Welcome to the Grand Traverse Humanists. If you value science, reason, and compassion and believe that humans are responsible for their own destiny, you have come to the right place. We are a community for the non-religious in the Grand Traverse area, offering a forum for discussing and advancing a secular worldview based on our common humanity. Our programs include monthly speakers and discussions, film and book groups, and various volunteer and social events. All are free and open to the public. Check out Upcoming Events below, or click on the calendar. Nontheists, agnostics, atheists, freethinkers, rationalists, humanists, and more…we welcome you to join us!
Upcoming Events
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G.T. Humanists Meeting: Personal Online Safety and Security
Join the Grand Traverse Humanists as they present Ken Hartman with a talk entitled, “Personal Security in an AI-Driven World.”As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more integrated into our daily lives, cybercriminals are finding new ways to exploit personal data and online identities through increasingly sophisticated scams. In this talk, Ken will explore the emerging threats posed by AI-driven cyber scams, from phishing attacks and social engineering to the dangers of voice cloning.Participants will learn how to protect themselves using Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) methods, including the latest advances in hardware tokens and passkeys, while also understanding the limitations of each approach. We’ll also discuss how to recognize fake alerts and secure cloud backups to minimize risks.Join us for an engaging session filled with real-world examples and actionable strategies to help you stay safe in an AI-powered world.Ken Hartman is an expert in digital forensics and cyber security, with over a decade of experience protecting personal data and defending against sophisticated cyber threats. As the founder of Lucid Truth Technologies, Ken specializes in Digital Forensics and Incident Response (DFIR), providing consultancy and expert testimony for criminal cases. He holds multiple advanced certifications in cybersecurity and forensics, including the prestigious GIAC Security Expert (GSE) and Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP). -
Hungry Humanists: Taproot Cider House
Join the Grand Traverse Humanists as they meet to dine at Taproot Cider House in downtown Traverse City. Taproot has a delicious menu with plenty of vegetarian options, along with extensive cider and cocktail selections. Please RSVP to Bob Simon at 517-449-3432 or rwsimon44@gmail.com.
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G.T. Humanists Book Club Dec 15: The Anxious Generation
Join the Grand Traverse Humanists at 4 p.m. as we discuss the latest book by Jonathan Haidt, “The Anxious Generation.”Description from Amazon: “After more than a decade of stability or improvement, the mental health of adolescents plunged in the early 2010s. Rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicide rose sharply, more than doubling on many measures. Why?In The Anxious Generation, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt lays out the facts about the epidemic of teen mental illness that hit many countries at the same time. He then investigates the nature of childhood, including why children need play and independent exploration to mature into competent, thriving adults. Haidt shows how the “play-based childhood” began to decline in the 1980s, and how it was finally wiped out by the arrival of the “phone-based childhood” in the early 2010s. He presents more than a dozen mechanisms by which this “great rewiring of childhood” has interfered with children’s social and neurological development, covering everything from sleep deprivation to attention fragmentation, addiction, loneliness, social contagion, social comparison, and perfectionism. He explains why social media damages girls more than boys and why boys have been withdrawing from the real world into the virtual world, with disastrous consequences for themselves, their families, and their societies.Most important, Haidt issues a clear call to action. He diagnoses the “collective action problems” that trap us, and then proposes four simple rules that might set us free. He describes steps that parents, teachers, schools, tech companies, and governments can take to end the epidemic of mental illness and restore a more humane childhood.Haidt has spent his career speaking truth backed by data in the most difficult landscapes—communities polarized by politics and religion, campuses battling culture wars, and now the public health emergency faced by Gen Z. We cannot afford to ignore his findings about protecting our children—and ourselves—from the psychological damage of a phone-based life.”The discussion will take place at the home of Rich and Lin Foa, at 1415 Lake Drive in Traverse City. Please RSVP to Rich at 720-545-8828, and bring a dish to pass if you like! -
G.T. Humanists Winter Solstice Celebration Dec 21
Please join the Grand Traverse Humanists at 7 p.m. as we celebrate the day of Earth’s northern hemisphere’s maximal tilt away from the sun, resulting in the year’s shortest day! Come enjoy the company of fellow secularists during the festive season. We’ll gather at the home of Mark Elliott and Heather Kingham, 7670 E Shore Rd. in Traverse City. Please RSVP to Mark at 231-392-1215, and bring a dish to share if you like!