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PAST EVENTS

(Previously done - but MAY get repeated)

Tools (for life) . . .

Identity in Action (parts 1 & 2. Finding as to how it relates to others.

Birth of the Quantum - What can we learn here?  Who needs it? 

Leonard Cohen - Music & verse for love, life & despair.

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Critical Thinking:

  • Truth and Critical Thinking -Tools for avoiding fake news.

  • Street Epistemology - Where it can most help to change a person.

  • Truth and Argumentation - use of the practical R-T-S criteria.

  • Critical Thinking for Getting Along - Disagreeing & still getting along.

  • Learning from Bad Arguments - Arguments made more convincing.

  • Decision Making - Issues of too many choices on the table.

Writing:

  • Website Setups - An easy intro to (free) Wix and Google Sites.

  • Journaling - Providing stepping stones forward in one's thinking.

  • Prefaces - Helping the overall and why they are so important.

  • Biographies - What is worthwhile? How legacy affects writing.

  • Understanding Life - Author invite per our "idea" book.

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Reality (and not . . . )

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Evolution:

  • Microbiological Similarities - A few basic evolutionary foundations.

  • Evolution per Island Habitats - Explaining the basic mechanisms.

  • Stratigraphy & Time Dating - Evolution's correlations.

  • Chromosome 2 - The most conclusive evidence for evolution.

  • American Horse Extinction Denialism -The Spaniard stuff.

The Supernatural:

  • Pascal's Wager - What it implies to how one should live a life (or not).

  • Nature of gods - Relationships to emotions and what is possible.

  • Fundamentalism - Issues for leaving the "fold" and damage-control.

  • Time to Go to Church? - A debate. Pro vs. Con. Gloves are off…

  • An Atheist Goes to Church - A successful secular talk at church.

  • Does God Exist? - YouTube discussion per Humanism, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, Judaism & Christianity.

  • Mormonism, Mummies & Salamanders. Even long-term members are rarely aware of this.

  • Life as a Witness to Jehovah - Some real-life experiences.

  • Why Do Mormons Stay Mormon? - why, why why?

Philosophy:

  • Artistic Taste & Judgment - Dammann - Is objectivity possible?

  • Thought Experiments - The Teletransporter, Pleasure Machine, etc.

  • The Trolley Problem - Otsuka - the philosophy & psychology of same.

  • Ethics of Vaccine Mandates - AHC - Framing the background.

  • Ritual in Chinese Philosophy - Puett - Roles per Confucius & others.

  • ​​Consciousness - How & why it exists in an otherwise material world. 

  • Moral Status - McMahan - Questions re foetuses & vegetative states.

  • Immigrants & Refugees - Sarah Fines - Do rights to exclude exist?​​

  • Singularity - Chalmers - When AI machines create other machines.

  • Inequity - Thomas Scanlon - Consequences & moral considerations.

  • Free Will - Thomas Pink - Determinism per science, blame & choice.

  • Medical Enhancement - Buchanan - Capacity increase beyond repairs.

  • Meaning in Life - Susan Wolfe - Is  purpose subjective or objective?

  • World Poverty - Peter Singer - From his book, The Child You Can Save.

  • Philosophy 101 - Foundations of applied ethics & other conundrums.

  • More Thought Experiments - Brain in a Vat & Rawls' Veil of Ignorance.

  • Gun control - How much regulation is desired & needed?

  • Metaphysics - eg: personhood, etc.

  • Consequentialism - Understanding the basics of our decisions.

  • What the atheist could learn from religion?

  • Moral Luck - Probability & luck as to morality.

  • Hate speech - Defining & freedom of speech.

  • The Demarcation Problem - Science vs. Pseudoscience.

  • Virtue Ethics - Courage, loyalty, etc. - what we all use per ethics.

  • Just War Theory - The most used valuation for war decisions. 

  • Virtue Ethics - One of the principal ways we justify our actions.

