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<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?><feed xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" ><generator uri="https://jekyllrb.com/" version="3.7.3">Jekyll</generator><link href="https://cmuhl.org/test-site/feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/atom+xml" /><link href="https://cmuhl.org/test-site/" rel="alternate" type="text/html" /><updated>2018-09-03T15:55:58-04:00</updated><id>https://cmuhl.org/test-site/</id><title type="html">Humanist League</title><subtitle>The Carnegie Mellon University Humanist League is dedicated to building a community of humanists, who strive to improve the human condition through reason and compassion.</subtitle><entry><title type="html">Reflection &amp;amp; Feedback</title><link href="https://cmuhl.org/test-site/discussions/2018/04/30/reflection-feedback-fish-bowl/" rel="alternate" type="text/html" title="Reflection &amp; Feedback" /><published>2018-04-30T13:30:00-04:00</published><updated>2018-04-30T13:30:00-04:00</updated><id>https://cmuhl.org/test-site/discussions/2018/04/30/reflection-feedback-fish-bowl</id><content type="html" xml:base="https://cmuhl.org/test-site/discussions/2018/04/30/reflection-feedback-fish-bowl/">&lt;p&gt;Join us Monday for the last meeting of the semester! Instead of a specific topic, we will spend the time collectively reflecting on what Humanist League has done this past semester. It will also be a good opportunity to hear feedback from you on how our organization has been doing. What have you enjoyed about Humanist League so far? What have you not particularly liked? What things can we improve on? What topics, events and other ideas do you have in mind for next semester?&lt;/p&gt;</content><author><name></name></author><category term="discussions" /><category term="reflection" /><category term="feedback" /><summary type="html">Join us Monday for the last meeting of the semester! Instead of a specific topic, we will spend the time collectively reflecting on what Humanist League has done this past semester. It will also be a good opportunity to hear feedback from you on how our organization has been doing. What have you enjoyed about Humanist League so far? What have you not particularly liked? What things can we improve on? What topics, events and other ideas do you have in mind for next semester?</summary></entry><entry><title type="html">Psychoactive Drugs</title><link href="https://cmuhl.org/test-site/discussions/2018/04/23/psychoactive-drugs/" rel="alternate" type="text/html" title="Psychoactive Drugs" /><published>2018-04-23T13:30:00-04:00</published><updated>2018-04-23T13:30:00-04:00</updated><id>https://cmuhl.org/test-site/discussions/2018/04/23/psychoactive-drugs</id><content type="html" xml:base="https://cmuhl.org/test-site/discussions/2018/04/23/psychoactive-drugs/">&lt;p&gt;Psychoactive drugs are chemical substances that alter one’s mental state, often leading to altered perceptions, moods, and behaviors. Some psychoactive drugs include Psilocybin Mushrooms, Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD), Cannabis, Tobacco, MDMA, Benadryl, Zyban, and Alcohol. The effects of psychoactive substance vary dramatically, from only mild highs, to completely altering an individual’s personality and grasp on reality. Many of these drugs are regulated, ranging from making the substance completely illegal to manufacture, sell, and posses, to requiring a prescription to obtain, to simply needing to be over 18 to purchase. However many disagree with the way in which governments regulate psychoactive substance, often criticizing the arbitrary nature with which seemingly harmless drugs are prohibited while very harmful drugs are allowed to be prescribed. This leads to the question of how we know what drugs are considered harmful?&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Many psychoactive substances in fact have a long histories of being consumed by humans for various purposes. A prominent historical usage of psychoactive substances has been for spiritual reasons as the altered mind state of some substances seems to lead many to experiences that they describe as profoundly meaningful and feeling a connection with the world around them that they doesn’t usually feel. Furthermore we see that many psychoactive substances do in fact have legitimate medical usages as we see many pharmaceutical companies manufacturing various medications containing psychoactive substances.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;How can we decide what psychoactive substances should be allowable and what should be prohibited? How can illicit substances be effectively prohibited? What are legitimate reasons for consumption of psychoactive substances?&lt;/p&gt;</content><author><name></name></author><category term="discussions" /><category term="drugs" /><category term="perception" /><summary type="html">Psychoactive drugs are chemical substances that alter one’s mental state, often leading to altered perceptions, moods, and behaviors. Some psychoactive drugs include Psilocybin Mushrooms, Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD), Cannabis, Tobacco, MDMA, Benadryl, Zyban, and Alcohol. The effects of psychoactive substance vary dramatically, from only mild highs, to completely altering an individual’s personality and grasp on reality. Many of these drugs are regulated, ranging from making the substance completely illegal to manufacture, sell, and posses, to requiring a prescription to obtain, to simply needing to be over 18 to purchase. However many disagree with the way in which governments regulate psychoactive substance, often criticizing the arbitrary nature with which seemingly harmless drugs are prohibited while very harmful drugs are allowed to be prescribed. This leads to the question of how we know what drugs are considered harmful?