Discussion Groups

Thursday Science & Philosophy Discussion Group

Meeting every Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 12 pm in the UUCLC Social Hall

This is not a class. It is a meeting of persons interested in the topics to have an open discussion to express their knowledge of the subjects and to exchange ideas and opinions.

Moderator: Franklin Pennington

January Discussions:

Jan 02 Faith and Cultural celebrations, songs, festivities... HOW do you relate to programs that are well, NOT part of your chosen path? Just how is this "multiculturalism" supposed to work anyway? Do you join the PARADE or Protest the event? Sing along or ask someone to PLEEESE turn down their NOISE?? Are you somehow being FALSE if you sing along and dance to programs that represent beliefs very different from your own? Will you be attending the slaughter of the Sacrificial Beast this evening, eh? Please share some of your own experiences on navigating this precarious path and what it feels like to be OUT OF STEP with the crowd and their chosen drummer.

Jan 09 "HOW WE DECIDE" by Jonah Lehrer offers a peek into the HOW of that "black box" of the human PSYCHE! OH and it is MORE complex than the cartoon image of Devil on one shoulder and Angel on the other, darn FAR worse in fact, with the thousands of INFLUENCE messages sent at us daily! With new tech tools ah HA, we can SEE what parts of the brain are pushing well, just HOW we will decide! Going one step further, WHAT goes on when (on RARE occasions), WE CHANGE OUR MINDS? Our complex world demands that we have a better understanding of this process. OH and want a NEW job that pays GREAT and lets you work at home? Become an INFLUENCER!

Jan 16 Last month we talked about DREAMING -- the physiological, cognitive and emotional aspects of the slumber land. Today you will hear DETAILS of the Robert Monroe Hemi-Sync program for developing lucid dreaming skills and by the way, tell us of your own practice on dream focus and recall over this last month. OH and have any of you been floating or flying in your dreams? HOW would you like to become a Frequent Flyer?

Jan 23 VIOLENCE seems an integral part of the evening NEWS. Shootings, stabbings, even physical or vehicular assaults -- WHY? It is not just between nations (SO glad we had 'the WAR to end all WARS' a century ago) but includes neighbors, co-workers, and family members. To what extent does the MEDIA fuel this problem OR merely reflect it and are YOU personally offended by the action movie formula of car chases, shootings and huge explosions  The TAO suggests it is a great misfortune to have AN ENEMY -- uhhh, how are we doing  Who do you believe is acting in a way that well, will WORK to reduce violence  Should we build more prisons?

Jan 30 The U.S. spends a LOT more money (per capita) on health care than other nations, maybe 2 or 3 TIMES more? So HOW are we doing? Just what is meant by a "single payer system" and possible benefits or problems  OH and now we have SO many more companies of "health care providers" with their collection of physicians, etc. THIS is all SO SO complicated, so FIRST any problems you have met in the current system and then maybe a SECOND opinion and ... WHERE can we possibly go from here???