Last weekend the Council for Secular Humanism held their 30th anniversary conference in Los Angeles, and it was attended by many of the greatest minds in the humanist & skeptical movement. One of the headlining events of the conference was a panel on the topic of religion – titled “Science and Religion: Confrontation or Accommodation?” – and it has subsequently generated a great deal of discussion within the skeptical community.
The panel included such illuminaries as Jennifer Michael Hecht, PZ Myers, Eugenie Scott, Chris Mooney, and Victor Stenger. Essentially, the entire discussion – which can be can be watched on U-Stream (part 1 and part 2) – revolved around one question:
How should secular humanists respond to science and religion? If we champion science, must we oppose faith? How best to approach flashpoints like evolution education?
There have been a couple of interesting things I’ve read and/or listened to on this question…
PZ Myers’ Pharyngula blog – Confrontation all the way
Point of Inquiry’s episode – New Atheism or Accommodation?
… and I’ve either read online discussions about this or had personal conversations about it with other skeptics. Thus, since it is now a focal point for discussion, I’d like to include my thoughts on this whole issue, because I think that in large part the skeptical/humanist/non-religious communities are missing the forest through the trees…
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Skepticon 3 is coming Nov 19 – 21 2010. The event was limited to 500 guests and as of last week it was sold out and there was a waiting list. All of this and there is still over 3 months before the event. If only they could afford to get a bigger space. Well Polaris Financial Planning, the only investment company that specializes in helping skeptics plan for retirement, has stepped up with a donation to put Skepticon 3 in a place that will hold 1,800 skeptics. Skepticon 3 is now on target to be the biggest skeptic event ever!
The Skeptical Teacher 