We have received reports from authors of someone claiming to be “Dan B.” from Hartford Area Humanists who arranges a book discussion and then asks the author for a fee. The Humanist Association of Connecticut and Hartford Area Humanists never asks authors to pay to have their book discussed.
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
Monthly Meeting - Reality Foundations Theory
Monday, August 17, 2026, 6:30PM
We’ve spent decades operating under the comforting delusion that political disagreement is a marketing problem—that if we just serve up more facts and slightly tidier logic, reasonable people will finally see sense. It hasn’t worked. What if we aren’t dealing with bad-faith arguments or widespread stupidity? What if we’re simply dealing with incompatible concepts of what counts as “truth,” who holds legitimate authority, and what society is even for?
Join us for an eye-opening presentation on Reality Foundations Theory, a compelling framework that maps out these hidden rules for reality. We’ll explore why traditional arguments consistently fail, how distinct psychological rule sets shape our perceptions, and a possible way to bridge the divide when logic alone does nothing.
Our speaker is local amateur philosopher Kevin Muldoon. Kevin spends his days as a Design Systems Architect, exploring the systems behind design, technology, and organizations — how structure, incentives, and assumptions shape both outcomes and understanding. We’ll meet for coffee and conversation at 6:30 PM followed by this exploration at 7:00 PM.
Northern Social Dinner
Tuesday, August 25, 2026, 7:00PM
We’ll be meeting again in Wallingford at Pacific Buffet & Grill (https://pacificbuffetandgrill.com/). Come join us for…
Board Meeting
Sunday, August 30, 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
Humanist Explorations
Saturday, September 5, 2026, 2:30PM
This is our monthly Humanist Explorations meeting. We meet at 700 Hartford Turnpike in Hamden for a presentation followed by a…
Social Dinner
Monday, September 7, 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
"Against Empathy" by Paul Bloom
Saturday, September 19, 2026, 2:30PM
Our book for September is Against Empathy: The Case for Rational Compassion by psychologist Paul Bloom.
From Amazon: We often think of our capacity to experience the suffering of others as the ultimate source of goodness. Many of our wisest policy-makers, activists, scientists, and philosophers agree that the only problem with empathy is that we don’t have enough of it.
Nothing could be further from the truth, argues Yale researcher Paul Bloom. In Against Empathy, Bloom reveals empathy to be one of the leading motivators of inequality and immorality in society. Far from helping us to improve the lives of others, empathy is a capricious and irrational emotion that appeals to our narrow prejudices. It muddles our judgment and, ironically, often leads to cruelty. We are at our best when we are smart enough not to rely on it, but to draw instead upon a more distanced compassion.
“The title may shock, but this is a book of calm reason and expansive compassion. It’s also a pleasure to read: warm, lucid, and thought-provoking.” – Steven Pinker
"The People, No" by Thomas Frank
Saturday, October 24, 2026, 2:30PM
Our book for October is The People, No: A Brief History of Anti-Populism by American political analyst and historian Thomas…
"Job: A Comedy of Justice" by Robert Heinlein
Saturday, November 21, 2026, 2:30PM
Our book for November is Job: A Comedy of Justice by science fiction author Robert Heinlein.
From Wikipedia:
Job: A Comedy of…
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
We no longer publish a regular newsletter as many of our monthly events are organized at short notice.
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.