The Challenge of A.I.-The Hard Problem of Consciousness & Humanity's Response
Details
Our speaker at around 2 PM will be STEPHAN A. SCHWARTZ!
(Thank you Marshall Goldberg for finding a speaker for us!)
***UPDATE! Our 2 PM speaker, Stephan just submitted a short bio. Jump down below to ***Bio Update to read!
We will start at 11 AM and do our usual meeting catching up on current events, both personal and global, touch on the HARD PROBLEM ON CONSCIOUSNESS, watch this short 12 minute video titled:
An A.I. was told to protect a Dam - then it decided Humans were a THREAT!
12 minute video on AI & Dam Protection
In the above video, it briefly touches on the Hard problem of Consciousness. Read:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_problem_of_consciousness
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Then around 2pm for those who wait (or come just for this), Marshall Goldberg will bring with him STEPHAN A. SCHWARTZ who will give us a 15 minute presentation on:
The Challenge of A.I. & Humanity's Response
and then finish the hour to 3pm on Q&A.
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Stephan Schwartz is in favor of the earth, the inter-connectedness and interdependence of all life, democracy, liberty, and things that are life affirming. He also warns readers about actions, and events that threaten those values.
For more, here is his website:
***Bio Update:
Scientist, futurist, award-winning author of both fiction and nonfiction Stephan A. Schwartz is a Distinguished Associated Scholar of the California Institute for Human Science, Distinguished Consulting Faculty Saybrook, University, and a BIAL Foundation Fellow.
He is a columnist for the journal Explore, and editor of the daily web publication Schwartzreport.net in both of which he covers trends that are affecting the future. For over 40 years, as an experimentalist, he has been studying the nature of consciousness.
Schwartz is part of the small group that founded modern Remote Viewing research and is the principal researcher studying the use of Remote Viewing in anthropology and archaeology.
In addition to his own non-fiction books and novels, he is the author of more than 300 technical reports, papers, academic book chapters, prefaces, and introductions, and has made over a thousand presentations to universities, institutions, and government agencies around the world.
His work has been covered worldwide by numerous magazines, newspapers, and television productions, and he is the recipient of the Parapsychological Association Outstanding Contribution Award, the U.S. Navy’s Certificate of Commendation, OOOM Magazine's (Germany) 100 Most Inspiring People in the World Award, and the 2018 Albert Nelson Marquis Award for Outstanding Contributions, and is listed in multiple Who’s Who.
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PICTURE to the right above - 16 attendees (one behind camera), Sunday June 14, 2026.
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WELCOME ALL SKAGIT, WHATCOM & SNOHOMISH COUNTY FREETHINKING SKEPTICS & SECULAR HUMANISTS!
**VISIT OUR WEB SITE FOR OUR OTHER MEETINGS: SoundViews.Org
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Stay tuned for suggested topics posted just a week before meeting!
Feel free to email me a suggest topic or presentation at:
**SecularWorld@aol.com**
We will have our usual interest in Current Events or attendee's latest personal happenings, activities or passions to share.
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Car Pools Available. Contact me by text (360) 510-2501 or by email:
- SecularWorld@aol.com -.
Our Bellingham car pool location is in a shared business parking lot area with Starbucks - 3101 Old Fairhaven Pkwy, on the SW corner of lot.
Take last south Freeway Exit #250 (Old Fairhaven Pkwy), turn right (west) onto Old Fairhaven Pkwy, and immediately turn right into parking area, or immediately right past Starbucks, and right again into parking area.
We leave 10:25 AM from that parking area to Burlington Haggen meet.
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For those driving strait to meeting location:
Take I-5 exit 230 - Hwy 20 exit, take a right and very briefly head east and take a right on Hagen Dr to the store.
To find the room, enter the Main entrance to Hagen's Grocery Store, turn left, walk down past the registers, and to your left will be the community meeting room with big glass windows and a door in at the end of the windows. ALWAYS, THANK YOU CLYDE ALLEN FOR FINDING THIS VENUE FOR US!
Hagen provides the community room at no charge, so in kind feel inspired to pick up hot or cold lunch and and drinks in the Hagen food and beverage area - both are welcome in the meeting room. Or, on the way out, pick up some needed groceries.
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FOR THOSE WHO'VE PROVIDED THEIR EMAIL ADDRESS, THEY WILL GET UPDATED TOPICS IN A FEW DAYS BY EMAIL.
Email me at - SecularWorld@aol.com - if you wish to add your name to our email list!
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THANK YOU ALL FOR SUGGESTED TOPICS!
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If you have a topic for us to consider for this meeting, please email me at - SecularWorld@aol.com -. If you have an article to share or a short video to watch, send me the link to both. Feel free to bring and share the latest book you may have read to the meeting!
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Monty Vonn - Event Coordinator for 3 local counties
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We encourage attendees to share their life story that lead their journey to the 'Land of Freethought', Free Inquiry and Skepticism towards cultural norms, traditions and stories.
Freethought encourage creative solutions, but then this group uses reason, evidence and the scientific method as the only reliable means to prune down answers to our probing questions and common sense solutions to humanity's current problems.