Sense in the City: Fear and Street Crime

A Wednesday Zoom discussion series with the Center City Residents Association How can citizens nurture constructive dialogue that respects everyone and helps make our society more equitable and inclusive? How can we live more meaningful, engaged, and responsible lives? Join Hugh Taft-Morales, Leader of the Philadelphia Ethical Society, for a series of guided conversations about community, [...]

Black Women’s Bodies in the Archive and the Afterlife of Captivity

Marisa Fuentes Rutgers University Historical and contemporary records are consistently unreliable for understanding Black lives in precarity. Historian Marisa Fuentes will consider the ethics of historical research into vulnerable subjects by analyzing a document from the Barbados colonial slave archives alongside the police investigation into the killing of Breonna Taylor. She also will offer ethical [...]

Dogs, Cats, and Sentientism

Philadelphia Ethical Society 1906 Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia, PA, United States

Hugh Taft-Morales Leader, Philadelphia Ethical Society Animals have long supported human life, from their non-consensual role in our diets to their loving place in our homes. Humans often go to great lengths to care for them: rescuing wild animals in distress or feeding feral ones. Hugh will share two stories—one about dogs and one about [...]

Sense in the City: Climate Justice and Economic Justice

A Wednesday Zoom discussion series with the Center City Residents Association How can citizens nurture constructive dialogue that respects everyone and helps make our society more equitable and inclusive? How can we live more meaningful, engaged, and responsible lives? Join Hugh Taft-Morales, Leader of the Philadelphia Ethical Society, for a series of guided conversations about community, [...]

Torn Apart: How the Child Welfare System Polices Black Families

Dorothy Roberts University of Pennsylvania Acclaimed scholar Dorothy Roberts exposes the foundational racism of the child welfare system. Roberts argues it is a “family policing system” designed to put Black families under intense state surveillance and regulation, driving many Black children into juvenile detention and imprisonment. She calls for both dismantling this system and reimagining how to [...]

Joy of Living

Philadelphia Ethical Society 1906 Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia, PA, United States

Hugh Taft-Morales Leader, Philadelphia Ethical Society The French call it “joie de vivre,” a term that first appears in the pantheistic writings of Jules Michelet. Humanistic psychologist Carl Rogers praises it as “spontaneous relaxed enjoyment” and "the quiet joy in being one's self.” We see it in photos of the giggling delight that bonded Bishop [...]

Concert to Benefit Immigrants Fleeing Persecution

Philadelphia Ethical Society 1906 Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia, PA, United States

with Philadelphia Orchestra members, Curtis students and faculty Curtis Institute students and faculty, and members of The Philadelphia Orchestra will give a benefit concert to help refugees and other immigrants fleeing persecution. All proceeds will go to HIAS PA to support its legal and social services for immigrants.  “We believe in the power of music,” [...]

Introduction to Ethical Humanism

Be part of a small-group conversation about our Ethical Society community, history, and philosophy. This informal Zoom gathering with Hugh Taft-Morales is open to everyone. Join online at the scheduled time: CLICK HERE

Toward a Greater Inclusivity

Naomi Washington-Leapheart Villanova University Rev. Washington-Leapheart, an adjunct professor of theology and religious studies at Villanova, is a Black-queer church girl, preacher, teacher, and activist. She develops spaces of spiritual candor, disruption, reflection, transformation, and action. Washington-Leapheart will speak about how to make faith-based organizations more inclusive. Join here online at the scheduled time: tiny.cc/pesprograms

Intergenerational Climate Justice

Philadelphia Ethical Society 1906 Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia, PA, United States

Hugh Taft-Morales Leader, Philadelphia Ethical Society What do young environmental activists think about the global catastrophe they’ve inherited? How do older Americans feel about leaving future generations with this existential threat? Hugh explores groups of people young (the Sunrise Movement) and seasoned (Third Act) grappling with climate change. And he shares his own reactions to [...]