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 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 …

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!

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"

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 …

Creating a new conversation in science, technology, and engineering for Chicagoland to think, understand and engage.

Had enough of astrologers, psychics, homeopaths, and spirit channelers? Do you love the scientific method? Yearning to talk with someone rational for awhile? Meetup with other local skeptics for some refreshing and sane conversation as well as fun socializing with like-minded folks!

The Ethical Humanist Society is a congregation for those who seek a rational, compassionate philosophy of life without regard to belief or non-belief in a supreme being.

Are you interested in learning more about Islam, the Quran or Muslims?   Are you Non Muslim or Muslim and would like a deeper and more real understanding of the Quran? This meetup group was setup to discuss topics related to the Quran the Message of Islam. Everyone is welcome including those that are interested in Islam, Muslims, and other Holy Scripture such as the Old Testament and New Testament.  Feel free to contact us if you have any questions. Other topics include:  Belief, Spirituality, 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.

Discover a new path to spiritual awakening with spiritual teacher Ustad Mazhabi. About Us: Mawlana Faizani International is a nonprofit educational organization that was established in 1997 by spiritual teacher and visionary Ustad Mazhabi. As our name indicates, Mawlana Faizani International was established to represent the spiritual teachings and enlightenment of the authoritative spiritual leader, Mawlana Faizani. Mawlana Faizani is a Sufi master of the Qadri, Naqshbandi, Chishti and Suhrawar …

Anyone can join, whether or not you're a vegan, vegetarian, animal welfare activist, green environmentalist, intellectual, or nerd.  All you need is an interest in what we do. You can see our calendar for animal welfare / animal rights relevant events and nerdy and veg*n stuff: http://www.meetup.com/vegNerds/#calendar We get together for a variety of events. They can be for social, ethical, and / or intellectual purposes. We encourage all members to suggest event ideas, on the Message board, o …

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 for anyone interested in the study of difficult and controversial issues in Halakha and Jewish history. All those with a genuine desire to understand are welcome. I started this group because of my interest in how the slavery and the Jewish laws regarding slavery effected the origins and the character of the Jewish people. I divide the slavery in two broad categories: forced - e.g. enslavement of blacks in US - and voluntary - e.g. slavery under the Jewish law, where even becomin …

All vegan, all Chicago. Howdy and welcome to Vegan Chicago! We are the oldest and largest vegan-focused meetup group! Founded in 2002 and run by long-time vegan and animal rights activists we have extensive experience and knowledge with a passion to share. We are a vegan support group that provides connections and resources for being vegan in Chicago! We welcome anybody regardless of how "vegan" you are as far as it is subjectively possible and practical for you. We have a Code of Conduct policy …

BMA Chicago is the Business Marketing Association’s single largest chapter, serving over 520 business-marketing professionals through professional development, networking events and programs. BMA Chicago enhances critical thinking, communication and managerial skills by bringing our members face to face with the nation’s top b-to-b marketing thinkers and practitioners. Our board is proud to offer a powerful lineup of world-class marketers to you through our Marketing Innovators Luncheon series a …

his group is devoted to the long-term study of what went wrong in the market crash of 2008 against the wider historical context of similar market crashes and the values currently underlying the market and the globalizing economy. It is further focused on envisioning an alternative economics for our time in dialogue with the current "New Economy" School led by David Korten; the Social Economics tradition in this country, as represented by the Association for Social Economics at www.socialeconomic …

Have you ever wondered who has the best burgers in town? Do you think Kuma's has the best? How about The Bad Apple? Maybe it's your favorite hole in the wall down the street. What about the best steak, or dessert, or brunch, or you name it? We all love food, right? Why not enjoy the best of our favorite foods this great city has to offer? Time to stop relying on the critics and voice your own opinion. This group is about finding where the best food in town truly is. Our goal is to pick a food (w …

This group started in May 2011, and we've read novels by Joyce, Malraux, Kafka, Wright, Mishima, Faulkner, Nabokov, Unamuno, Ellison, Hamsun, Woolf, Biely, Gide, and many others.  We try to have a good time discussing the books without descending to small talk, think critically without descending to pedantry, etc. Also, as the title shows, we've expanded our reading list since the group started.  We don't really want to title the group something as vague as "Chicago Literature Group," etc., and …

This will be a good opportunity to meet those with similar personalities in the area. Those who can value an INTJ is welcome as well. This is your chance to speak your mind and actually be heard! About INTJs: INTJ (introversion, intuition, thinking, judgment) is an abbreviation used in the publications of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) to refer to one of the sixteen personality types. INTJs are one of the rarest of the sixteen personality types, and account for about 2% of the populatio …

You are not alone.  You are a part of a multitude of free thinkers, purveyors of the eccentric, odd and out of sorts.  You are bohemian, you are insufferable, you are difficult, you are creative... and you are meticulous.  You my friend, you are a writer.  You were born this way.  You were observing, criticizing, organizing, partitioning, petitioning, complimenting, hiding for years and no one saw it and you didn't see it.  But there you were, writing in some notebook at 2 in the morning laughin …

4-days after the 2010 earthquake struck Haiti, Chicagoans of this Meetup started spreading the message that HAITI needs help for a long, long time. One of the inspiration to start this group was an e-mail received 1-day after the earthquake, from Meetup co-founder Scott Helferman. He suggested to think about how to help Haiti by means of using a Meetup. Obviously if you’ve donated your share already, kindly pass this information to someone who likes to further help. Honestly your word-of-mouth p …