</summary></entry><entry><title type="html">The #MeToo Movement</title><link href="https://cmuhl.org/test-site/discussions/2018/04/16/the-metoo-movement/" rel="alternate" type="text/html" title="The #MeToo Movement" /><published>2018-04-16T13:30:00-04:00</published><updated>2018-04-16T13:30:00-04:00</updated><id>https://cmuhl.org/test-site/discussions/2018/04/16/the-metoo-movement</id><content type="html" xml:base="https://cmuhl.org/test-site/discussions/2018/04/16/the-metoo-movement/">&lt;p&gt;The Me Too movement (or “#MeToo”) is a hashtag used to express solidarity in experiencing sexual assault and to demonstrate the prevalence of sexual misconduct in modern society. The phrase was previously used in this context by Tarana Burke in 2006 and was popularized by Alyssa Milano in October 2017.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Since then, the phrase, usually with an accompanying personal story, has been shared online millions of times all around the world, in multiple languages and with a variety of spinoffs for unique subgroups. High-profile celebrities have come forth with their personal stories such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Ashley Judd, Jennifer Lawrence, Uma Thurman, and Terry Crews. It has also brought to light allegations against Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, and Louis C. K.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;#MeToo has reached a critical point where social scientists are suggesting it is capable of changing culture. Multiple men have resigned in light of allegations against them. Policies around sexual harassment and rape kits have been updated in schools, military, and government. Greater emphasis has been placed on the importance reporting abuse, especially among male peers. Traditional gender norms around sexual behavior and consent have been challenged.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;What other ways has the #MeToo movement impacted culture? How has this phenomena impacted you? Where do you see this movement going in the future? Why do you think it has taken this long for it to have happened?&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Me_Too_movement&quot;&gt;The Wikipedia page has a pretty comprehensive #MeToo summary&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/ct-me-too-timeline-20171208-htmlstory.html&quot;&gt;The Chicago Tribune’s visual timeline of events around #MeToo&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</content><author><name></name></author><category term="discussions" /><category term="feminism" /><category term="society" /><summary type="html">The Me Too movement (or “#MeToo”) is a hashtag used to express solidarity in experiencing sexual assault and to demonstrate the prevalence of sexual misconduct in modern society. The phrase was previously used in this context by Tarana Burke in 2006 and was popularized by Alyssa Milano in October 2017.</summary></entry><entry><title type="html">Toxic Masculinity</title><link href="https://cmuhl.org/test-site/discussions/2018/04/10/toxic-masculinity/" rel="alternate" type="text/html" title="Toxic Masculinity" /><published>2018-04-10T13:30:00-04:00</published><updated>2018-04-10T13:30:00-04:00</updated><id>https://cmuhl.org/test-site/discussions/2018/04/10/toxic-masculinity</id><content type="html" xml:base="https://cmuhl.org/test-site/discussions/2018/04/10/toxic-masculinity/">&lt;p&gt;Toxic Masculinity refers to pressure applied against men by themselves or others to fulfill harmful male gender roles, such as dominance, social and sexual aggression, emotional invulnerability, and complete self-reliance.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Pressure to perform in these roles causes direct harm to men and indirect harm to the those around them. For example, toxic masculinity directly harms men by pressuring them to refuse or avoid social support in an attempt to appear emotionally invulnerable, which has been shown to increase their rate of completing suicide. Toxic masculinity indirectly harms those around men by pressuring them to use violence against others even when they don’t want to.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;One specific example of a toxic masculine ideal is the perception that it is shameful or unbecoming of a man to do housework. This is a source of household difficulties in patriarchies everywhere, where women are saddled with disproportionate amounts of housework and men feel like they don’t have control over their own living spaces. An extreme example of this can be found in traditional Italian culture, where men often feel like they are forced to depend on women even when they want to live independently. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.theguardian.com/world/2003/apr/06/italy.sophiearie&quot;&gt;https://www.theguardian.com/world/2003/apr/06/italy.sophiearie&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;How has toxic masculinity impacted you? How do we differentiate between what is toxically masculine and what is merely masculine? What can men do to oppose or decrease the affect of toxic masculinity on themselves? What individual and societal changes should we make to decrease  the pressure on men to conform to male gender roles? How does the impact and form of toxic masculinity change across cultures and regions?