Homo Neophilus meme trading for the intellectually curious… “We want to recruit you because you’re so gullible.  That is, gullible in the right way.  You’re skeptical about conventional wisdom, but attracted to unorthodox ideas…All humans are irrational, but there are two different kinds of irrationality-- those who love old ideas and hate and fear new ones, and those who despise old ideas and joyfully embrace new ones…They are all in one piece, so to speak…They are fully aware…And conscious w …

Portland Skeptics in the Pub is a casual social event for people who share an interest in science, skepticism, reason and critical thinking. We meet the last Sunday of every month at 5pm, now at the Roadside Attraction in SE Portland. Feel free to join us for conversation, drinks, and food in a friendly atmosphere.

A discussion group for moms interested in exploring the connection between the roles of motherhood and the principles of feminism. This is a welcoming group in a warm and friendly space. You're not required to have a background in feminism to participate, just a desire to join the discussion and learn from each other.  I created this group so that mothers could come together and use the intellectual part of their minds -- a part often neglected when you are busy raising children and working. Lap …

For anyone badass and passionate about ideas and their real life application. The BA Book club is interested in innovative ideas from sociology, economics, physical sciences, and philosophy but we're open to anything reasonable. Group will meet once a month in a badass pub to discuss that month's book. We're looking for young innovator-types. "Your hosts are two guys in their mid to late 20s".  This previous statement is now more of an idea of who our hosts once were...now every member should fe …

Think about it... a group devoted to intellectual discourse, philosophical inquiry, self-improvement through education, and community improvement through communication. think. strives to be such a group. We will meet weekly on the following thematic cycle First Thursday: Science Night Second Thursday: Philosophy Night Third Thursday: Pushing the Envelope Night Fourth Thursday: Book Club Night for in-depth discussions of prepared topics. think.ers will be encouraged to consider and practice The E …

A meetup group for those who want to learn about the latest findings in neuroscience. We plan to use this group to explore the latest findings in neuroscience and consciousness studies.  We want to keep things rational and scientifically-based, so we'll shy away from the New Agey stuff, while acknowledging that there are some pretty deep mysteries in this area, and parts that are necessarily subjective. The point of a meetup group is to actually meet people, so please dive in!  We can all learn …

A democratic inquiry group that elects questions from a participant generated list. Also check out our main website at socratescafepdx.wordpress.com

Are you drawn towards the past??? Have you ever felt like a round peg being forced to 'fit' into a square hole? We're just a group of women who happen to love 19th C. England, and read books written by 19th C. authors. We meet on the 3rd Wednesday  of each month at members' homes at 6pm for a dinner & book discussion. If you're curious about the roles of women in 19th C. England during the Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian Eras,  join us!  We will also watch movies based on books that we've disc …

Too many books, to little time to read what a book group wants you to read. Right? But you still want to share the books you love, yes? This is the book group for you. First, we pair up, and each person gets 5 mins. to tell the other one about one of their favorite reads. After 10 mins., we switch bookpals. Lather, rinse, repeat. After 3 rounds (30 mins), we get to mingle freely. We'll also put everyone's book title and name on a board to stir up further intrigue. Optional: Scribble or send a tw …

In 1727 Benjamin Franklin established a club for mutual improvement called Junto. The members of Junto were drawn from diverse occupations and backgrounds, but they all shared a spirit of inquiry and a desire to improve themselves, their community, and to help others. The meetings were organized around a series of questions that Franklin devised, covering a range of intellectual, personal, business, and community topics. These questions were used as a springboard for discussion and debate and so …

Is your inner Titania ready to release her magic? Or does your secret Hamlet yearn to soliliquize? You don't have to be an actor to want to play with the Bard's words. Nor must they be discussed with a somber aspect and intellectual diagraming. Let's get together to read, perform and taste the juicy poetry and make it our own. Just for fun. So bring your favorite speeches, scenes or sonnets and hie yourself down to the Kenton Library meeting room.

With the press of clinical work, broader intellectual needs of mental health clinicians can go wanting. But clinical fields are hardly the only—one could easily argue not even the strongest—avenue to understanding lives. Many scientific and scholarly disciplines study, and shed light on, human nature, suffering and well-being, and conditions that make for better and worse lives. This study group explores the work of such disciplines. This is not a book club. We will devote to each topic we addre …

On May 14, Gilad Atzmon is visiting Portland, playing on KMHD, and hosting a meeting, "Jazz is my Jihad", at E Portland Community Center, 740 SE 106th Ave, 6:30 pm. He is one of the world's leading jazz musicians, but is only beginning to get known in the USA. Born in Israel, he has become one of its most effective critics. His latest album: https://www.facebook.com/gilad.atzmon.music "Songs of the Metropolis". His latest book: "The Wandering Who", http://www.gilad.co.uk/the-wandering-who, John …

This group is for people interested in reading and discussing Russian fiction literature, from authors like Sergey Lukyanenko, Roman Zlotnikov, Oleg Bubela, Andrey Kruz, VItaliy Zykov, Yosif Golman. We are interested in finding common interests, book recommendations, satisfying intellectual discussions, personal growth, creative brainstorming, and just laid back socializing.

Men, let's read, meet and discuss some books over some food and/or coffee! We'll take turns in selecting a new read for each meetup and meet on a monthly basis.

This is a group that involves watching a movie and discussing said movie afterwards. What kind of movies do you ask? It can be any genre. My main criterion is that the film can carry a discussion. I might have themes for certain months like Overlooked Films, French Crime Films, Great Movies with Misleading Names or Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon theme with a certain actor or director. I’m going to be holding the group out of my house. I would prefer a theater but then I would be limited to what movi …