Humanism is a progressive philosophy of life that, without supernaturalism, affirms our ability and responsibility to lead ethical lives of personal fulfillment that aspire to the greater good of humanity.
Humanism and Its Aspirations
Upcoming Events
Humanist Explorations - "Great Expectations"
Saturday, January 3, 2026, 2:30PM
With the New Year upon us, we look forward to happier times, and Charles Dickens tells the tale in a unique way as only he could. Starring John Mills and a stellar cast of characters, the first directorial effort by David Lean, this great film from 1946 will keep the viewer on the edge of one’s chair while we follow the story of “Pip” and his great expectations for his future.
Social Dinner
Monday, January 5, 2026, 7:00PM
Join us at Thai Stories for our monthly Social Dinner, and discuss a wide range of topics with like-minded people. (We’re…
Monthly Meeting
Monday, January 19, 2026, 6:30PM
This is our monthly meeting, held on the third Monday of the month at 700 Hartford Turnpike in Hamden.
We usually meet for coffee …
Board Meeting
Sunday, January 25, 2026, 7:00PM
All members of the Humanist Association of Connecticut are welcome to attend. If you have something to bring to the board or wish …
Online event
Social Dinner
Monday, February 2, 2026, 7:00PM
Join us at Thai Stories for our monthly Social Dinner, and discuss a wide range of topics with like-minded people. (We’re…
Book Discussions
"The Chaos Machine" by Max Fisher
Saturday, January 17, 2026, 2:30PM
Our book for January is The Chaos Machine: The Inside Story of How Social Media Rewired our Minds and the World by journalist Max Fisher.
From Amazon: Building on years of international reporting, Max Fisher tells the gripping and galling inside story of how… social network [companies] preyed on psychological frailties to create the algorithms that drive everyday users to extreme opinions and, increasingly, extreme actions. As Fisher demonstrates, the companies’ founding tenets, combined with a blinkered focus on maximizing engagement, have led to a destabilized world for everyone.
…Fisher tracks the ubiquity of hate speech and its spillover into violence, ills that first festered in far-off locales, to their dark culmination in America during the pandemic, the 2020 election, and the Capitol Insurrection. Through it all, the social-media giants refused to intervene in any meaningful way, claiming to champion free speech when in fact what they most prized were limitless profits. The result, as Fisher shows, is a cultural shift toward a world in which people are polarized not by beliefs based on facts, but by misinformation, outrage, and fear.
“The Chaos Machine is an authoritative and devastating account of the impacts of social media…The way the book connects the dots is utterly convincing and should obliterate any doubts about the significance of algorithmic intervention in human affairs.” – New York Times Book Review
"James" by Percival Everett
Saturday, February 21, 2026, 2:30PM
Our book for February (Black History Month) is James by award-winning writer Percival Everett.
From Amazon:
When the enslaved…
"The Icon & the Idealist" by Stephanie Gorton
Saturday, March 21, 2026, 2:30PM
Our book for March (Women’s History Month) is The Icon & the Idealist: Margaret Sanger, Mary Ware Dennett, and the…
You can download the New Haven Free Public Library’s flyer for the 2024 book discussions at the Wilson Branch.
Our Calendar
Be sure to sign up for our e-mail list to get advance notification of events.
You can RSVP for most HAC events via meetup.com.
Newsletter
Titles selected for our book discussions can be found in most local libraries or ordered from bookstores such as Barnes and Noble.
HAC is a chapter of the American Humanist Association and a UU Humanists local group.