How do we get to be the way we are? Is our behavior largely determined by our environment and how we grew up? Or do we mostly inherit our tendencies from our parents? Philosophers and…
Genes and the Mind
Critical Minds is an enrichment series with professors and adjunct faculty members. The content of this series provides information and an opportunity for dialogue on topics that may be of interest to the humanist community. Speakers are engaged for their knowledge and expertise on the topics covered in the series. The speakers’ views are not necessarily aligned with the AHA, its members, or the humanist community. This series was introduced in May 2020.
View recordings of previous and upcoming events Here
Religion and Mental Health: Helpful or Harmful
A look into American fundamentalist religious experiences and the impact on mental health. Suandria Hall is a secular client-centered Mental Health Counselor and Life Coach. Her practice is exclusively virtual serving clients across the globe.…
The Minds of Animals
Many humanists now feel that we should expand our circle of concern to include other sentient living beings and the ecosystems upon which we live. So we may ask about what is going on in…
A Conversation on “God: An Anatomy”
People around the world and across centuries have wondered and debated about God’s existence and appearance. In her book God: An Anatomy, ancient religions expert Francesca Stavrakopoulou provides a fascinating exploration of how the depictions of…
How to Nurture Curiosity & Critical Thinking Skills in Kids
J.R. Becker will discuss how to cultivate curiosity and healthy skepticism in children, why it is important, and how he implements these tactics in his children’s books on “big questions for little thinkers” in science…
Debunking Myths about Poverty in America
Few topics have as many myths, stereotypes, and misperceptions surrounding them as that of poverty in America. The poor have been badly misunderstood since the beginnings of the country, with the rhetoric intensifying in recent…
Science and the Future of Humanism
How might the flourishing life and human sciences change humanism? Looking back a century, the humanism of 1900 was an optimistic vision informed by the steady march of physical science and inspired vaguely by the…
UFOs Are All The Rage!
Sidewalk Science, a twice-monthly YouTube broadcast by the Prairie State Humanists Chicago Chapter of the AHA, will join Critical Minds to discuss the plausible earth-bound explanation for UFOs and space aliens visiting us. They will look…
Addressing Indigenous Health Disparities
Indigenous people experience disproportionately high rates of chronic diseases today. Addressing Indigenous health disparities requires a critical analysis of federal policies and actions historically and currently, as well as a move to privilege the voices,…
Intro to Reproductive Justice and Intersectionality
This session introduced attendees to an intersectional analysis of race, class, and gender politics. Using a human rights analysis, facilitators explained how reproductive justice differs from the pro-choice/anti-abortion framework. Attendees learned about the history of…