&lt;/p&gt;</content><author><name></name></author><category term="discussions" /><category term="masculinity" /><category term="society" /><summary type="html">Toxic Masculinity refers to pressure applied against men by themselves or others to fulfill harmful male gender roles, such as dominance, social and sexual aggression, emotional invulnerability, and complete self-reliance.</summary></entry><entry><title type="html">Altruistic Obligation</title><link href="https://cmuhl.org/test-site/discussions/2018/04/02/altruistic-obligation/" rel="alternate" type="text/html" title="Altruistic Obligation" /><published>2018-04-02T13:30:00-04:00</published><updated>2018-04-02T13:30:00-04:00</updated><id>https://cmuhl.org/test-site/discussions/2018/04/02/altruistic-obligation</id><content type="html" xml:base="https://cmuhl.org/test-site/discussions/2018/04/02/altruistic-obligation/">&lt;p&gt;Altruism, or the practice of increasing another’s well being at the expense of one’s own, is thought of as a noble act above and beyond the call of duty in most situations. But in certain situations many of us feel obligated to behave altruistically, such as when someone with their hands full needs to go through a doorway, or when a community is struck by a devastating natural disaster. When is being altruistic something that we ought to do instead of being something that is merely good to do? Under what conditions should other people switch from behaving selfishly to behaving altruistically? Do those conditions depend on the need of others and the extent of our abilities? How do we compare our own needs to those of others? Do the conditions change for small groups, like fellowships? What about large or highly organized groups, like states and religions?&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;As an individual, how much should you try to help out other individuals? How much should you spend on supporting groups? As a rich nation, how much should you try to help people of other nations? How much should you spend on furthering the interests of other nations instead of your own?&lt;/p&gt;</content><author><name></name></author><category term="discussions" /><category term="altruism" /><category term="obligations" /><summary type="html">Altruism, or the practice of increasing another’s well being at the expense of one’s own, is thought of as a noble act above and beyond the call of duty in most situations. But in certain situations many of us feel obligated to behave altruistically, such as when someone with their hands full needs to go through a doorway, or when a community is struck by a devastating natural disaster. When is being altruistic something that we ought to do instead of being something that is merely good to do? Under what conditions should other people switch from behaving selfishly to behaving altruistically? Do those conditions depend on the need of others and the extent of our abilities? How do we compare our own needs to those of others? Do the conditions change for small groups, like fellowships? What about large or highly organized groups, like states and religions?</summary></entry><entry><title type="html">The Future of Education</title><link href="https://cmuhl.org/test-site/discussions/2018/03/26/future-of-education/" rel="alternate" type="text/html" title="The Future of Education" /><published>2018-03-26T13:30:00-04:00</published><updated>2018-03-26T13:30:00-04:00</updated><id>https://cmuhl.org/test-site/discussions/2018/03/26/future-of-education</id><content type="html" xml:base="https://cmuhl.org/test-site/discussions/2018/03/26/future-of-education/">&lt;p&gt;Due to the incredible changes in technology during this “age of information”, the Future of Education is uncertain. Some parts of the world still use chalk boards and paper administration, and confiscate electronics if they are visible in the classroom. Other parts of the world attend class virtually, watch videos of their professors at any hour of the day, and complete assignments and exams through secure online servers. Some are caught somewhere in between, completing polls on their phone in class, or taking notes on their computer.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Additionally, secondary education is changing also. While “trade schools” are still popular and produce technicians and engineers, the blue class workers are increasingly moving towards office work. No longer risking their lives in the field, they are now programming the robots which go into the fields. This suggests a dramatic shift in employment opportunities for the working class.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;That leaves us with many uncertainties for all levels of education. What will school look like for young children? What will high school look like for future employees? What will secondary education look like for blue and white collar fields? What we do know is that more information is being made accessible to larger swaths of people, and for free. What we don’t know is, what will the future of education look like?&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Here are some links to some things to consider as education changes (or doesn’t change) in the future:
