The Free Thinker Institute

HOSTED BY TONE
Please Join Culture, AI, Science, and the Human Experience (CASHE) group via the link below and RSVP there
https://www.meetup.com/science-art-ai-and-the-human-experience/

Explore how prelife world formed, driven by physics, chemistry, and geology—perfect for curious beginners eager to think big about origins.

## Details

Before life arrived on Earth, the planet was already a restless system shaped by physics, chemistry, geology, and time. Space and matter were cooling, settling, and interacting in ways that carved out the first stable patterns on a young world. Heat gradients formed, minerals crystallized, water pooled and circulated, and the surface of the Earth became a landscape where structure could accumulate.

This session explores that world before life. We’ll look at how the early planet formed, what forces dominated its behavior, and how the interplay of thermodynamics, chemistry, geology, and and water created pathways that made the emergence of life possible. From our place in the solar system to the cycles and constraints that shaped the early environment, we’ll build a picture of what the stage looked like before anything living appeared.

We’ll also begin setting the foundation for a future conversation with Dr. Helen Hansma, whose work explores the possibility that life may have originated between mica sheets embedded in early Earth’s geology. Understanding the planetary context helps make sense of why ideas like hers matter, and how the earliest steps toward life might have unfolded.

This event is Part 1 of the Cells arc in the Fire, Cells, and Circuits series. It focuses on grounding the story: the conditions, the forces, and the systems that shaped the world that life eventually emerged from.

This session is open to everyone, whether you’re new to the Fire, Cells, and Circuits series or you joined us for the introductory event. No background is required, just curiosity and a willingness to think deeply about these questions.

PLEASE RSVP VIA ORLANDO STOICS LINK BELOW

https://www.meetup.com/orlando-stoics/

ORLANDO STOICS, "TRAVELS WITH EPICURUS"

DETAILS: This is our Friday night series starting on 11/28/2025. Join us as we read Daniel Klein’s book, “Travels with Epicurus.” We will accompany the then 73-year old author on his travels to the Greek island of Hydra where he seeks the answer to aging happily. His quest leads him to focus on the teachings and inspiring life of Epicurus. Along the way, the author also explores the wisdom of Stoicism, Bertrand Russell, Eric Erikson, Aristotle, William James, and others. Is Aristotelian old-age grumpiness the most personally honest way to go? Is Stoicism more about denying rather than transcending pain? Are the best years of our lives in our old age? Join us as we explore these questions and read one of NPR’s best books of 2012, a UK Sunday Times Bestseller, and a book the UK’s Daily Telegraph coined “wry, whimsical, amusing, and intelligent.”

SCHEDULE
11-28-2025 Prologue and Chap. 1
12-5-2025 Chap. 2
12-12-2025 Chap. 3
12-19-2025 Chap 4
12-26-2025 Chap. 5
1-2-2026 Chap. 6
1-9-2026 Chap 7 and Epilogue

READING MATERIALS: The book is available on Amazon and at other booksellers in audio, paperback, and Kindle. Reading in advance is optional. We will collect highlights from each part of the book in an outline for the meeting.

https://www.amazon.com/Travels-Epicurus-Journey-Island-Fulfilled/dp/0143126628

MEETING TIME (USA): Conversion tool for our international friends: www.worldtimebuddy.com

7:00PM Eastern
6:00PM Central
5:00PM Mountain
4:00PM Pacific

In general, Stoicism teaches us how to handle difficult people and events, how to avoid anger and worry, and to use moderation in life overall. We will discuss how Stoic practice can lead to a meaningful and fulfilling life.

Our group enjoys open-minded, respectful conversations on Stoicism and how it relates to science, culture, philosophy, history, other belief systems, and pop culture (books and movies). If we differ in our opinions, then "we agree to disagree". The long-term goal is to improve our minds via group discussions. Our group does NOT discuss religion or politics.

This event is free and open to the public.

## What we’re about

Another enjoyable free flowing discussion after the regular
Saturday Melbourne Existentialist Society Meeting. Please feel free to join the Melbourne Existentialst Society meeting from 2 pm AEST
https://www.meetup.com/existentialist-society/?eventOrigin=event_home_page
Life the Universe Street Philosophy commences at cessation of
The Melbourne Existentialist Society meeting.
Some of the many topics we have discussed previously,
some of which I could almost follow, are-
The Id, Super Ego and Ego
Where did the laws of physics come from?
Why is there something rather than nothing?
Does Truth exist independent of consciousness?
Hard problem of consciousness.
Conspiracy theories - is there a psychological profile of a habitual conspiracy Theorist.
Is it possible to have ojective Morality without a concept of God?
Definition of "Information"
How do we know how a particle behaves in an unobserved state if "unobserved" by definition means we don't blinking well see it?
Meaning of meaning in "what is the meaning of life?"
Definition of Language
Ship of Thesis - is the "thing" just a construct?
Tranendentalism
Determinism
Observer effect in quantum physics
--------------
Is there a why to human existence?
Definition of experience.
Method of applying reason.
What does it mean to be "your authentic self?"
Idealism v Realism - ABSOLUTE TRUTH - What does that mean ? does it exist ? Ontology, how equipped are we to fathom the nature of things? HARD PROBLEM OF CONSCIOUSNESS: WHERE DOES CONSCIOUSNESS ARISE?: DOES DNA TRANSLATE TO BEHAVIOUR?, IF SO HOW - definition of rationality - origins of "value" - precision of mathematics - concept of infinity.
Definition of Information
- where is the information in an un opened book, does it exist when unobserved?
Reason
- what is the definition of reason
does it exist in physical laws, i.e. if we can we say "the reason the rock fell is because of gravity"?, how is this different to "what is the reason she chose Pepsi max instead of Coke Zero?"
Validity of evolutionary psychology:
- what evidence is there for evolutionarily selected behaviour, given that we cannot observe the history of the emergence of neurological structures as we can observe evolutionarily selected anatomical changes?