CFI Washington D.C. - Events http://centerforinquiry.net/dc/events en Copyright 2012 2012-06-21T01:00:58+00:00 Drinking Skeptically - Baltimore http://www.centerforinquiry.net/dc/events/drinking_skeptically_-_baltimore022012/ http://www.centerforinquiry.net/dc/events/drinking_skeptically_-_baltimore022012/#When:2012-02-09 18:30
Starts
February 9th at 6:30 pm
Ends
February 9th at 8:30 pm

There is street parking plus paid lots and garages on Thames Street. 

Drinking Skeptically is an informal social event designed to promote fellowship and networking among skeptics, critical-thinkers, and like-minded individuals. Drinking Skeptically provides an opportunity for skeptics to talk, share ideas (and yes, drink) in a casual, relaxed atmosphere. We discuss the issues of the day and whatever else is on ourminds. But most of all, we have fun while promoting skepticism, science, and rationality.

Don't drink? Don't let that stop you from joining us! Some of the world's most famous skeptics are teetotallers, and we are happy to have you!

Remember that drinking skeptically means drinking responsibly. If there's one thing science has taught us, it's the effects of alcohol on the human body.

To learn more about Drinking Skeptically, see http://www.drinkingskeptically.org

]]> Voices of Reason: Phil Zuckerman - Faith No More http://www.centerforinquiry.net/dc/events/voices_of_reason_phil_zuckerman_-_faith_no_more/ http://www.centerforinquiry.net/dc/events/voices_of_reason_phil_zuckerman_-_faith_no_more/#When:2012-02-10 19:00
Starts
February 10th at 7:00 pm
Ends
February 10th at 9:00 pm

Faith No More: Why People Reject Religion

Register Here  

The reasons why more and more people are turning away from religion are still poorly understood. In Faith No More, Phil Zuckerman draws on in-depth interviews with people who have left religion to find out what's really behind the process of losing one's faith. According to a 2008 study, so many Americans claim no religion (15%, up from 8% in 1990) that this category now outranks every other religious group except Catholics and Baptists. Exploring the deeper stories within such survey data, Zuckerman shows that leaving one's faith is a highly personal, complex, and drawn-out process. Zuckerman predicts that this trend toward nonbelief will likely continue and argues that the sooner we recognize that religion is frequently and freely rejected by all sorts of men and women, the sooner our understanding of the human condition will improve.

"Everyone knows, deep down, that there is a conflict between reason and faith-between having good reasons for what one believes and having bad ones. This conflict finds its most poignant expression in the lives of men and women who have lost their belief in God despite their best efforts to maintain it. Faith No More offers a fascinating look at these lives, and at the myriad ways in which thoughtful people can come to their senses." --Sam Harris, author of the New York Times bestsellers The Moral Landscape, Letter to a Christian Nation, and The End of Faith 

Phil Zuckerman is Professor of Sociology at Pitzer College. He is the author of Society without God: What the Least Religious Nations Can Tell Us about Contentment, Atheism and Secularity, and Invitation to the Sociology of Religion.

  • Friends of the Center Admission: Free (Friends of the Center must register) 
  • Friends of the Center Admission + Faith No More book: $22
  • Public Admission: $5 in advance; $7 at the door
  • Public Admission + Faith No More book: $25  

Friends of the Center get priority seating. Support the Center with your book purchase. Become a Friend of the Center today! 
 
]]> Sunday Humanist Book Club: Sweet Heaven When I Die by Jeff Sharlet http://www.centerforinquiry.net/dc/events/sunday_humanist_book_club_022012/ http://www.centerforinquiry.net/dc/events/sunday_humanist_book_club_022012/#When:2012-02-12 11:00
Starts
February 12th at 11:00 am
Ends
February 12th at 1:00 pm

**Note on Location**: We will be in the Benjamin Henry Latrobe Room at the Hill Center. The entrance is on 9th Street SE.

Discussion: Sweet Heaven When I Die: Faith, Faithlessness, and the Country In Between, by Jeff Sharlet.

