ever widening class divide; the devastation of the middle class; and ever increasing neglect and abuse of the poor.

In our two-hour fall fund drive special, ETFF will examine three seminal Adam Curtis films, made over the past decade:  “The Power of Nightmares;” “The Century of the Self;” and “The Trap.” The “trilogy” provides a brilliant critique of the erroneous ideas that the American people have been deliberately sold. The films also demonstrate how an evidence-based social-scientific understanding of our human experience, mostly absent in the mainstream media, completely contradicts the contrived conservative narrative.

Curtis’ genius is evidenced in his unique ability to present complicated material in a manner that is at all times highly entertaining, frequently witty, and occasionally even exhilarating – with each film offering us a non-stop, rapid fire, visual and aural feast.

Given the very real possibility that a new revitalized left may at long last now be emerging; the work of Adam Curtis is more relevant now than ever. And so for the very first time, we will be pleased to be offering all three of his films to our listener sponsors.

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Show 370: Live From #OccupyWallSt

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In this special edition of ETFF, Michael O’Neil reported live from an #occupywallst march against NYPD brutality, and presented field recordings from the Slutwalk NYC March from earlier that day. The ongoing #occupywallst action and NYC General Assembly present a bold call for economic justice while attempting to implement a form of direct, democratic decision making. How does a human microphone work? What groups have endorsed or joined the occupation, and just what on Earth is a “Slut Walk?”

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Show 369: “The Singularity (Summit) is Near; Should we be Afraid?”

“The Singularity (Summit) is Near; Should we be Afraid?”

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On October 15th and 16 the Singularity Institute will convene in Manhattan at the ’92nd Street Y’ for a second NYC Singularity Summit. The annual Singularity summits began in 2006 and the first one held in New York City in 2009 was attended by hundreds of the world’s most intelligent and visionary people.

The Singularity Summit is the premier dialog on the “(Technological) Singularity” – the name given to a point in the not-so-distant future when artificially engineered intelligence will surpass the intelligence of humans.

A common belief about such an event is that it is fraught with danger for the human species. But when we think about the future of highly developed AI, is the scenario popularized in such sci-fi classics as “The Terminator’ and ‘The Matrix’ series really something we should expect? Might it be possible that such an event may instead facilitate the realization of humanity’s collective dream of a world free from scarcity, drudgery, sickness, and suffering?

To help us sought out these other related questions and we will be joined by scholar of futurism, and producer of the “Changesurfer Radio” podcast, Dr. James Hughes. And to tell us about the upcoming Singularity Summit we will also be joined by Singularity Institute President, Michael Vassar. So take your seats because the singularity (summit) will soon be here.

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Show 368: The Belief Instinct w/ Jesse Bering

The Belief Instinct

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Equal Time for Freethought will host evolutionary psychologist Jesse Bering, director of the Institute of Cognition and Culture at Queen’s University Belfast, and a writer for the weekly column “Bering in Mind” on the Scientific American website. We will talk about his book, “The Belief Instinct,” which explores the psychological underpinnings of humanity’s ability to believe in a variety of unseen things, such as life after death, a Supreme Being, Karma and more.

Have we evolved in such a way which has allowed such psychologically propensities? If so, does that mean there’s anything substantial to things unseen which may confirm our almost universal, often independently developed religious beliefs; or have our brains evolved this way as a survival mechanism?

And what are the psychological consequences of maintaining these beliefs in a time where dogmatic thinking can dangerously be combined with weapons of mass destruction? Also, why hasn’t the development of science – including the science of religion itself – been enough to eradicate magical thinking?

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Show 367: 9/11 10th Anniversary Special

9/11 10th Anniversary Special: w/ Reverend Billy and the Church of Life After Shopping

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Not long after the planes struck on 9/11, infamous anti-consumerist performers The Church of Stop Shopping (led by Reverend Billy and Church Director Savitri D) renamed themselves the Church of Stop Bombing. What followed was years of protest for peace and public space as both were attacked by the US Government and the NYPD.

War, community, shopping, grief, religion, and hope for peace are all tangled up in the legacy of 9/11. Over the years, Reverend Billy and the Church have performed 9/11 anniversary shows and rituals to commemorate the best responses to that day –the spontaneous eruption of community and solace in Union Square, the “I love you” final phone calls from the victims– alongside the tragic response of war, torture, and suspension of liberties from our government.

Michael O’Neil will talk to Reverend Billy and Savitri D on this special edition of Equal Time For Freethought; join us as we discuss where the 9/11 legacy has been taken. Also join The Church on Sunday at 2pm for a flowers and candles remembrance at Union Square in New York City.