  • "Ethics" of War part 1 & 2 - Philosophical criteria for going to war.

  • Philosophy of Loneliness - A discussion of a rampant problem.

  • Truth & Objectivity of Ethics - What really can be the truth?

  • Philosophy of Science - What is real & how do we know it?

  • Free Will - Discussion of a subtle and very troublesome issue.

  • Would Living Forever Be Something to Desire? - Seriously.

  • The Ethics of Freedom & Liberty - Can we just do ANYTHING?

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Life . . .

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Behaviour:​

  • They're Eating the Cats - a discussion on immigration

  • Adversity Lessons of Charlie Brown - Bullies, baseball & bad friends.

  • Human Emotions - The very useful OCC cognitive classifications.

  • Humour & the Scientific Method - How objective is humour?

  • Nonverbal Behaviour & Snap Judgments - Body language.

  • Emotion of Awe - Psychological & behavioral benefits.

  • Personality Tests - Effectiveness & value of behavioural testing.

  • Introversion - Discussing the value & the challenges.

  • Diverse Democracy: the Great Experiment - Problems & the promise. See Yascha Mounk's "The Great Experiment".

  • Ethical AI - Chat GPT - Benefits, dangers & safeguards from a legal perspective. 

General:

  • The "Meaning of Life" - Discover (or build actually) a real life.

  • ABC's of Criticism - What to avoid for effective communication.

  • Smart Recovery for Addictions - Non-faith-based addiction programs.

  • Where Do Our Morals Originate? - Understanding moral values.

  • Political Differences - How to bridge between the left and the right.

  • Leadership Traits - Various styles that help and some that don't.

  • Japanese Culture - Important effects of its demographics.

  • China & its Culture - Toward understanding key issues.

  • The Oasis Experience - Improving community via participation.

  • Social Currency - Getting benefits via recognition of values on ideas.

  • Give a Fish or Teach How to Fish? - Issues of charity, justice & mercy.

  • Maslow vs. Moses - Alternatives for those pesky stone tablets.

  • Self-esteem - Its importance and why it is so darn hard to achieve.

  • Child Abuse & RISK Balancing - Youth groups (Scouting) & its problems.

Science & Miscellaneous:

  • Temperature & Entropy -  Thermodynamics (& godhood even).

  • Do You Believe in Magic? - Science based medicine vs NOT!!

  • The Scientific Method - What it is and where it can be best used.

  • Nuclear Power Issues - Progress per safety, efficiency and dangers.

  • Gene Editing - The Good, the Bad & the Ugly. Today's issues.

  • Financial 101 - Boring debits & credits but that definitely help.

  • Petroleum Industry - the Good, the Bad & the Ugly - Exploration, recovery, drilling, gas plants & oil batteries, pipelining to the oil sands.

Music & Arts:

  • Staff-less Music Rhythm Notation - Examining the benefits.

  • Evolution of Music through the Ages - How tastes have changed.

  • Encouraging More Music - Solutions that assist more playing.

  • History of Music - Trends & fun facts about cool stuff.

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For the Very Young:

  • Problem Solving - Animal tracks showing who went where.

  • Everyday Ethics - Ethical dilemmas & solution investigations.

  • Games to Exercise the Mind - Developing better thinking skills.

  • Scientific Method - Learn science by designing an experiment.

  • Making a Great Argument - How to tell what is good and not.

  • Puzzles to Exercise the Mind - A fun way to develop logical thinking.

  • When You Wonder - How to get more information about problems?

  • Basic Evolution - Time travel to find a link for how kiwis evolved.

  • Critical Thinking - How do we know what is true advertising?

  • Winter Solstice - What is it & why seasons are important.

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Other

  • BBQ's, Hikes, Croquet, Skittles & Frisbee at the Park, Guided Tours, Birding, Wetland Critter Dipping, Nordic Skiing, Road & Mountain Bike Cycling, River Cleanups, Blood Drives, Shelter Donations, Holiday Gatherings, etc. etc.

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