What we’re about
This is a group for anyone interested in participating in thoughtful discussions about big ideas. Based in Midtown Memphis, we host two separate weekly groups, Reason Round Table, and Freethought Fridays Book Club. We welcome anyone who is intellectually curious and enjoys friendly, thoughtful, lively discussions and meeting other people who are engaged with diverse viewpoints and ideas.
Reason Round Table - A weekly discussion group that covers current events, science, government, philosophy, politics, economics, world affairs, religion, technology, art and everything in between. Reason Round Table meets every Wednesday for dinner, drinks, and discussion from 6:30 - 8:00 PM at Bayou Bar and Grill in Midtown Memphis. We have a new topic every week and keep a rolling list of 6 topics that are voted on at the end of each discussion. This group has been meeting every week for over 10 years.
Freethought Thursdays Book Club - A weekly book club group that meets every Thursday from 6:00 - 7:15 PM at Crosstown Concourse in Midtown Memphis. We alternate between fiction and non-fiction books and usually spend about 4-5 weeks to complete a book. We have previously read books such as: Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari, A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara, 10% Happier by Dan Harris, Dirty Love by Andre Dubus III, and Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman. This group has been meeting every week for over 10 years.
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- Reason Round Table: A weekly discussion group for thoughtful, curious peopleBlue Monkey, Memphis, TN
The Ethics of using Facial Recognition Surveillance Technologies
Recently in New Orleans, LA when 10 convicts escaped from a maximum security prison making national headlines and setting the city on edge, facial recognition surveillance technology played a key role in capturing several of the escapees.
This technology was used despite a previous decision to discontinue the use of the technology by the New Orleans police to “ensure full compliance with NOPD policy, city ordinance and constitutional standards".
On the one hand, this technology clearly leads to more robust law enforcement and ultimately safer cities.
On the other hand authoritarian regimes (e.g., in China) are using facial recognition to monitor and suppress ethnic minorities like Uyghur Muslims.
Clearly a tool that can be used for both good and bad purposes, what are the ethical considerations around using or not using this technology?
Public more likely to see facial recognition use by police as good, rather than bad for society
https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2022/03/17/public-more-likely-to-see-facial-recognition-use-by-police-as-good-rather-than-bad-for-society/Project NOLA says NOPD opted out of automatic alerts from its facial recognition cameras
https://www.fox8live.com/2025/05/20/project-nola-says-nopd-opted-out-automatic-alerts-its-facial-recognition-cameras/UK police use of live facial recognition unlawful and unethical, report finds
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/oct/27/live-facial-recognition-police-study-ukFacial-recognition research needs an ethical reckoning
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-03256-7
