Free Speech Forum established Jan. 6, 1951
75th Anniversary in 2026
College of Complexes
The Playground for People Who Think
sustaining the academic tradition of “One Fool at a Time”
Saturdays at 5:00 PM CT
Dapper's Restaurant
2901 W. Addison, Chicago, Free Parking Please Note: The college will cease
operation on a weekly basis after the
CTA Route 152 Addison current schedule is exhausted on Feb. 7th,
with meetings scheduled on an occasional
Tuition $3.00 and food/drink purchase basis, probably the first and third
Saturday of each month. All meetings open to the public, no membership is maintained
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1 312 626 6799, 8 121 646 7150# US (Chicago)
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Meeting ID: 812 1646 7150
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Upcoming Presentations:
February
Please Note: The college will cease operation on a weekly basis after the current schedule is exhausted on Feb. 7th, with meetings scheduled on an occasional basis, probably the first and third Saturdays of each month
March
March 7th
The God-question: Arguments for and against
the Existence of God
Meeting # 3,856 - Prof. Bob Lichtenbert, Ph.D
The existence of God, called "the God-question," is one of the most meaningful questions that all people ought to ask every day all their adult lives because of the immortal afterlife implied.
I will briefly make these three arguments for God's existence:
1) the universe needs a supernatural cause to make it exist,
2) the Earth has a grand plan that only God can design, and
3) literally millions of people have experienced God in advanced mental states.
I will then make these arguments against the existence of God:
1) there is too much evil for God to exist, and
2) the universe has recently been discovered to be so unimaginably vast that God would not care about one person on Earth.
I will state my own position on the God-question at the end of my talk.
Books by Prof. Lichtenbert: https://www.thriftbooks.com/a/bob-lichtenbert/2901782/?
March 21st
Democracy Was the First Casualty:
How America Learned to Treat Losing as an Act of War
Meeting # 3,857 - college regular Tim Bolger
What can we learn from history?? – Tim Bolger will develop parallels and reflections on what needs to be done.
The speaker stats that "The American Civil War began the moment Americans decided democracy was only legitimate when it delivered the “correct” outcome. Decades before cannon fire, the country normalized contempt for compromise, weaponized grievance, and taught itself to believe that defeat was fraud, tyranny, or betrayal. By placing the moral rot of the 1850s side by side with the Trump era, this talk makes a blunt claim: America is not flirting with crisis—it is repeating a pattern it already knows leads to catastrophe. The most dangerous lie in American politics is not that the other side is wrong, but that they are illegitimate. Once a nation accepts that idea, the question is no longer whether the system survives, but how much damage is done before it breaks."
April
April 4th
Open
Meeting #3,858 - contact the Program Coordinator Charles Paidock if you would like to speak at (312) 842-5036 office or (312( 714-7790 cell, or by email to cpaidock@hotmail.com
April 18th
Special Earth Day Speaker on the Environment
Odd Produce on
Foraging for Food in Your Neighborhood
"If you can eat it, we will find it"
Meeting # 3,859 - Dave Odd
Odd Produce has been providing some of Chicago's finest restaurants with locally sourced, farmed, and foraged produce since 2009. Mushrooms, microgreens, edible flowers, fruits, berries, vegetables, herbs, spices, and more. You name it, we will find it. Everyday is a non-stop scavenger hunt for us.
Information: https://www.oddproduce.com/
May
May 2nd
Seeking Special May Day Speaker on organized labor / activist issues
Meeting #3,860 - contact the Program Coordinator Charles Paidock if you would like to speak at (312) 842-5036 office or (312( 714-7790 cell, or by email to cpaidock@hotmail.com
May 16th
Open
Meeting #3,861 - contact the Program Coordinator Charles Paidock if you would like to speak at (312) 842-5036 office or (312( 714-7790 cell, or by email to cpaidock@hotmail.com
September
September 12th
25 Years Later: the Full Story of September 11th
Meeting # 3,8?? - the well-researched Bill Lee returns
Bill Lee, noted 9/11 Scholar will explain all aspects of September 11th, 2001, will answer all questions, and clear up any lingering, erroneous conspiracy theories. Not to be missed.
College of Complexes
Watch Videos of Previous Presentations (150+)
CoC Lecture Library
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Join our Meetup Group
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"College of Complexes" is a registered trademark with the State of Illinois which may not be used without expressed written permission.
Wanted: Program Coordinator Trainees / Assistants - if you would like to help locate speakers for the CoC for an upcoming specified period of time, for example, 3 upcoming dates in 2026, hopefully people who haven't spoken before on topics not covered, contact Charles Paidock at cpaidock@hotmail.com or (312) 842-5036, (312) 714-7790 cell