&lt;a href=&quot;https://elearningindustry.com/9-things-shape-future-of-education-learning-20-years&quot;&gt;9 Things That Will Shape The Future Of Education: What Learning Will Look Like In 20 Years?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://elearningindustry.com/9-things-shape-future-of-education-learning-20-years&quot;&gt;6 Problems with our School System&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</content><author><name></name></author><category term="discussions" /><category term="education" /><category term="future" /><summary type="html">Due to the incredible changes in technology during this “age of information”, the Future of Education is uncertain. Some parts of the world still use chalk boards and paper administration, and confiscate electronics if they are visible in the classroom. Other parts of the world attend class virtually, watch videos of their professors at any hour of the day, and complete assignments and exams through secure online servers. Some are caught somewhere in between, completing polls on their phone in class, or taking notes on their computer.</summary></entry><entry><title type="html">Autumn Whitefield-Madrano – I Am Beautiful</title><link href="https://cmuhl.org/test-site/speakers/2018/03/22/autumn-whitefield-madrano/" rel="alternate" type="text/html" title="Autumn Whitefield-Madrano – I Am Beautiful" /><published>2018-03-22T13:00:00-04:00</published><updated>2018-03-22T13:00:00-04:00</updated><id>https://cmuhl.org/test-site/speakers/2018/03/22/autumn-whitefield-madrano</id><content type="html" xml:base="https://cmuhl.org/test-site/speakers/2018/03/22/autumn-whitefield-madrano/">&lt;h2 id=&quot;women-beauty-and-the-therapeutic-narrative&quot;&gt;Women, Beauty, and the Therapeutic Narrative&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;p&gt;A long overdue awareness of the punishing nature of our beauty standards has finally arrived; but its accompanying narrative that women don’t like their appearance pushes other experiences beauty out of the conversation. Join us this Thursday March 22 at 5 pm in Scaife 125 for an exploration of the many facets of beauty through science, philosophy, and the lived experience of women.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Autumn Whitefield-Madrano is the author of Face Value: The Hidden Ways Beauty Shapes Women’s Lives, an exploration into the sociology, philosophy, and lived experience of women and beauty in America.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Check out the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/events/170308400284174/&quot;&gt;Facebook event&lt;/a&gt;!&lt;/p&gt;</content><author><name></name></author><category term="speakers" /><category term="women" /><category term="beauty" /><summary type="html">Women, Beauty, and the Therapeutic Narrative</summary></entry><entry><title type="html">The Morality of Porn</title><link href="https://cmuhl.org/test-site/discussions/2018/03/19/morality-of-porn/" rel="alternate" type="text/html" title="The Morality of Porn" /><published>2018-03-19T13:30:00-04:00</published><updated>2018-03-19T13:30:00-04:00</updated><id>https://cmuhl.org/test-site/discussions/2018/03/19/morality-of-porn</id><content type="html" xml:base="https://cmuhl.org/test-site/discussions/2018/03/19/morality-of-porn/">&lt;p&gt;The morality of porn is a contentious topic for a variety of reasons. Porn production, religious beliefs, and perceived positive or negative effects on oneself or others (among other reasons) can all play a role in personal and philosophical positions on whether porn is good or bad.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Porn production is often a significant consideration when people discuss whether the existence of porn (as opposed to its consumption) is moral. Porn actors have been exploited in the creation of some films in the form of exploitation and misinformation, and some films may be produced illegally. For example, an actor may have been told that she had to perform a certain sexual act, or been told that a sexual act would not be damaging when it would actually cause severe physical damage. Rosebudding, also known as anal prolapse in the medical world, is an unfortunate example of a growing porn trend that causes/requires physical damage for an actor to perform. Ethical porn is also available where the directors put ethical production and treatment of the actors at the focus of their business.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Besides the production, many people take stances on porn based on its perceived effects, with varying levels of evidence. Potential benefits include sexual pleasure, control over their own sexuality, sex education, increased exploration by themselves or with partners, better relationships, and greater sexual satisfaction. Potential negative effects include porn-induced erectile dysfunction, porn addiction, worsened body image, lessened attraction to partners, and lessened desire to have sex. In the case of children, many people also worry that exposure to porn can upset sexual or emotional development and ideas of how sex and relationships should develop. Religion is a common principled objection to the viewing of porn, with various mainstream religions taking a stance that porn and masturbation are morally wrong.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Is it unethical for pornographic films with (sometimes severe) risks to actors to be produced? What about if the actor knew the risks beforehand? Is it unethical to view these films? Does ethical porn fix the problem? Do the potential effects on children matter to our general consumption? Do other porn mediums (written erotica, pictures, audio) have a different moral standard? How do religious beliefs affect the moral stance on porn? Do the potential benefits or detriments allow us to make a general moral judgement on porn?