Sunday Brunch and Speaker

Fighting God: An Atheist Manifesto for a Religious World Speaker: David Silverman, President of American Atheists David will discuss his new book, Fighting God: An Atheist Manifesto for a Religious World Fighting God is a firebrand manifesto from one of the most recognizable faces of atheism. Silverman - a walking, talking atheist billboard known for...

Speaker: Ellen Johnson, Executive Director of Enlighten the Vote (see here) and former American Atheists President Topic: How We Can Get Politicians to Pay Attention to Us The Democrats have Hillary, the Republicans have Carly, the Germans have Angela Merkel, and we Atheists have Ellen Johnson. If you don’t know who Ellen Johnson is, then...

Speaker: Tyson Gill Topic: Advancing Atheism into a Post-Dawkins Era Tyson is the author of "Belief in Science and the Science of Belief: A Guidebook to Fact-Based Thinking" (found here). He is also an NYCA Member and frequent contributor to our NYCA Newsletter. This month Tyson will challenge our thinking about atheism and the atheist movement. He makes a compelling...

Speaker: Muhammad Syed Topic: Islam and Atheism A tide of disbelief is rising in most Muslim countries. Muhammad Syed will talk about the need to support secularists, atheists and free thinkers. He will also be discussing common misconceptions within Muslim communities about Islamic history and scripture. Muhammad is a human rights activist, writer, speaker and community organizer....

Speaker: Stephen Bronner, PhD Topic: The Bigot: Why Prejudice Persists Stephen Eric Bronner is a prolific author, activist, and one of America’s leading political thinkers. His new book The Bigot: Why Prejudice Persists (see here) presents bigotry as a systematic, all-encompassing mindset that has a special affinity for right-wing movements. In what will surely prove a seminal...

Speaker:  Scott Williams, Ph.D. Topic: An Afternoon with Scott Williams Assistant Professor of Anthropology - Center for the Study of Human Origins Acting on a tip from spelunkers two years ago, scientists in South Africa discovered what the cavers had only dimly glimpsed through a crack in a limestone wall deep in the Rising Star Cave:...

Speaker:  Patricia Wright, PhD Distinguished Service Professor Stony Brook University Topic: Lemurs - Earth’s Most Diverse Group of Primates Madagascar is a strange place. It’s sometimes called the 8th continent due to its unique evolution and physical isolation. Ninety percent of its wildlife is found nowhere else. With no monkeys to compete with, Madagascar’s lemurs evolved...

Speaker:  Matthew Stanley, PhD Associate Professor (faculty page) NYU: Gallatin School of Individualized Study Matthew Stanley teaches and researches the history and philosophy of science. He holds degrees in astronomy, religion,...

Speaker:  Elizabeth Raymond MD, MPH Senior Medical Associate, Gynuity Health Projects (About Dr. Raymond) Dr. Raymond is a senior scientist at Gynuity Health Projects in New York City, a leading international women's health research organization. Over the past 20 years, she has published over 75 peer-reviewed scientific papers on contraception, abortion, and related fields and has served as an expert...

Speaker:  Professor Simon Garnier N.J. Institute of Technology, Biological Sciences Professor Garner's interdisciplinary research lab studies the mechanisms underlying the coordination of large animal groups, such as ant colonies or human...

Speaker:  Susana Martiez-Conde Professor of Ophthalmology, Neurology, Physiology, and Pharmacology Suny Downstate Medical Center Topic: Neural Magic: Techniques for Tricking the Brain Susana Martinez-Conde directs the Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience. Her research bridges perceptual, cognitive, and oculomotor neuroscience. She is best known for her studies on illusions, eye movements and perception, neurological disorders, and attentional misdirection...

Speaker:  Jeremy Kasdin, Ph.D. Professor, Vice-Dean, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences Princeton University Topic: In there life beyond our own solar system? Professor Kasdin says that “The Universe is teeming with planets.” So far though, astronomers have only been able to detect potentially Earth-like planets through indirect observation. Kasdin and his NASA colleagues want to...

Speaker:  Nathan Lent Professor, Vice-Dean, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences Princeton University Topic: Not So Different: Finding Human Nature in Animal Nature. Dr. Lents will present selected topics from his book, Not So Different: Finding Human Nature in Animal Nature - We Are Not Unique in Many different Ways (see here). Animals fall in love,...

Speaker:  Panel Discussion Topic: What should be the atheist agenda after the election? The cost of this event is $20 which includes a wonderful all-you-can-eat brunch followed by our guest speaker.

Video:  Written, directed, and produced by Roderick Bradford Topic: The Truth Seeker: D.M. Bennett D.M. BENNETT (1818-1882) was pronounced guilty for violating the Comstock Law in New York on March 21, 1879. “The trial of Dr. Bennett for sending obscene matter through the mails is one of the most important of the day,” declared The New York Sun....