The CFI DC Sunday Humanist Book Club free is open to all readers!

Hill Center DC is fully accessible and elevator access is available.

To keep informed about what's happening with the club, join our online group

]]> Drinking Skeptically http://www.centerforinquiry.net/dc/events/drinking_skeptically_dc022012/ http://www.centerforinquiry.net/dc/events/drinking_skeptically_dc022012/#When:2012-02-15 18:00
Starts
February 15th at 6:00 pm
Ends
February 15th at 8:00 pm

Please ask the host for 'Center for Inquiry - Drinking Skeptically' if you're unable to locate our party. We will be on the ground floor area.

Drinking Skeptically is an informal social event designed to promote fellowship and networking among skeptics, critical-thinkers, and like-minded individuals. Drinking Skeptically provides an opportunity for skeptics to talk, share ideas (and yes, drink) in a casual, relaxed atmosphere. We discuss the issues of the day and whatever else is on our minds. But most of all, we have fun while promoting skepticism, science, and rationality.

Don't drink? Don't let that stop you from joining us! Some of the world's most famous skeptics are teetotallers, and we are happy to have you!

Remember that drinking skeptically means drinking responsibly. If there's one thing science has taught us, it's the effects of alcohol on the human body.

To learn more about Drinking Skeptically see www.drinkingskeptically.org.

]]> Cafe Inquiry http://www.centerforinquiry.net/dc/events/cafe_inquiry022012/ http://www.centerforinquiry.net/dc/events/cafe_inquiry022012/#When:2012-02-28 19:00
Starts
February 28th at 7:00 pm
Ends
February 28th at 9:00 pm

Note NEW Location: We will be in the Walt Whitman Classroom. Entrance is on 9th St SE. Elevator access available.

Cafe Inquiry is our monthly casual get-together to meet people and discuss topics of science and humanism.

This month's discussion: TBD

We are also planning to go out for food and/or drinks afterwards. Free and open to the public.

Interested in leading a discussion or have someone to recommend? Please contact us at dc[at]centerforinquiry.net.

 

]]> Voices of Reason - Stephen Law: The Evil God Challenge http://www.centerforinquiry.net/dc/events/voices_of_reason_-_stephen_law_the_evil_god_challenge/ http://www.centerforinquiry.net/dc/events/voices_of_reason_-_stephen_law_the_evil_god_challenge/#When:2012-03-05 19:00
Starts
March 5th at 7:00 pm
Ends
March 5th at 9:00 pm
The Evil God Challenge is perhaps the most powerful argument against the existence of the Judeo-Christian God yet developed. Stephen Law will present a version that he published in the journal Religious Studies in 2010, and has since developed further. If you want a single, simple, devastating challenge to present to theists, one for which they probably won't have a prepared answer, the Evil God Challenge is a leading contender. It's a version of the old problems of evil - but with a novel and entertaining twist!

Register here

Dr Stephen Law is Senior lecturer in Philosophy at Heythrop College, University of London, editor of THINK, a journal of the Royal Institute of Philosophy, and author of many philosophy books, including The Philosophy Gym (St Martins Press), A Very Short Introduction to Humanism (Oxford University Press) and Believing Bullshit: How Not To Get Sucked Into An Intellectual Black Hole (Prometheus). He is also the author of the children's book Really Really Big Questions (Kingfisher). Stephen is Provost of CFI UK.

The talk will be followed by a Q & A. Free and open to the public.

Registration required to guarantee admission. Support our programming by becoming a Friend of the Center today!
]]> Drinking Skeptically - Baltimore http://www.centerforinquiry.net/dc/events/drinking_skeptically_-_baltimore032012/ http://www.centerforinquiry.net/dc/events/drinking_skeptically_-_baltimore032012/#When:2012-03-08 18:30
Starts
March 8th at 6:30 pm
Ends
March 8th at 8:30 pm

There is street parking plus paid lots and garages on Thames Street. 

