Art Appreciation is the understanding of the timeless qualities that characterise all great art. So too is philosophy concerned with universality and truth. What is your relationship to art? Why is art meaningful to you? This group explores the great world of art, aesthetic experience, and its relation to philosophy.  We will be looking at all types of media from painting to music, poetry and film. Also see these other philosophy groups in Chicago: Greek Philosophy: http://www.meetup.com/So …

This group is for those people in the education profession with a passion for their work who want to stay informed about developments in education policy, issues, research, best practices, etc. It will provide opportunities to share recent findings in effective ways to improve student outcomes and school environments. We will seek ways to take action in support of our best interests in the public realm. If you enjoy following current events and digging deeper than the obvious simple rhetoric on …

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TED has created a program called TEDx...and we're running with it. The first of every month, TED and TEDx enthusiasts from around Chicagoland come together at the BlackFinn American Saloon in Naperville to discuss TED talks, events, and ideas.  We also eat, drink, and have fun. Everyone is welcome!

Under Construction (but join!) (Note that this page as well as some outgoing links are NSFW.) This group is for people who have an intuition of something better, and who are pursuing it in every direction simultaneously. You have a sense of rightness and wrongness that cuts to the bone, and it doesn't line up with traditional religion or the zeitgeist. You're an information sponge, but you hold it all provisionally and pragmatically. You know that all truths are partial perspectives, i.e. wrong …

This is a group of individuals who are fascinated by the amazing and thought provoking ideas shared on TED.com and wish to delve further into discussion for deeper understanding and exploration.

This is a group to get together and learn about the issues of the day in a social -meet people- learn & - respect others venue. This is 99% group so if you are in the 1% your ideas are welcome but will not be in the majority

We are students in Coursera classes (https://www.coursera.org/) who meet to study together and discuss Coursera classes in general. Meetings are in-person at convenient locations in the Chicago area and may include an option to attend virtually.

Since the beginning I've had a sense that there ought to be some discipline of cognition, some art of thinking, the studying of which would make its students visibly more competent, more formidable: the equivalent of Taking a Level in Awesome. - "A Sense That More Is Possible"

Created to help professional transgender couples and singles meet to discuss whatever we feel like, or see a movie, or have dinner, without having to hide our gender diverse point of views. Not for partying or sex, just good people and good times. Children welcome when possible.

This group is for people who like to mix philosophical discourse and drinking. If you're looking for carefully moderated debate, look elsewhere. These discussions are unstructured intellectual free-for-alls - the only two constants are booze and a keen interest in the nature of reality and human existence. We take philosophy very seriously, but we don't think taking it seriously demands that you act like an academic when discussing it. No formal training is necessary - no one will be expected to …

Starting Wednesday night October 17th at 6:30 we will read and discuss The Myth of a Christian Nation: How the Quest For Political Power is Destroying the Church by Gregory A. Boyd. We will read and discuss one chapter each week for 9 weeks, excluding Halloween and Thanksgiving Eve. The book is available on Amazon.com or through other bookstores. Come any Wednesday you are free whether you have read ahead or not. Join us at Christ Community Mennonite Church 888 S. Roselle Rd. Schaumburg IL 60193 …

Have you read the Fifty Shades books by E.L. James? Multiple times? If you'd like to talk about Anastasia and Christian with other devotees, please join us. We'll delve into the characters, plot lines, and what makes these books so compelling to so many people.

We meet twice a month to discuss designated during the taping of Insight Radio.  (If you have not listened, here is the last show:  Insight Radio is looking for guests for our next show on current events.  Here are recent shows: Guest: Fran Hawthorne, Author of Ethical Chic: The Inside Story of the Companies We Think We Love. Award-winning journalist Fran Hawthorne has been a writer or editor at Fortune, BusinessWeek, Institutional Investor, Crane's and other publications. She is the author of …

The Book (Was Better) Club is for cinephiles and bookworms alike. Each month, members will select a book for which a film adaptation was (or will be) made. To keep discussions productive, caps will be placed on how many may attend a given meeting, but meet-ups will be held at least twice a month. So if you don't R.S.V.P. in time for one, just join another! Events will range from discussions (over coffee, tea, wine, or my personal favorite: FOOD) to in-home movie viewings and trips to the cinema.

