SPI Fellows’ Corner
Michael Shermer in D.C., Dawkins on Paris
Next Wednesday, January 21st, Fellow Michael Shermer, advisor to the American Council on Science and Health, founder of The Skeptics Society and Editor in Chief of its magazine Skeptic, will return to the Cato Institute as a guest speaker.  He will discuss and sign copies of his latest book, The Moral Arc: How Science and Reason Lead Humanity toward Truth, Justice, and Freedom.  On Thursday morning, Shermer will join SPI CEO Edwina Rogers at the House of Representatives to meet with select members of the Science and Technology committee about the direction of secular policy in the United States.
The event comes as part of a national book tour, just after a stop in New York.  Shermer may still have room in his schedule for an additional signing on Wednesdayevening.  If your local organization is interested in hosting a small talk, please contact madeline@secularpolicyinstitute.net.
Last week, in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo attack, Fellow Richard Dawkins made a splash in the press when he voiced his opinion that ÔÇ£religions are NOT equally violentÔÇØ.┬á Although the comment was a response to discussion on his Twitter page, he received backlash from major news publications and from Al-Jazeera.┬á However,┬áThe Huffington Post┬ácited a non-discriminatory statement by Dawkins after the similar Peshawar tragedy in December, when he┬áhad asked his 1 million followers to consider ÔÇ£what else but faith is CAPABLE of making people do such evil?ÔÇØ┬á His sentiment seems to condemn all organized groups with an extreme, but non-rational, motivation for brutality.