About us
Welcome to The Free Thinker Institute
[www.FreeThinkerInstitute.org](freethinkerinstitute.org)
Are you interested in a community that values critical thinking, transparency, and open-mindedness? The Free Thinker Institute (FTI) is a group of like-minded individuals who prioritize the following intentions:
- Devotion to using reason and intuition to be the best version of yourself, seek truth, and be fair
- Transparency & Open-Mindedness: Being transparent about who you are and what you believe to the extent that you trust someone, and having an open mind towards new ideas that help you achieve the first intention.
- Commitment to Critical Thinking, so we can better discern fact from fiction and wisdom from folly
- Attempt to Maximize Happiness While Minimizing Harm and empower others who do the same
- Eagerness to Give and Receive Love - Platonic as well as romantic
At FTI, members support each other, stay in touch, and enjoy learning from each other, while also valuing attributes such as sincerity, integrity, wisdom, and fairness. The FTI also values and respects diversity, making it a welcoming space for all opinions and backgrounds. If you're interested in being a part of a positive, growth-focused community, then consider joining the FTI.
In addition to our in-person meetings, you are also invited to join the FTI text chat discussions on Discord (https://discord.gg/fksQBjS).
If you want to speak or nominate a speaker, or have a topic you'd like us to discuss, email Garrett@FreeThinkerInstitute.com.
We'd love to see you in discord and at the next meetup - Join today!
Upcoming events
320
ORLANDO STOICS - VARIOUS TOPICS
·OnlineOnlinePLEASE JOIN ORLANDO STOICS VIA LINK BELOW FOR FULL WEEKLY EVENT SCHEDULE
https://www.meetup.com/orlando-stoics/
Welcome to Orlando Stoics! We are a very active group, with over 3,800 members and five meetings a week. Some meetings are held online, while others are in-person. All classes are free.
What is Stoicism? It's an ancient Greek school of philosophy founded in Athens about 300 BC. The first teacher was Zeno of Citium. The school taught that virtue (the highest good) is based on knowledge, and that wise people live in harmony with nature. The school also taught tolerance and self-control. Famous Stoics were Seneca the Younger, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius. We also study modern Stoics.
Why Stoicism? In our world of instant gratification, constant stimulation, and endless distractions, Stoicism offers a novel perspective on life. Interested in developing an unconquerable mind? Stoicism has the answers. We also link ideas to Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, Existentialism, Minimalism, and other "lived philosophy" systems. We love in-depth discussions!
If you join our group, feel free to adjust the email and notification settings to suit your preferences. Since we have new meetings every week, those emails might be too much for your inbox. Feel free to turn them off (go to our meetup page, click "You're a Member", and then click group notifications). You can still check our meetup page for upcoming events whenever you want.
The goals of our group:
1. We read the ancient books, plus the modern books on Stoicism.
2. We discuss Stoicism in the media, pop culture, and arts & literature.
3. We compare recurring themes in Stoicism to history, religion, and psychology.There have always been people attracted to Stoicism. It was a significant influence on Shakespeare, JD Salinger, Tom Wolfe, and Nelson Mandela. It has also attracted political and military leaders, such as Frederick the Great, President Bill Clinton, and Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, who stated that he has read Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations over 100 times.
We hope you will join us. The group is open to the public and has no subscription fee. Stoicism can help you cope with life's stresses, while retaining your ethics & character.
We hope to see you soon!
1 attendee
The Ancient Gnostic Manichaean Religion.
·OnlineOnlineEXISTENTIALIST MEETUP - Melbourne, Australia.
History of Religion - Our monthly online series.
The presentations are followed by questions, comments and discussion. All viewpoints welcome.Early Religion: An Alternative History.
What do the historians and archaeologists think of the veracity of religious legends? Legends are an amalgamation of history and mythology. But how much of each?"THE ANCIENT GNOSTIC MANICHAEAN RELIGION."
In the Manichaean religion "Evil" had the overwhelming power. Nevertheless, Goodness was worshipped by the Manichaeans as love, compassion, kindness and gentleness. Therefore the Manichaeans viewed the all-powerful gods (Almighty, Omnipotent) as the embodiment of Evil.
Consequently, "power" itself was seen as evil.
No wonder the Empires hated them!We will be investigating Prof. Hans Jonas' attempt to construct an ongoing consistent narrative of the Manichaean mythology out of the diverse versions of this "heresy" which were presented in the ancient sources and in the anti-heretical writings of the Church Fathers.
Hans Jonas' book: "The Gnostic Religion: The Message of the Alien God and the Beginnings of Christianity".
David Miller will present the topic and lead the discussion.
Wikipedia's entry on Manichaeism
YouTube: The Manichaean Creation Myth
The Zoom link will appear for those who RSVP.
Meeting ID: 880 9519 7471 - - Passcode: 069982
Don't be deterred if you are late -
join the event at any time.Existentialist Society:
Website - - YouTube - - Weekly Zoom Meetups1 attendee
Past events
1422
Group links
Members
2,175