&lt;/p&gt;</content><author><name></name></author><category term="discussions" /><category term="morality" /><category term="porn" /><summary type="html">The morality of porn is a contentious topic for a variety of reasons. Porn production, religious beliefs, and perceived positive or negative effects on oneself or others (among other reasons) can all play a role in personal and philosophical positions on whether porn is good or bad.</summary></entry><entry><title type="html">The Ethics of the Art Market</title><link href="https://cmuhl.org/test-site/discussions/2018/03/05/ethics-of-art-market/" rel="alternate" type="text/html" title="The Ethics of the Art Market" /><published>2018-03-05T12:30:00-05:00</published><updated>2018-03-05T12:30:00-05:00</updated><id>https://cmuhl.org/test-site/discussions/2018/03/05/ethics-of-art-market</id><content type="html" xml:base="https://cmuhl.org/test-site/discussions/2018/03/05/ethics-of-art-market/">&lt;p&gt;The art market is currently booming. Last November the record for the most expensive painting ever sold at auction was shattered by Leonardo da Vinci’s “Salvator Mundi” selling for &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/15/arts/design/leonardo-da-vinci-salvator-mundi-christies-auction.html&quot;&gt;$450.3 Million&lt;/a&gt;. However increasingly many of these great works of art go &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/29/arts/design/one-of-the-worlds-greatest-art-collections-hides-behind-this-fence.html&quot;&gt;right into storage&lt;/a&gt; as their buyers see them as sound investments that will appreciate in value rather than masterpieces to be appreciated for their beauty. Although many great works of art hang in private collections, at least they are gazed upon by some humans, which leads to the question, does putting art in a box as in investment defeat the point of the art?&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;And what about the artists? How should they feel about their life’s work going unappreciated in a warehouse somewhere? Yet one may argue that art being seen as also an investment opportunity brings more money to artists and enables more artists to make a living. To complicate things even further, often those paying big dollars for pieces of artwork did not come by their money in very ethical ways and art provides a convenient way for them to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/13/arts/design/art-proves-attractive-refuge-for-money-launderers.html&quot;&gt;launder their money&lt;/a&gt;. Should artists consider these issues when selling their work?&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Is it immoral for art masterpieces to go unappreciated? Should we regulate the art market to prevent this and other issues? Should artists consider to who and how sell their work? The answer to these questions seems to depend on the answer to the more general question: what is the purpose of the art anyway?&lt;/p&gt;</content><author><name></name></author><category term="discussions" /><category term="art" /><category term="artists" /><category term="aesthetics" /><category term="ethics" /><summary type="html">The art market is currently booming. Last November the record for the most expensive painting ever sold at auction was shattered by Leonardo da Vinci’s “Salvator Mundi” selling for $450.3 Million. However increasingly many of these great works of art go right into storage as their buyers see them as sound investments that will appreciate in value rather than masterpieces to be appreciated for their beauty. Although many great works of art hang in private collections, at least they are gazed upon by some humans, which leads to the question, does putting art in a box as in investment defeat the point of the art?</summary></entry><entry><title type="html">Human Extinction</title><link href="https://cmuhl.org/test-site/discussions/2018/02/26/human-extinction/" rel="alternate" type="text/html" title="Human Extinction" /><published>2018-02-26T12:30:00-05:00</published><updated>2018-02-26T12:30:00-05:00</updated><id>https://cmuhl.org/test-site/discussions/2018/02/26/human-extinction</id><content type="html" xml:base="https://cmuhl.org/test-site/discussions/2018/02/26/human-extinction/">&lt;p&gt;Many believe that the human species, and all of its accompanying knowledge, will die one day. Why? Some argue the probability that we make a fatal mistake is high enough that we must eventually succumb to it.  Others think that humanity is inherently unjust, and some external enforcement of justice will be our downfall. Are they right? Is the continued existence of our species determined by our actions? Would it be just for our species, or our civilization, or our knowledge to end? Will the human race go extinct?&lt;/p&gt;</content><author><name></name></author><category term="discussions" /><category term="existence" /><category term="extinction" /><summary type="html">Many believe that the human species, and all of its accompanying knowledge, will die one day. Why? Some argue the probability that we make a fatal mistake is high enough that we must eventually succumb to it. Others think that humanity is inherently unjust, and some external enforcement of justice will be our downfall. Are they right? Is the continued existence of our species determined by our actions? Would it be just for our species, or our civilization, or our knowledge to end? Will the human race go extinct?</summary></entry></feed>