Archived Events

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A Better Life: An exploration of joy and meaning in a world without God

The British Humanist Association presents an exclusive screening of A Better Life, in which Chris Johnson – filmmaker and author of the book of the same name – explores issues of joy and meaning, travelling around the globe, and learning the various ways many atheists have left religion to a better life filled with love, compassion, hope, and wonder. Following the screening, Chris Johnson himself will deliver a short talk, before taking questions from the floor.

Sketching the Coalition

Join the formidable Steve Bell and the Guardian’s political sketch writer, John Crace, and Zoe Williams for their final verdict on the Tory-Lib Dem Coalition years.

Alex City Quiz

Come and join Alex for the occasion that gives the financial community the chance to have a wild punt on things they know nothing about, without bringing down the global financial system at the same time. In aid of Treloar School for disabled children.

All change: Religion & Belief in Britain

The country is going through a massive change in its religion and belief landscape. Yes, there has been an overall decline in religiosity, but that masks important changes in the mix among the religious, as well as complexity among the non-religious. Does it help to think about three dimensions – belief, behaviour and belonging - rather than simply “religion and belief”? Jeremy looks at the evidence from polling and other sources, and highlights the dangers of generalisations. How can thinking people respond to this dynamic environment?

Z-Day 2015 London

The Zeitgeist Movement is a global sustainability advocacy organisation and we warmly invite you to attend our annual event in London this year.

GALHA Election Special

In preparation for the forthcoming general election, we have invited representatives from the major political parties to discuss and answer questions on issues important to Humanists and LGBT people.

Beyond Happiness – with Anthony Seldon

Join us for an inspiring evening with Anthony Seldon as he shares practical ideas for living a more joyful and fulfilling life.

How to Solve a Problem Like the Rich?

Join the New Statesman for a lively debate.

Spiritualists

William Lane Craig’s Eight Reasons for God – Refuted

In 2014, the American Christian apologist W.L. Craig set out his eight reasons for belief in God in the bi-monthly magazine Philosophy Now, issue 99. In this talk, the validity of these eight reasons will be critically examined by atheist Norman Bacrac. Also assessed will be the morality of a God who seems to require us to have the logically impossible faculty of libertarianfree will.

The Women’s Equality Party

Equality for women isn't a women’s issue. When women fulfill their potential, everyone benefits. Equality means better politics, a more vibrant economy, a workforce that draws on the talents of the whole population and a society at ease with itself.

Santayana as Social and Cultural Philosopher

The Spanish-American philosopher George Santayana (1863-1952) has been an undeservedly neglected figure in British academia for many decades. This neglect is in marked contrast to the considerable attention he received in the first half of the 20th century. Santayana's range as a philosopher is wide, covering ontology, epistemology, ethics, the arts and sciences, religion, political and social issues. Also, his language possesses classic clarity. So, a revival of interest in him is long overdue - as is, indeed, a talk on him to the Conway Hall Ethical Society.

An Introduction to Beekeeping

Everything you've always wanted to know about beekeeping but were afraid to ask! The Conway Hall beekeepers are running a half day course for newbie beekeepers.We'll cover: the practicalities of beekeeping, how to build a hive, how to put on a bee suit, how to light a smoker, how to open a hive and see a colony of bees, and taste some honey.

London Thinks: How to Topple a Dictator

Tipped for a Nobel Peace Prize and hailed as a world-changer by everyone from the World Economic Forum to Wired magazine, fifteen years ago Srdja Popovic was more interested in punk rock than political protest. In conversation with Nick Cohen he will explain how he became one of the leaders of Otpor! — the movement which overthrew dictator Slobodan Milosevic — and has since gone on to train the pro-democracy activists behind the Arab Spring, Occupy, and many other movements.

Nic Marks – Happiness at Work: A crazy idea, or realistically achievable?

Nic Marks is a recognised expert in happiness and wellbeing research. His TED talk on the happy Planet index and the Five Ways to Wellbeing has been watched over a million times. Recently he founded Happiness Works - a business with a social purpose - to create happier workplaces.

Conway Cohort

The Conway Cohort - a sharing of work in progress. Eight dancers are being given space, mentoring, and performance opportunities as part of an exciting new artists’ residency scheme at London's iconic Conway Hall funded by Arts Council England.

The Anatomy of Modern Wars

A panel of three will discuss the problems of contemporary war. The discussion will kick off with Derek Gregory’s view of the origin of warfare in human society. This will be followed by an examination of the break-up of Yugoslavia and the subsequent wars there by Vlaho Kojakovic. Then John Edwards will analyse the Russia-Ukraine conflict. After some general discussion amongst the panel, the audience will be invited to contribute their views on this vexed subject.

The AHS Convention 2015

The Atheist, Humanist and Secular Societies, The British Humanist Association and Conway Hall Ethical Society presents the AHS Convention 2015. We are delighted to welcome you to the AHS Convention on 27th – 29th March 2015. We’ll be joined by some fantastic speakers, treated to some wonderful entertainment, and have the opportunity to meet non-religious students from AHS societies around the country. The 2015 Convention will consist of the Young Humanists Launch, speaker and panel sessions on the Saturday, followed by evening entertainment and workshops for society members on the Sunday.

Ethical Yoga – Introductory Course

We hear a lot these days, that “yoga” is good for us. But why is that and what it is good for? Can yoga be for anyone? Does it need to be ‘spiritual’ to be of benefit? Over the four-week course, you will be introduced to fundamentals of the yoga “asana”, how to align the body, counter hyper-mobility, improve posture, core strength and safety techniques to ensure your own practice is muscle and not joint based.

