Six sessions

An introduction to ethical theories and ethical thinking. Literature and philosophy have both been instruments of challenge to established systems of morality, and ways to explore the implications of ethical ideas in human life. In each session, participants will discuss selected readings drawn from literature and philosophy. All readings are from out-of-copyright sources and will be distributed to registered students.

The focus of each session will be:

1. What's ethics?

2. What is good, what is evil? And, is everything relative?

3. Utilitarianism: the greatest good for the greatest number: pros and cons

4. Deontological ethics: Kant and his heirs and critics

5. Virtue-based ethics

6. Pragmatic ethics (Jane Addams, John Dewey, Felix Adler)

Location: Green Hedges School, Art Building

Regular board meeting of the Society. Members of the Society are welcome to attend or to make proposals. Please email the President to propose an item for the agenda or to indicate you'll attend (we would like to make sure there are enough seats for everyone).

The Northern Virginia Ethical Society honors the legacy of Jerry Ziskind, beloved teacher and President of the Northern Virginia Ethical Society. Fritz Williams, emeritus Leader of the Baltimore Ethical Society will speak on "Room to Grow." Just as Jerry created a classroom environment to educate the whole child, Fritz believes that parents should provide a home environment that encourages mutual respect, give-and-take exchanges, and moral instruction through everyday experiences.

4 sessions (attend one, several, or all)

Early Christianity’s history, as scholars today describe it, is quite a bit different than what you might have learned in Sunday School or from earlier histories, skeptical or orthodox. The early history is rich with a variety of perspectives, most forgotten today. How the battles for what would become orthodoxy turned out has affected world history profoundly.

NoVES Leader, Jone Lewis, has long had an interest in religions and how they developed, and she’ll bring some of what she’s learned from that study, aided by some videotapes and book excerpts from today’s scholars on the subject.

Included: what The Da Vinci Code got wrong, way wrong, about Christian history.

Place: Green Hedges, Arts Building

Time: 7-9 p.m.

Dates: April 2, 23, 30, May 7

Suggested donation: $20/course (covers all 4 sessions)

"Turn the World Around: Responding to Deep Human Suffering" -- Jone Johnson Lewis

Felix Adler, who founded the first Ethical Society, talked about the deep "spiritual pain" of knowing that there is so much human suffering in the world. It is, he wrote, as if we stand on the shore, watching millions drown, knowing that we cannot save them all.

Sometimes it seems that denial is the only alternative to being paralyzed. Jone will talk about some ways we can make the choice to be more in touch with human suffering yet keep ourselves from being overwhelmed.

4 sessions (attend one, several, or all)

Early Christianity’s history, as scholars today describe it, is quite a bit different than what you might have learned in Sunday School or from earlier histories, skeptical or orthodox. The early history is rich with a variety of perspectives, most forgotten today. How the battles for what would become orthodoxy turned out has affected world history profoundly.

NoVES Leader, Jone Lewis, has long had an interest in religions and how they developed, and she’ll bring some of what she’s learned from that study, aided by some videotapes and book excerpts from today’s scholars on the subject.

Included: what The Da Vinci Code got wrong, way wrong, about Christian history.

Place: Green Hedges, Arts Building

Time: 7-9 p.m.

Dates: April 2, 23, 30, May 7

Suggested donation: $20/course (covers all 4 sessions)

Six sessions

An introduction to ethical theories and ethical thinking. Literature and philosophy have both been instruments of challenge to established systems of morality, and ways to explore the implications of ethical ideas in human life. In each session, participants will discuss selected readings drawn from literature and philosophy. All readings are from out-of-copyright sources and will be distributed to registered students.

The focus of each session will be:

1. What's ethics?

2. What is good, what is evil? And, is everything relative?

3. Utilitarianism: the greatest good for the greatest number: pros and cons

4. Deontological ethics: Kant and his heirs and critics

5. Virtue-based ethics

6. Pragmatic ethics (Jane Addams, John Dewey, Felix Adler)

Location: Green Hedges School, Art Building

Many citizens accept their racial label as easily as they accept their gender label. But should we? Recent scholarship shows us that the effect of using labels like Italian- American, Black, or Asian has rarely been benign. Karen Helm will trace the ideology that underlies our use of racial terminology and discuss how it shapes our understanding of history, events and behavior. She will explore the information that we actually convey when we use it and suggest ways to ensure we are saying what we mean.