(1 minute video) This group is for people who value and enjoy deeper discussions with amazing people and who are also willing to rise to the occasion by joining us to help make these discussion opportunities an ongoing reality. The events held in this group are all about having fun nights of great people and 'deeper' discussions over dinner in a charming restaurant. This Meetup group was created by Glen Brauer as part of a non-profit global initiative using practical philosophy to bring togeth …

Corvid College is an experimental collective of teachers and students who offer classes to the public. Our title comes from a family of birds that is social, non-hierarchical, and intelligent in nature; these qualities guide our efforts. The college runs on anarchic, decentralized, voluntary, self-managed, and horizontal principles, and we provide an open-ended framework for a non-hierarchical, informal, yet still academically rigorous class structure. Corvid College emerged in Boston in 2009, w …

This is a group for anyone interested in pairing up with another to further their learning. If you are interested in computer programming, learning a language, playing tennis or anything that you can learn better with one another then this is the meet-up for you. Looking forward to exploring how pair learning can benefit your learning process and developing a community.

TBD

Theatre for Thinkers is a nascent meet up group with the goal of gathering folks to experience interesting, original and even bizarre theater and art that informs and offers insights into science and scientific endeavors. Anchored initially by Thom Britton's critically acclaimed show FreakShow and Tell, we hope to ultimately link to his shows and other local performers and artists with entertaining, interesting perspectives on science. We hope to both simply let people know about these events an …

A cultural, intellectual community based on rationality. Meet up for a walk, a drink, to dance, etc... Civil behavior is required, truly creative actions are lauded, criticism is constructive and restrained.  Activities will typically be free to join, the hope is to get enough people to start organizing low intensity group games outside for spring. Anyone for a lovely day of croquet?  let's organize this and make it a BBQ.  Let's bring music!

This is a group for anyone interested in learning and/or exchanging ideas directed to intellectual property (IP) issues common to Startups and strategies to implement best practices for IP rights protection and leverage the valve of the IP for the benefit of the Startup. All skills levels are welcome. The group was started in order to meet people interested in exploring IP issues common to Startups. Looking forward to exploring strategies and best practices with anyone interested.

Our group is made up of published and unpublished writers of all types and genres. We meet two times a month, usually on Thursdays. We meet at the Algonquin Public Library’s main (Harnish) branch to read and critique each others work, as well as for “Creativity Cafe,” which will include write-in nights or special workshops. Our goal is to not only to keep the creative juices flowing, but to bring them to fruition by getting our work published. We are an open group – no dues to pay, no obligatio …

Spouse & friends tired of hearing you rant about the Metra (particularly the BNSF)? Come meet some fellow good-hearted snarky ranters over drinks. You may even find a few new train buddies to chat with on that death march from the last car into the doors of Union Station. We'll start with the BNSF line, but all riders are welcome! Who knows, we may even actually decide to do something with ourselves beyond drinks at some point & decide how we can advocate for better reliable transportation in th …

Looking to have Bunch, Lunch, or Dinner with other like minded Geneen Roth fans? Let's get together to eat mindfully and enjoy each other's company.

Let's get together to discuss some excellent books over fantastic food. We'll meet monthly on a weeknight in the Evanston/Rogers Park area. No background in lit crit necessary, but we will all try to read the books and have thoughtful insight. And a joy of eating is perhaps a must. Fiction and non-fiction are on the table. Initial book ideas include Fic: The Known World (Edward P. Jones) Tenth of December (George Saunders) Telegraph Avenue (Michael Chabon) Vampires in the Lemon Grove (Karen Russ …

This a book club for women "of a certain age" who love to read and and enjoy a variety of Naperville area eateries.

Most women dislike, even hate their periods but on my journey in understanding my cycle I discovered that society and media creates a stigma about something that should be natural and empowering to women. Being on the Board of the Red Web Foundation (http://www.theredweb.org/#) in California, I have discovered and read and seen many great books, video and art regarding menstruation. I believe that if most women understood and learn to accept their periods, body and mind perceptions would change …

This is a group for Christian believers who love to enjoy life and get away from the mundanities of life. From 1-4 hour festivities to mini-vacations, we can get away from the ordinary! Bible studies and church events are great, but this group focuses on exhibiting what we learn in Christ outside of a church setting understanding that a believer's life should demonstrate the Love of God in interactions with people and gatherings outside of the church. The Word of God tells us to: "Be wise in the …