Washington Metro Objectivism Discussion (WMOD) 
                 
                          May 1996 Meeting
    
                    "What is Humanism?" by Ken Marsalek

The May 22 meeting of WMOD will feature a talk on the Humanist 
movement by Ken Marsalek, the president of the Washington
Area Secular Humanists (WASH).  According to the WASH brochure:

"Humanism is a general term for outlooks on life distinguished by
the following characteristics: 

* Use of critical reason and scientific methods of inquiry in seeking 
solutions to human problems.
* A conviction that dogmas, ideologies, and traditions, whether 
religious, political, or social must be weighed and tested by each
individual and not simply accepted on faith.
*A constant search for truth, with the understanding that new 
knowledge and experience constantly alter our imperfect perception
of it.
*A concern for THIS life and a commitment to making it meaningful
through better understanding of ourselves, our history, our intellectual
and artistic achievements, and the outlooks of those who differ from us.
*A search for viable individual, social, and political principles of ethical
conduct, judging them on their ability to enhance human well being and
individual responsibility.
* A conviction that with reason, an open marketplace for ideas, good
will and tolerance, progress can be made in building a better world for 
ourselves and our children.

Secular humanists are distinguished by an emphasis on scientific methods
of knowing, separation of church and state, and a commitment to the 
pursuit of humanist goals outside of a religious framework."

Ken Marsalek is a founding member of WASH and a board member of the
Council for Secular Humanism (formerly CODESH).  His articles on humanism
have been published in FREE INQUIRY and the SECULAR HUMANIST 
BULLETIN.  Ken will discuss the roots of humanism, its historical development,
and current status.

                            Last Month's Rand Videos      

On April 17, two videos of Rand interviews were shown.  About
half the 20 attendees had never seen Rand before.  Due to the 
many positive comments, WMOD plans to show more videos of
Rand in the future, and possibly others of Branden, Peikoff, etc.
Please let us know if you have a good video that we could show.

             When and Where is the WMOD Meeting?

Join us on Wednesday 5/22.  You can either join us for dinner
at 7 pm and/or for the discussion at 8:15 pm at the Fortune 
Chinese Restaurant at Baileys  Xroads, VA on Route 7 between 
7 Corners and Columbia Pike (5900  Leesburg Pike 703/998-8888). 
You can take METRO to the West Falls  Church stop and then take 
METRO buses 29A or 29B East on Route 7 toward Baileys Xroads. 
The Fortune is on this route. After the meeting we can give you 
a ride back to a METRO station.  WMOD has  arranged for a $15 
fixed price dinner (including tax and tip).  Or you can order 
from the menu.  Please RSVP to WMOD (703) 820-7696 before noon 
Wednesday 5/22 so that we can tell the restaurant how many 
tables to set up. 

                                 CALENDAR

Future of Freedom Foundation "Vienna Coffee Club Talks" at
the Key Bridge Marriott in Arlington, VA. RSVP to  703/934-6101.

* May 23:  Jacob G. Hornberger and Richard M. Ebeling, pres.
and vice president of FFF, on "The Failure of America's Foreign
Wars".
       
           Spring and Summer Conferences

IOS will hold its 1996 Summer Philosophy Seminar "Objectivism:
Theory and Practice" on July 6-13 at the University of Colorado
at Boulder. Contact http://ios.org,  (914) 471-6100, ios@ios.org.

Second Renaissance Conferences will hold its two-week-long
conference "Ideas for the Rational Mind", June 29 - July 14,
at Tysons Corner, VA. Call (203) 791-1755.
 
                    WMOD Contact Information

 Dave Saum
 WMOD 
 PO Box 8007 
 Falls Church, VA 22041
 Email: DSaum at infiltec.com,  Phone: 703/820-7696 

----------- "Sapere aude" (dare to know) --------------------

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