ACA Lecture Series

Free and Open to the Public

The Atheist Community of Austin hosts a monthly lecture series as a community service and a means of promoting and disseminating ideas of interest to atheists and the greater Austin community. Lecture topics usually focus on core areas of atheist interest such as science, skepticism, the impact of religion, philosophy, church/state separation, and community activism. While many of our lecturers are PhDs, lectures are targeted to a lay audience of people who want to enrich their understanding.

We usually hold our lectures at the Austin History Center, located downtown at 9th and Guadalupe (Yahoo map). Lectures are scheduled usually on the 1st Sunday of every month starting at 12:15pm. We meet in the "Reception Room". The building opens at noon.

Our next lecture will be presented on September 12, 2010 at 12:15 p.m.

Dr. James H. Dee
The Second Wave of Secular Humanism: How Scholarship Undermines Religion

A provocative exploration of ways in which the initial thrust of the "New Atheists" can be expanded and multiplied, using the research of fully competent scholars in a range of disciplines. His talk will focus on the ways in which secular humanism can and should enlist "allies" in the perpetual conflict with irrational religious beliefs - allies whose academic and scholarly credentials are beyond dispute and whose opinions, not always widely publicized, offer powerful support for "our side."

James H. Dee received an AB in Comparative Literature from the University of Rochester and a PhD in Classical Languages and Literature from the University of Texas; he retired in 1999 after a quarter-century in the Classics Department at the University of Illinois at Chicago and has a non-monetary appointment as Visiting Scholar in the Classics Department of the University of Texas.

He's written 9 books in the field of Classics (all tedious reference works), has held 2 National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowships, and--more relevant to our concerns--has had 30 op-eds published in the Austin American-Statesman, 18 of which were outspokenly secular humanist in nature. An essay on (i.e. against) The Resurrection, which ran during Easter Week in 2005, is among the most controversial pieces ever printed in that paper.

Note that this is the second Sunday of the month.

Upcoming speakers		Recent speakers
September 25, 2010 Matt Dillahunty The Superiority of Secular Morality		August 1, 2010 Sarah Weis and Brian Spears from Americans United The Importance of the Separation of Church and State
October 3, 2010 Steve Bratteng Dr. Darwin Makes a House Call		July 11, 2010 Aime Parsons Camp Quest Texas, A Journey of the heart for the secular community in Texas
November 7, 2010 Eileen Flynn Delao		June 6, 2010 Doyle Duke, author A Critical Analysis of Christianity
December 5, 2010 TBA		May 2, 2010 Election meeting In lieu of a lecture, we will have an election meeting for the next ACA Board at the Austin History Center.

Click here for a full list of our speakers

The 2010 ACA Bat Cruise is slated for Saturday, September 25th, 6-8pm. Get your payment in early to reserve your place at this popular event. You may pay for tickets online via our products page. New: Take in the other events we have planned for that day: a lecture, dinner, and a comedy show.

The NonProphets radio program is on hiatus until late September.

Atheist Community of Austin ° P. O. Box 3798 ° Austin, TX 78764

Voice Mail: 512-371-2911

ACA is affiliated with
Atheist Alliance, American Atheists, American Humanists Association,
the Council for Secular Humanism, and the Austin Coalition of Reason.

"Atheist Community of Austin" is a trademark of the Atheist Community of Austin.

ACA Lecture Series

Upcoming speakers

Recent speakers