Welcome!

For our August regular meeting, the Atlanta Freethought Society proudly presents an examination of the large language models reshaping how we find, trust, and share information.

Our speaker, Dr. Reginald V. Finley Sr., author of AI-Epistemic Resilience: A Framework for Knowledge Integrity in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, will take a clear-eyed look at the large language models reshaping how we find, trust, and share information.

He will probe what these systems actually are, then examine the physical and political forces behind them: energy demands, water use, strained power grids, and the intensifying technology race between the United States and China, separating what is genuinely known from what the headlines exaggerate or oversimplify.

From there he will turn to what happens as these systems arrive in our homes as talking devices and personal robots, and how we can hold on to clear, well-calibrated knowledge in that world.

Dr. Finley will draw on his framework of AI-Epistemic Resilience, and featuring a live demonstration with his personal robots, Aiden and Rose. This talk offers practical tools for thinking critically in a world where anything can be fabricated.

Dr. Reginald V. Finley Sr. holds a Ph.D. in Education, an M.S. in Biological Sciences, an M.Ed. in Science and the Public, and a bachelor’s degree in Human Development, and is currently pursuing a master’s in Artificial Intelligence. He has taught at every level, from K-12 classrooms to university lecture halls, and is currently a STEM professor at Franklin University, where he teaches critical thinking, scientific literacy, statistics, and human anatomy and physiology. He is also a Technology Learning Consultant with Siemens and trains robots remotely with Sunday Robotics. His work sits at the intersection of science education and artificial intelligence, helping organizations and educators think critically about how AI is used responsibly. He is the author of AI-Epistemic Resilience: A Framework for Knowledge Integrity in the Age of Artificial Intelligence and the founder of Access to Robotics, a nonprofit bringing hands-on AI and robotics literacy to underserved high school students in Georgia. Long active in the freethought community, he founded and hosted The Infidel Guy Show (1999-2012), a pioneering platform for skepticism and science.

AFS doors will open at noon for conversation prior to the event.
The event will be broadcast on Zoom as well: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89006560911

Come hang out and play some boards games with us! This is a kid friendly event so bring the family. The Hall has quite a few games on hand, and there’s generally a pretty good selection of our favorites to choose from.

Bring any snacks you would like to nibble on.

In July the Atlanta Freethought Society will be hosting a roundtable discussion where local secular organizations can meet the members of the Society and the wider secular community.   We are pleased to have representatives on hand from:

• Atlanta Skeptics
• Black Non-Believers Atlanta
• Fellowship of Reason Atlanta
• The Satanic Temple Atlanta
• Sunday Assembly Atlanta

We will be discussing the roles our organizations play in the Atlanta community and how we can do more for our community.  We will also be taking questions from the community.  The roundtable begins at 1pm.

We plan to have a cookout before the roundtable discussion starting at 11am.  We will be providing grilled hamburgers, veggie burgers, hot dogs, and various sides in our wonderful outdoor pavilion.  The food is free while it lasts!

Come share in our first annual Midsummer Festival on our newly-reopened pavilion! A few grill-able main dish options will be provided, including burgers, veggie burgers, and hot dogs, but please feel free to bring a side and your favorite non-alcoholic drink. We’ll have some outdoors-friendly games and activities, but please also feel free to bring your favorite. Families welcome!

Our monthly discussion will be held directly after in the Hall, a roundtable on the topic of Community Building.

Come hang out and play some boards games with us! This is a kid friendly event so bring the family. The Hall has quite a few games on hand, and there’s generally a pretty good selection of our favorites to choose from.

Bring any snacks you would like to nibble on.

Bring your favorite craft to hang out and work on it in good company! Any skill level and any medium welcome!

Help available for patching clothes, simple adjustments, and making simple patterns.

The Atlanta Freethought Society June monthly meeting will be the culmination of the Reason Revival being hosted by our organization in conjunction with the Black Non-Believers of Atlanta.

The speaker will be Christopher Cameron.

Christopher Cameron (He/Him/His) is a Professor of History at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He was the founding president of the African American Intellectual History Society. Cameron received his B.A. in History from Keene State College and his M.A. and Ph.D. in American History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His research and teaching interests include early American history, the history of slavery and abolition, and African American religious and intellectual history.

Cameron is the author of To Plead Our Own Cause: African Americans in Massachusetts and the Making of the Antislavery Movement (Kent State University Press, 2014) and Black Freethinkers: A History of African American Secularism (Northwestern University Press, 2019). Cameron is also the co-editor of Race, Religion, and Black Lives Matter: Essays on a Moment and a Movement (Vanderbilt University Press, 2021) and New Perspectives on the Black Intellectual Tradition (Northwestern University Press, 2018).

The Atlanta Freethought Society is proud to host the 2026 Revival of Reason, which will be conducted by Atlanta’s own Black Non-Believers.

Featured speakers include:
– Chris Cameron
– Candace Gorham
– Kellie King, aka Detroit Atheist Queen
– Godless Engineer
– Hemant Mehta: The Friendly Atheist
– Cynthia McDonald
– Mandisa Thomas
– And MORE!!!

This is a family friendly event, so please bring your loved ones, and anyone who is interested in learning and needs secular support. Student discounts and sponsorship opportunities are available.

** This event requires that you register at https://blacknonbelievers.org/revival-of-reason-2026/ **

The Atlanta Freethought Society is proud to host the 2026 Revival of Reason, which will be conducted by Atlanta’s own Black Non-Believers.

Featured speakers include:
– Chris Cameron
– Candace Gorham
– Kellie King, aka Detroit Atheist Queen
– Godless Engineer
– Hemant Mehta: The Friendly Atheist
– Cynthia McDonald
– Mandisa Thomas
– And MORE!!!

This is a family friendly event, so please bring your loved ones, and anyone who is interested in learning and needs secular support. Student discounts and sponsorship opportunities are available.

** This event requires that you register at https://blacknonbelievers.org/revival-of-reason-2026/ **

For July, we are fortunate to have psychologist Jessica McCain who will speak at Atlanta Freethought Hall about the Psychology of Racism

McCain is a social psychologist with an interest in such diverse topics as personality pathology, adverse childhood experiences, and technology/social media use. She has a Ph.D. in Behavior and Brain Sciences from the University of Georgia with a passion for science education and a decade of experience in social science research. She spends her free time reading, meditating, creating art, and caring for her two pet snakes, Pinkie and Joey.