"i agree. often that gets left out with people talking only about reading. but these are heady concepts and it can help to order your thoughts and better absorb what you've read to write it down in your own words. good tip i think Heather."

"I would like to suggest that you write as well as read.  At times I am presented with a lot of information and it can be a bit more than I can fully absorb and process on the fly, so I start writing down the things I've heard and what I…"

"Bertand Russell for the right brain (check YouTube) Alan Watts for the left brain (avoid the South Park YouTubes) & for the cerebral cortex...Popeye"

"Lots of great suggestions here. Kevin LaPlante is the Chair of the Department of Philosophy & Religious Studies at Iowa State U and he has a great website/podcast for those looking to develop critical thinking…"

"Excellent list Nelson. I knew we kept you around here for some reason. : )"

"Also, it's always good to examine your cognitive biases. Here's an excerpt from Wikipedia.  - Dallas   List of Cognitive Biases A cognitive bias is a pattern of deviation in judgment that occurs in particular situations. Implicit…"

"You should watch videos of The Atheist Experience. http://www.atheist-experience.com/archive/ Its a non profit show that has a lot of good archive videos. They touch on a lot of topics and give you tons of food for thought."

"Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson- Mistakes Were Made (But Not By Me): Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts Daniel Kahneman (ed.)- Judgment Under Uncertainty: Heuristics and Biases S.I. Hayakawa- Language In Thought And…"

"Thanks Galen.  Joined 'em both!  Looking forward to meeting some cool people in town."

"Valdosta?  You live in Florida as far as I'm concerned. ;)    That verse is insane... and the sad thing is that there are tons of verses that are even more insane but when you've been told your entire life that "there…"

"It's nice to be here Lisa.  Thanks."

"That's part of the reason I'm here Dave.  Trying to build a sense of community in a land where every community seems to based around a church is tough.  Do these groups have web sites or Meetup pages you could send me?"

"I already am, M.  :)"

"Welcome JG, nice to have ya."