A frosty but warm-hearted group gathered and decided to discuss if utilitarianism made sense. We began with a simple formulation of that ethical view, as mentioned in the title, but recognized that it could also be stated as doing the least harm or trying to do things that maximize the happiness or best consequences for […]
Socrates Cafe
Marriage: Sacred or Civil
With controversy raging about same-sex unions, same-sex marriages, domestic partnerships and commitment ceremonies, those attending Socrates Café one cold January night wanted to clarify the issue about the nature of marriage, if only to warm the cockles of their hearts. It would make sense to reserve the term marriage for a relationship sanctified by some […]
Is it Ever Right to Impose our Cultural Beliefs on Others?
“Circumcision” vs. “Mutilation” By Richard Bernstein A dozen gathered on a fine May evening to discuss if the appropriate attitude about garbage strewn streets and female circumcision should be acceptance, indignation or belligerence. Were these two issues even related? Strolling along the streets of the non-tourist section of a developing Caribbean island nation prompted thoughts […]
Ration Healthcare?
The new Socrates Café season opened with the above question. Some participants questioned the need to ration medical care at all and felt that we should reorient our national priorities, stop the tax cuts and stop wasting so much money on the military. Most, however, felt that no amount of money would satisfy a seemingly […]
What is Humanism’s Most Powerful Force for Making an Impact on Society?
On the first “Socrates Café on Sunday” of 2005 there were eighteen individuals, many of whom had no prior exposure to our discussion group, yet most agreed on one topic out of the thirteen suggestions: How can we focus on powerful sources of change within humanism to make positive change in society? The topic’s author […]
Why do people believe in God?
by Richard Bernstein One of our participants posed a question, which has been on everyone’s mind at one time or another: Why do people believe in God? Underlying the question is a need to reconcile the notion of a benevolent, omnipotent divinity with the omnipresence of evil, tragedy and disasters affecting so many, including the […]
