Announcement List for the Virginia Atheists & Agnostics

[Erik Pomrenke <>]

Hello VAA,

Join us this Thursday in Monroe 111 at 7PM for our first joint meeting with UVA's philosophy club! Scott Skokowski will be presenting a video by Sam Harris and leading discussion on the question of whether or not science can inform morality. Following is a brief synopsis by Scott:

"So in this TED talk, Sam Harris attempts to reconcile the widely held notion that science lies in a realm concerned with facts, and can say nothing about a domain, such as morals, which is populated by values. He claims that there is no notion of human morality that does not eventually reduce to the experience of conscious beings. From this, he makes the argument that values represent a certain kind of fact, and that these facts relate to the flourishing of human communities. For this reason, he believes there are right and wrong answers to moral questions, albeit more than one, and argues that it is time we start admitting to each other that we know much more about morality than we tend to give ourselves credit for.

There's a lot more detail in the video itself, but that's the general gist of it. Hopefully this will spark a lively discussion, and I encourage everyone to bring any ideas you have forward so that we may talk about them, even if you completely and utterly disagree with Sam simply by virtue of the fact that he looks way too much like Ben Stiller. (Not really, but you get the idea) I'll even put myself on the chopping block first, to show good sportsmanship. Also, I can't feed you, but provided we make it through the arena of civil debate unscathed, I would assume there will be time to go hang out afterward."

Next week will finally be our elections! If you are interested in running for either President, Vice President, or Events Officer, please send both Tori and me a brief blurb about what you think you would bring to VAA leadership, and be prepared to give a brief address to the club. The elections are held by a direct vote of eligible members, and anyone curious about the inner structure of VAA is free to look at our attached constitution. Other non-elected leadership positions include PR, Philanthropy, and Social Media, among others. The structure of these positions is very flexible and if there is any position that does not yet exist that you would like to fulfill, just let us know! 

Finally, April 17th is national Ask an Atheist Day. In the past, we have usually tabled for this, but we will be trying out a new format this year. We'll be hosting a discussion meeting with various religious and non-secular clubs, where we hope to address some important questions that many people may have for atheists and agnostics. There will also be free pizza provided! Join the facebook group to get any relevant updates.

I hope this email brings warmth to you all in these dark, winter days.

 

Erik W. Pomrenke

UVa 2014

German Literature 

President of VAA

Attachment: VAA Constitution.docx
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