Monthly practice of connection-building communication. Held in Alexandria. Open to members of NoVES and others who've attended meetings at the Society. We're using the book Nonviolent Communication Workbook available on Sundays at the book table or at http://www.noves.org/nvc/

Please use the contact form to indicate interest if you'd like to join this group.

Regular board meeting of the Society. Members of the Society are welcome to attend or to make proposals. Please email the President to propose an item for the agenda or to indicate you'll attend (we would like to make sure there are enough seats for everyone).

"Ethical Hero: Frederick Douglass" - Jone Johnson Lewis, NoVES Leader

Jone will introduce us to the life and activism of Frederick Douglass, born a slave in Maryland, and a lifelong advocate for racial justice, women's rights, education, and religious freedom -- someone who's life embodies many of the principles of Ethical Culture.

Founder's Day is usually celebrated near May 15, the anniversary of the first meeting of the first Ethical Society in 1876 in New York.

Six sessions

An introduction to ethical theories and ethical thinking. Literature and philosophy have both been instruments of challenge to established systems of morality, and ways to explore the implications of ethical ideas in human life. In each session, participants will discuss selected readings drawn from literature and philosophy. All readings are from out-of-copyright sources and will be distributed to registered students.

The focus of each session will be:

1. What's ethics?

2. What is good, what is evil? And, is everything relative?

3. Utilitarianism: the greatest good for the greatest number: pros and cons

4. Deontological ethics: Kant and his heirs and critics

5. Virtue-based ethics

6. Pragmatic ethics (Jane Addams, John Dewey, Felix Adler)

Location: Green Hedges School, Art Building

In honor of Memorial Day, our Leader, Jone Johnson Lewis, and several members of the Society will share some special memories of people and events who helped shape our lives.

Allison Rutland Soulen of Just Neighbors will lead a discussion on current immigration law. The goal will be to provide a context to better understand both the immigrants in our community and the immigrant debate we hear in the daily news.

Six sessions

An introduction to ethical theories and ethical thinking. Literature and philosophy have both been instruments of challenge to established systems of morality, and ways to explore the implications of ethical ideas in human life. In each session, participants will discuss selected readings drawn from literature and philosophy. All readings are from out-of-copyright sources and will be distributed to registered students.

The focus of each session will be:

1. What's ethics?

2. What is good, what is evil? And, is everything relative?

3. Utilitarianism: the greatest good for the greatest number: pros and cons

4. Deontological ethics: Kant and his heirs and critics

5. Virtue-based ethics

6. Pragmatic ethics (Jane Addams, John Dewey, Felix Adler)

Location: Green Hedges School, Art Building

Monthly practice of connection-building communication. Held in Alexandria. Open to members of NoVES and others who've attended meetings at the Society. We're using the book Nonviolent Communication Workbook available on Sundays at the book table or at http://www.noves.org/nvc/

Please use the contact form to indicate interest if you'd like to join this group.

NoVES' annual retreat is June 13-June 15.  For more information, stop at our Welcome Table on a Sunday.

NoVES' annual retreat is June 13-June 15.  For more information, stop at our Welcome Table on a Sunday.

NoVES' annual retreat is June 13-June 15.  For more information, stop at our Welcome Table on a Sunday.

Regular board meeting of the Society. Members of the Society are welcome to attend or to make proposals. Please email the President to propose an item for the agenda or to indicate you'll attend (we would like to make sure there are enough seats for everyone).

Monthly practice of connection-building communication. Held in Alexandria. Open to members of NoVES and others who've attended meetings at the Society. We're using the book Nonviolent Communication Workbook available on Sundays at the book table or at http://www.noves.org/nvc/

Please use the contact form to indicate interest if you'd like to join this group.

Regular board meeting of the Society. Members of the Society are welcome to attend or to make proposals. Please email the President to propose an item for the agenda or to indicate you'll attend (we would like to make sure there are enough seats for everyone).

Monthly practice of connection-building communication. Held in Alexandria. Open to members of NoVES and others who've attended meetings at the Society. We're using the book Nonviolent Communication Workbook available on Sundays at the book table or at http://www.noves.org/nvc/

Please use the contact form to indicate interest if you'd like to join this group.

Regular board meeting of the Society. Members of the Society are welcome to attend or to make proposals. Please email the President to propose an item for the agenda or to indicate you'll attend (we would like to make sure there are enough seats for everyone).