Britain’s Head of State Should be Elected

In 1215 bad King John was confronted by his rebellious barons and forced to concede them some rights, later enshrined in the Magna Carta. Amazingly, for the next 800 years, apart from a 12 year blip in 1648, the monarchy has continued in this country. Now, in 2015, some rebellious commoners called ‘Republicans' are questioning the UK's claim to be a true democracy unless its head of state is elected. The pros and cons of this issue will be debated, and the degree of audience support for rebellion estimated.

Behind the Headlines: What’s all the fuss about feminism?

Why do some women hate feminism? What is the 'fourth wave' of feminism? Who decides what it means to be a feminist? Can men be feminists? And, with the pay gap still widening and sexism prominent across campus and offices, where has it really got anyone? With gender equality firmly on the news agenda, and comment and criticism from all sides, Guardian Live presents a range of voices from different generations and perspectives.

The drugs don’t work: London Without Antibiotics

Sunday Concerts – Quartetto Noûs

Tiziano Baviera - violin Alberto Franchin - violin Sara Dambruoso - viola Tommaso Tesini celloHaydn: Quartet in D minor Op.42 Debussy: Quartet in G minor Op.10 Mendelssohn: Quartet in F minor Op.80

Puzzling Body Phenomena

As the title suggests, this talk is concerned with the living body experience in connection with the philosophical problem of Mind and Body within the existential and phenomenological framework. The focus will be on three different perspectives: how I perceive my body, my relationship to the body of the other and the perception of thedead body of the other which is relevant to discuss here as it provides a contrast to the living body experience.

Jackee Holder – Paper Therapy: Writing to Grow & Thrive in Life

Psychologies Life Lab expert, Jackee Holder, teaches you how to write for your well-being in this interactive course.

Sunday Concerts – Badke Quartet

Charlotte Scott - violin Emma Parker - violin Jon Thorne - viola Jonathan Byers - celloHaydn: Quartet Op.1/1 Bruch: Quartet in C minor UK première Schubert: Quartet in A minor D804 ‘Rosamunde’

Should People have a Right to know their own Genome?

Our society produces unprecedented amounts of data today. Some of these data will be used in the health domain. Also the creation of genetic data has become much faster, and much less expensive; the result is that people can get their genome (all their DNA) analysed by private companies, and sometimes even in the clinic.Although experts disagree about whether or not this is a positive development, virtually everybody agrees that we are far away from understanding what our genome data mean. Contrary to the expectation of some people, knowing our genome does not tell us what we will die of, or how long we will live.

5×15 featuring Jay Rayner, Matt Haig, Laura Bates and more

5x15: 5 exceptional speakers have 15 minutes each to take to the stage to inform, inspire and entertain. It’s a little known fact that restaurant critic Jay Rayner would take a piano to his desert island. This evening he speaks about jazz piano and hungry jazz.

Sunday Concerts – Odysseus Trio

Sara Trickey - violin Gregor Riddell - cello Clare Hammond - pianoPre-concert recital at 5.30pm: Adam Brown - guitar Journey to the Amazon: Solo guitar recital presenting a musical journey through South America. Works by Piazzolla, Lauro, Villa-Lobos, Montes and Brouwer will highlight the melodic lyricism and dynamic interplay of Latin America's vibrant musical spirit.

Sartre and the Anguish of Freedom

Sartre proclaimed how free we are – able to choose what to do, be and feel. But this freedom is not a liberation but a life-sentence – with hard labour. If we are to follow Sartre’s exacting strictures on avoiding bad faith, then we will always be scrupulously monitoring ourselves for authenticity, and it will be virtually impossible to be sincere – about our emotions, our sexuality, our love.

Hack Ballet Fashion Mash-Up

Choreographer Briar Adams and the dancers of Hack Ballet celebrate London Fashion Week with an evening of new dance and new fashion. Dancers with strong contemporary and ballet technique are joined in an evening of partnering and improvisation with young designers showing their work on the dancing body.

Sunday Concerts – Coull Quartet

Haydn: Quartet in B minor Op.33/1 Villa-Lobos: Quartet No.1 Beethoven: Quartet in C Op.59/3Roger Coull - violin Philip Gallaway - violin Jonathan Barritt - viola Nicholas Roberts - cello

Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership: A Deal that will end our Freedom

Ever heard of TTIP - the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership? It is a “Free Trade” deal with the United States currently under consideration by the European Union. Trade deals used to be about removing import tariffs.

Lincé Memorial Concert

Memorial Concert in memory of Mary and Martin Lincé in aid of Help Musicians UK (Registered Charity No 228089). Watch the Chilingirian Quartet perform Haydn's Piano Trio in C Hob. XV/27, Ravel's String Quartet, and Schumann's Piano Quintet in Eb Op.44. All proceeds from this concert will be donated to Help Musicians UK (Registered Charity No. 228089). Help Musicians UK is the working name of the Musicians Benevolent Fund.

Sarah Rozenthuler – How to Have that Big Conversation

Having life-changing conversations and talking about something that matters is a big threshold to cross. Communicating effectively at work and in your personal life strengthens relationships, opens doors to new opportunities and makes you feel better about yourself and others.

Space-Time Continuum

What will we want to keep from today? What would you like to lose? Free fun family art workshops at Conway Hall during the February half term holiday for families with children aged 7 - 11.The artist led workshops, called Space-Time Continuum explore our visions of the future. The workshops offer the opportunity for parents and children to participate in a joint activity.