Fellowship of Freethought Dallas

Ryan http://photos1.meetupstatic.com/photos/member/1/8/b/1/member_17706321.jpeg http://www.meetup.com/fofdallas/members/12451285/
Member

Fellowship of Freethought Dallas http://www.meetup.com/fofdallas/ http://photos4.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/5/8/0/a/global_16282538.jpeg 20071217

Dallas, TX 75240

Location:

Dallas, TXUSA 75254

Member since:

October 26, 2011

Introduction

My name is Ryan. I am a young person with strong interests in a lot of things, often abstract. I am an atheist, and actually one who believes religion is a negative thing. My major interest here is meeting people and having conversations on ideas.

What is your favorite book?

Hard to say. Here's a few I've liked: The Fatal Conceit by Friedrich Hayek. This book is basically about why Hayek thinks socialism will not work, and his answer is the idea that societal structures have embedded knowledge that we cannot explicitly replicate and that we really don't ever know. I like this book because I like the skeptical take it has on human knowledge. Consciousness Explained by Daniel Dennett. I really just like the attention given to psychological facts and how lucid Dennett's writing is, and also his criticism towards traditional conceptions of the mind. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas Kuhn. The notion of a "paradigm" is powerful in organizing thoughts. We aren't infinitely rational but work in paradigms and themes until they fail. It's also interesting because of this article: http://psych.utoronto.ca/users/peterson/psy430s2001/Ramachandran%20VS%20Evolution%20of%20self-deception%20Med%20Hypoth%201996.pdf

What is your favoite type of food/restaurant?

If I am not buying, then steak. However, if I have to pay, I always stick with pizza.

What is one of your most unique characteristics?

Yeah... I dunno. Quirky sense of humor? Intense nerdy passions? Extreme disregard for what is proper at times?

What are some of your hobbies?

I enjoy reading, playing video games, discussing ideas, reading webcomics.

How did you hear about Fellowship of Freethought?

Through meetup. It's just one of the things the website said I'd be interested in.

Nathan

Welcome to the Sci-Fi book club!

Apr 21, 2013 11:48 AM
Damon

Great recommendation on "Breakfast of Champions", Ryan!

Feb 17, 2013 11:52 PM
cisco

If you like messed up books like House of Leaves, here's the book I mentioned in the meeting. I suggested it to be added to the upcoming books for the meeting, so ::crosses fingers:: hopefully other members might vote for it. If not, you might want to check it out for yourself.
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/69...

Oct 21, 2012 7:37 PM
Mandy

Welcome! My names Mandy! I hope to meet you at future events!

Mar 19, 2012 12:29 PM
Todd Hedgcoth

Hey Ryan - Welcome to the Theology group. Sounds like you've got a lot to add to the discussions given your varied background. Looking forward to meeting you in person at the next meeting.

Feb 27, 2011 9:49 PM
Todd Hedgcoth

Hey Ryan - Welcome to the group. We're looking forward to meeting you in person at the next meeting.

Feb 27, 2011 9:47 PM
John

Hi Ryan, Glad to have you with us.

Feb 27, 2011 7:38 PM