The Fellowship of Reason is a moral community based in Atlanta. Its founder, Martin L. Cowen III, calls himself a "non-theist", and says that although he does not believe in God or other things supernatural, he nonetheless thinks that churches serve a useful function by providing "moral communities." Wishing to have a moral community that is not theistic (although not officially opposed to theism) he founded that organization. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... A moral community is a group of people drawn together by a common interest in living according to a particular moral philosophy. ... Hotlanta redirects here. ... This article discusses the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. ... Look up Supernatural in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Fellowship of Reason is also the title of Cowen's book.

The purpose of the organization is to provide a social context, in the form of a moral community, in which individuals interested in personal flourishing, meaning in life, and happiness may find these easier to achieve through self-improvement in the company of fellow travellers.

Their philosophical stance, a form of eudaimonism, has a number of influences, notably: Ayn Rand's tenet that "Reason, Purpose, [and] Self-esteem" should be the three highest values guiding human life, Abraham Maslow's writings on self-actualization, Joseph Campbell's study of myth, as well as Aristotle's and the Stoics' ideas regarding eudaimonia as the ultimate aim of life. They advocate human relations based on reason and goodwill. Eudemonism is a philosophy that defines right action as that which leads to well being. ... Ayn Rand (IPA: , February 2 [O.S. January 20] 1905 – March 6, 1982), born Alisa Zinovyevna Rosenbaum (Russian: ), was a Russian-born American novelist and philosopher,[1] best known for developing Objectivism and for writing the novels We the Living, The Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged and the novella Anthem. ... For other uses, see Reason (disambiguation). ... Purpose in its most general sense is the anticipated aim which guides action. ... In psychology, self-esteem or self-worth is a persons self-image at an emotional level; circumventing reason and logic. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Maslows hierarchy of needs. ... Joseph John Campbell (March 26, 1904 – October 31, 1987) was an American professor, writer, and orator best known for his work in the fields of comparative mythology and comparative religion. ... The word mythology (from the Greek μυολογία mythología, from μυολογείν mythologein to relate myths, from μύος mythos, meaning a narrative, and λόγος logos, meaning speech or argument) literally means the (oral) retelling of myths – stories that a particular culture believes to be true and that use the supernatural to interpret natural events and... Aristotle (Greek: Aristotélēs) (384 BC – 322 BC) was a Greek philosopher, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. ... A restored Stoa in Athens. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

Six essential activities of the organization

Participants in the Fellowship of Reason practice FROLEC:

• Fellowship: They gain greater awareness of themselves through friendships with others of similar values.
• Reflection: They take time to quietly reflect on the challenges of their lives in order to improve their ability to meet them.
• Orientation: They remind themselves of their chosen values and principles regularly.
• Learning: They discuss philosophy and literature to learn to live more wisely.
• Enjoyment of Art: They enjoy art as a means of gaining emotional fuel.
• Celebration: They participate in ceremonies that symbolically mark significant life events or uphold important values.

See also

• Eudaimonia
• Eudaimonism
• Objectivism
• Virtue ethics

This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Eudemonism is a philosophy that defines right action as that which leads to well being. ... Objectivism is a philosophy[1] developed by Ayn Rand that encompasses positions on metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, politics, and aesthetics. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

External links

• Fellowship of Reason®
• Learning Lessons from the Fellowship of Reason® (Critique)