We’re a discussion group with a focus on rationality, philosophy, science, technology, skepticism and ethics. We choose members who are friendly, very intellectually curious, intelligent, non-religious, and rationally-minded – meaning that we’re more interested in figuring out the truth together than in proving ourselves right, or in arguing for the sake of arguing. Our members are young, almost all in the range of 20 to 35 years old.

Our meetings are usually informal group discussions at someone’s apartment, or occasionally in a bar or the park, with food and hangouts for several hours afterwards. Sometimes we also invite guest speakers – past guests include Columbia University bioethicist and author Jacob Appel; the co-founder of Givewell, Holden Karnofsky; the president of the Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence, Michael Vassar; and the A.I. researcher and rationality blogger Eliezer Yudkowsky.

To give you an idea of what our meetings tend to be about, here are a few representative examples:

Five Minute Lectures  |  Everyone was invited to give an informal five-minute talk on a topic of their choice. Topics included evolutionary explanations for humor, measuring the entropy level of postmodern texts, and kung fu strategy.

Has rationality improved our lives? | Three group members volunteered to talk about whether, and how, learning the techniques of rational thinking had actually improved their lives.

Books that changed us  |  Everyone was invited to talk about a book that changed his or her way of thinking.   

Movie screening: Jesus Camp | We made popcorn and watched the documentary “Jesus Camp.” Afterwards, several group members talked about growing up in extremely religious families, what it was like, and how they shed their faith.

If you think you might be a good fit for our group, please click here to fill out a brief form introducing yourself to us. We're looking forward to hearing from you!