Drinking Skeptically is an informal social event designed to promote fellowship and networking among skeptics, critical-thinkers, and like-minded individuals. Drinking Skeptically provides an opportunity for skeptics to talk, share ideas (and yes, drink) in a casual, relaxed atmosphere. We discuss the issues of the day and whatever else is on ourminds. But most of all, we have fun while promoting skepticism, science, and rationality.

Don't drink? Don't let that stop you from joining us! Some of the world's most famous skeptics are teetotallers, and we are happy to have you!

Remember that drinking skeptically means drinking responsibly. If there's one thing science has taught us, it's the effects of alcohol on the human body.

To learn more about Drinking Skeptically, see http://www.drinkingskeptically.org

]]> Sunday Humanist Book Club: The Hitchhicker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams http://www.centerforinquiry.net/dc/events/sunday_humanist_book_club_032012/ http://www.centerforinquiry.net/dc/events/sunday_humanist_book_club_032012/#When:2012-03-11 11:00
Starts
March 11th at 11:00 am
Ends
March 11th at 1:00 pm

**Note on Location**: We will be in the Benjamin Henry Latrobe Room at the Hill Center. The entrance is on 9th Street SE.

Discussion: The Hitchhicker's Guide to the Galaxy by Couglas Adams.

The CFI DC Sunday Humanist Book Club free is open to all readers!

Hill Center DC is fully accessible and elevator access is available.

To keep informed about what's happening with the club, join our online group

]]> Drinking Skeptically - Reason Rally Special Night http://www.centerforinquiry.net/dc/events/drinking_skeptically_dc032012/ http://www.centerforinquiry.net/dc/events/drinking_skeptically_dc032012/#When:2012-03-22 18:00
Starts
March 22nd at 6:00 pm
Ends
March 22nd at 8:00 pm

Please ask the host for 'Center for Inquiry - Drinking Skeptically' if you're unable to locate our party. We will be on the ground floor area.

Note Special Night for March only: we will meet on Thursday night instead of the usual Wednesday to be closer to Saturday's Reason Rally.

Drinking Skeptically is an informal social event designed to promote fellowship and networking among skeptics, critical-thinkers, and like-minded individuals. Drinking Skeptically provides an opportunity for skeptics to talk, share ideas (and yes, drink) in a casual, relaxed atmosphere. We discuss the issues of the day and whatever else is on our minds. But most of all, we have fun while promoting skepticism, science, and rationality.

Don't drink? Don't let that stop you from joining us! Some of the world's most famous skeptics are teetotallers, and we are happy to have you!

Remember that drinking skeptically means drinking responsibly. If there's one thing science has taught us, it's the effects of alcohol on the human body.

To learn more about Drinking Skeptically see www.drinkingskeptically.org.

]]> Reason Rally Reception with Richard Dawkins, Lawrence Krauss, and more http://www.centerforinquiry.net/dc/events/reason_rally_reception_with_richard_dawkins_lawrence_krauss_and_more/ http://www.centerforinquiry.net/dc/events/reason_rally_reception_with_richard_dawkins_lawrence_krauss_and_more/#When:2012-03-23 18:00
Starts
March 23rd at 6:00 pm
Ends
March 23rd at 9:00 pm
Space Limited! Purchase tickets here

Before you trek to the Mall to demonstrate at the Reason Rally on Saturday, join us Friday night at the beautiful and historic Hill Center for a memorable evening with CFI staff and special guests!

Richard Dawkins • Lawrence Krauss • R. Elisabeth Cornwell • Sean Faircloth • Jamie Raskin • Jessica Ahlquist • Ronald A. Lindsay • Tom Flynn • Debbie Goddard • Michael De Dora • Melody Hensley • and more!
 
Light fare will be served—along with great conversation and remarks from our guests—but space is limited, so be sure to purchase your tickets soon!
 
** Please note that, because of other engagements, Richard Dawkins will be attending the CFI Reason Rally Reception early in the evening, from approximately 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. ** 
 
Register here
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