Setting the Agenda: Secular Humanism's Next 30 Years - A Free Inquiry subscriber's conference

Celebrate the 30th anniversary of Free Inquiry and the Council for Secular Humanism at the first Free Inquiry subscribers' conference.* Join an outstanding roster of speakers to reflect on our movement's achievements and look forward to challenges secular humanism will face in decades to come!

Celebrate amid the splendor of the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in the heart of resurgent downtown Los Angeles. In easy walking distance of Staples Center, Museum of Contemporary Art, Walt Disney Concert Hall, other downtown attractions.

Don't miss out on this year's most spectacular humanist conference. Register today!

* Basic registration includes a one-year subscription to Free Inquiry. Current subscribers enjoy an additional discount!

Program

Thursday, October 7, 2010

7:00pm - 9:00pm Evening reception. Complimentary hors d'oeuvres, cash bar.

Friday, October 8, 2010

9:00am - noon Plenary session: The First 30 Years

noon - 2:00pm Luncheon on your own. The hotel includes multiple restaurants, and others are conveniently accessible.

2:00pm - 5:00pm Plenary session - Science and Religion: Confrontation or Accommodation?

How should secular humanists respond to science and religion? If we champion science, must we oppose faith? 
How best to approach flashpoints like evolution education? A wide-ranging examination featuring a spectrum of distinguished panelists:

5:45pm - 6:30pm Pre-banquet reception with cash bar

7:00pm - 10:30pm Gala Banquet and 15th Anniversary - Celebration of Center for Inquiry / Los Angeles

FRS delivers an address on the occasion of the Dawkins Foundation's receiving a prize award unprecedented in the history of organized humanism.

Awards Ceremony

Theatrical Event

Opening Minds Productions in association with Meadowlane Enterprises presents Steve Allen's Meeting of Minds

Only in L.A.: a live theater revival of Steve Allen's award-winning PBS series with a cast of acclaimed performers portraying intriguing historical figures, live on stage.

Saturday, October 9, 2010

8:45am - 9:30am Plenary session: special presentation (to be announced)

9:30am - 12:30pm Plenary session: Secular Humanism and Human Values

Secular humanism is distinguished from mere atheism by its emphasis on values and ethics. What can philosophy, ethics, aesthetics, and the sciences contribute to our pursuit of the good life in this life?

12:30pm - 2:30pm Speaker Luncheon

2:30pm - 5:30pm Plenary session: The State of Church and State

From public funding of faith-based charities to religious expression in public spaces, the battle of church and state goes on, in American communities and within an international arena where faith and politics interweave in unpredictable ways. Includes a special report on Council for Secular Humanism v. McNeil, the Council's groundbreaking lawsuit that challenges faith-based funding in the state of Florida.

7:30pm - 9:30pm Keynote Dialogue

Where Should Seculars Stand Today and Tomorrow on Questions of Religion and Belief?

Sunday, October 10, 2010

9:00am - noon Plenary Session - The challenge of the Rise of the Nones

New Directions for Secular Humanism: A wide-ranging open discussion on secular humanism and its future.