Humanist Society of NSW, Australia

I ( John August) have released a video of our latest event, the Darwin Day talk I gave on the chemical origins of life - what were the first chemical reactions that were complex and directed, eventually ending up as life as we know. I drew from several sources, and added my own perspective -

The Chemical Origins of Life ( Abiogenesis) For the NSW Humanist Society's annual Darwin Day event, I gave a talk on how life might have developed from chemical reactions in the distant past. I drew fr...

On this Sunday, our annual Darwin Day event:

Sunday 22 February 2026 at Humanist House in Chippendale 3-5PM will be the Humanist Society's annual Darwin Day celebration, at which the focus is biology, evolution, natural sciences, history of science and similar topics.

2026 Darwin Day Talk - the Chemical Origins of Life

For this year's talk, Vice President John August takes a look at how life might have developed from chemical reactions in the distant past.

Drawing from the book "The Vital Question" by Professor Nick Lane and adding some perspectives of his own, John outlines the hurdles such reactions must overcome - including the synthesis of proteins, something that takes both energy and a particular chemical environment.

John also draws from Stephen Jay Gould's notion of "adaptation" and an information theory perspective - how is it that we might store information in chemicals, and how might they themselves direct other chemical reactions? These are important steps towards sustainable primitive lifeforms from which other forms might evolve.

Darwin Day celebrates Charles Darwin's birthday each year. Charles was born 12 February 1809 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. Darwin's discoveries transformed our understanding of humankind's place in the natural world, kickstarted the search for the origin of our own species, and inspired our discoveries of the origins of human capabilities and behaviours.

I ( John August ) recently gave a talk on Foreign Policy and the Global Situation at Humanist House - I take a look at how we relate to foreign nations, both locally and also the distant conflicts we have become involved with, including the Middle East. I also take a look at the hypocricy which seems innate to the way we deal with foreign nations, being unduly influenced by our relationship with the US and our own corporate interests.

Australian Foreign Policy and the Global Situation I take a look at how we relate to foreign nations, both locally and also the distant conflicts we have become involved with, including the Middle East. I als...

NSW Humanists Society's speaker event this Sunday 12 October 2025 3-5PM at Humanist House, Chippendale will feature John August presenting alternate ideas on whether the speed of light really is an 'impenetrable barrier' in physics.



John August is a Vice-President of the Humanist Society of NSW. John is not himself a physicist, and this is not an academic paper, but comes from John's strong personal interest in alternative understandings of scientific issues. This can seem refreshing or provocative, depending on one's point of view, but our meetings supports good-natured discussion of ideas, and we can expect an entertaining afternoon.



John will review prevailing understandings of electromagnetism, light, and the theory of relativity, then present some alternate ideas on how things might turn out differently. He'll take a look at how James Maxwell in the 1800s brought together many disparate ideas about electricity, magnetism and charges, giving us an understanding of radiation, then how Maxwell's theories had problematic seeds that Albert Einstein in the 1900s developed a fix for, incorporating the idea that the speed of light is an ultimate limit.



John will then introduce a different approach developed by the Swiss physicist Walther Ritz, a contemporary of Einstein, including some interesting experimental details. (Sadly Ritz died young in 1909, and missed the chance to participate in the physics revolutions of the 20th century.) Then he'll discuss whether the speed of light is the limit we thought it was, how you can take a different look at nuclear explosions, and how 'interstellar jets' (streams of gas and energy) which seem to be going faster than the speed of light - might actually BE going faster than the speed of light.



The HSNSW encourages honest, open conversations held in a respectful manner. Our talks present ideas that are not necessarily endorsed by the Society. We respect science and expertise but also allow for healthy debate on issues compatible with our human values.



Murray Love, President, Humanist Society of NSW

Send a message to learn more

The next NSW Humanists Meetup event is on January 26th 2025. Please use the link below for more details. Happy new year to you all :-)

Checkout this Meetup with NSW Humanists Meetup:

meetu.ps

The next NSW Humanists Meetup is on Sunday November 24, 2024
at 3pm. 10 Shepherd St, Chippendale, Sydney 2008. Please use the link below for more information.

FACE-TO-FACE@HUMANIST HOUSE:, Sun, 24 Nov 2024, 3:00 pm | Meetup FACE-TO-FACE@HUMANIST HOUSE events allow for people interested in learning and discussing humanism to meet in a dedicated space, in an atmosphere that allows time and space

The next NSW Humanists Meetup event is on Sunday 10th November 2024 at 3pm.
10 Shepherd Street, Chippendale, Sydney 2008
Please use the link below for more information.

AFTERNOON TALK , Sun, 10 Nov 2024, 3:00 pm | Meetup All our events are now held at Humanist House in Chippendale. Details of speakers and topics will be advertised as soon as they become available. NSW Humanist Meetup is sp

The next NSW Humanists Meetup event is on Sunday 27/10/2024 at 3pm. Link for more information below

FACE-TO-FACE@HUMANIST HOUSE:, Sun, 27 Oct 2024, 3:00 pm | Meetup FACE-TO-FACE@HUMANIST HOUSE events allow for people interested in learning and discussing humanism to meet in a dedicated space, in an atmosphere that allows time and space

The next NSW Humanists Meetup presentation followed by Q&A is on Sunday 13th October 2024. John August will present a talk on the topic - Failed Political and Scientific Predictions. Please use the link below for more information.

When: Sunday 13th October 2024
Time: 3pm
Where: Humanist House - 10 Shepherd Street, Chippendale 2008, Sydney
Cost: Free

AFTERNOON TALK: John August - Failed Political and Scientific Predictions, Sun, 13 Oct 2024, 3:00 pm | Meetup This Afternoon Talk event will be a presentation by John August on the topic - failed political and scientific predictions from the past few decades. John will present his

The next NSW Humanists Meetup event is on Sunday 22nd September 2024. Please use the link below for more information.

FACE-TO-FACE@HUMANIST HOUSE:, Sun, 22 Sept 2024, 3:00 pm | Meetup FACE-TO-FACE@HUMANIST HOUSE events allow for people interested in learning and discussing humanism to meet in a dedicated space, in an atmosphere that allows time and space

Come along to the next free NSW Humanists Meetup event on Sunday 8th September at 3pm. Located at 'Humanist House' 10 Shepherd Street, Chippendale 2008, Sydney

Please use the link below for more information.

AFTERNOON TALK , Sun, 8 Sept 2024, 3:00 pm | Meetup All our events are now held at Humanist House in Chippendale. Details of speakers and topics will be advertised as soon as they become available. NSW Humanist Meetup is sp

The next NSW Humanists Meetup event is on Sunday 25th August 2024. Details below

What: NSW Humanists Meetup
When: Sunday 25th August
Time: 3pm
Where: 10 Shepherd Street, Chippendale 2008, Sydney

Link below to event information

FACE-TO-FACE@HUMANIST HOUSE: AMERICAN POLITICS - GLOBAL RISKS AND IMPLICATIONS, Sun, 25 Aug 2024, 3:00 pm | Meetup NSW Humanists Meetup's FACE-TO-FACE@HUMANIST HOUSE discussion event on the coming Sunday 25 August 2024 at 3.00-5.00 pm will explore current USA political trends and people