When: May 20, 2010

Dr Harvey Siegel

Professor and Chairman
Department of Philosophy
Univ. of Miami

What is it for knowledge – especially scientific knowledge – to be objective? Are any of our beliefs, claims and judgments either objective or rational? Can they be? Do objectivity and/or rationality require a ‘neutral,’ ‘perspective-less,’ or ‘transcendent’ perspective? If such a perspective is impossible in principle to achieve, as many contemporary philosophers argue – and, therefore, all our beliefs, judgments and claims are relative or framework-bound – in what sense, if any, can those beliefs, judgments and claims be either objective or rational?

Date: Thursday, May 20, 2010

Time: 6:30pm – Wine and cheese
7:00pm – Lecture (45min – 1hour)

FEE: FREE. PAG welcomes donations to help defray expenses.

Where: Atlantic Room (Bayside Pavilion) - Mercy Hospital - link for directions

Please RSVP– Call Jessica at 305 285 2702

When: April 22, 2010

Prof. Otávio Bueno

Professor, Department of Philosophy
University of Miami

Medical practice relies on evidence as a central feature of its pursuits. But what exactly is evidence for a certain medical result? In this talk, I will explore the changing conceptions of evidence from the history of medicine, from the early Greek empiricist school of medicine (3rd century BC) through William Harvey’s discovery of the blood circulation (17th century) to the contemporary conception of evidence-based medicine. As the conceptions of evidence change, the very conception of medicine changes as well.

Date: Thursday, April 22, 2010

Time: 6:30pm – Wine and cheese
7:00pm – Lecture (45min – 1hour)

FEE: FREE. PAG welcomes donations to help defray expenses.

Where: Atlantic Room (Bayside Pavilion) - Mercy Hospital - link for directions

Please RSVP– Call Jessica at 305 285 2702

When: March 18, 2010

Robin Bachin, Ph.D.

Charlton W. Tebeau Associate Professor of History,
University of Miami
Director, American Studies Program University of Miami
President, Society for American City and Regional Planning History

Prof Robin F. Barkin current academic interest, and the subject of her present book, examines the environmental and architectural history of South Florida.  This intellectual curiosity led her to create a web-based archive that includes images, documents, letters, and other ephemera related to the role of travel and tourism in shaping urban growth in Miami.  The history and the archives will be the subject of her presentation.

Date: Thursday, March 18, 2010

Time: 6:30pm – Wine and cheese
7:00pm – Lecture (45min – 1hour)

FEE: FREE. PAG welcomes donations to help defray expenses.

Where: Atlantic Room (Bayside Pavilion) - Mercy Hospital - link for directions

Please RSVP– Call Jessica at 305 285 2702

When:  Feb 18, 2010

Prof. Dexter E. Callender

Professor, Department of Religious Studies
University of Miami

The origins of the Bible lay at the intersection of a variety of factors such as climatic change and shifting settlement patterns, new technology and social reconfigurations, and defining political events - factors that came together to shape the cultural landscape of the world commonly referred to as the ancient Near East.  This lecture will survey the peoples and lands of Western Asia and Egypt prior to the arrival of Alexander, giving special attention to the evolution of tradition — from the earliest writings of Sumer to the canonical Scriptures that guided and inspired early Judaism and Christianity.

Date: Thursday, Feb 18, 2010

Time: 6:30pm – Wine and cheese
7:00pm – Lecture (45min – 1hour)

FEE: FREE. PAG welcomes donations to help defray expenses.

Where: Atlantic Room (Bayside Pavilion) - Mercy Hospital - link for directions

Please RSVP– Call Jessica at 305 285 2702

Jan 21, 2010

Prof John Fitzgerald
Professor, Department of Religious Studies

Univ. of Miami

Prof Fitzgerald will continue his presentation from last year covering The Holy Land from the time of Pompey (63 BCE) to the fall of Jerusalem (70 CE), a fascinating but fairly complex period politically.

Nov 19, 2009

Prof. David W. Kling

Professor, Department of Religious Studies
Univ. of Miami

The 16th century European Protestant Reformation represents a watershed in the history western civilization—so much so that some scholars view this movement as the precursor to the modern world. In the words of one historian, “To people of all nationalities the first Protestants bequeathed in spite of themselves a heritage of spiritual freedom and equality, the consequences of which are still working themselves out in the world today.” In this wide-ranging lecture I will discuss the world of the Reformation, examining not only religious issues but the social and cultural consequences of the Protestant movement.

Date: Thursday, Nov 19, 2009

Time: 6:30pm – Wine and cheese
7:00pm – Lecture (45min – 1hour)

FEE: FREE. NO CHARGE. PAG welcomes donations to help defray expenses.

Where: Atlantic Room (Bayside Pavilion) - Mercy Hospital - link for directions

Please RSVP– Call Jessica at 305 285 2702

Oct 15, 2009

Prof. David Graf

Professor, Department of Religious Studies
Univ. of Miami

New Evidence for Alexander the Great’s Campaign.

Between 336-323 BCE, Alexander the Great’s campaign united the world between the Aeagean Sea and the Indus River. The primary sources for this spectacular accomplishment are Greek literary sources written between the time of Augustus and Trajan. But in recent years, new evidence from the Eastern perspective has emerged—Aramaic documents, cuneiform texts, and coins, complementing the Western sources. A brief review of the campaign and this new evidence will be discussed.

Date: Thursday, Oct 15, 2009

Time: 6:30pm – Wine and cheese
7:00pm – Lecture (45min – 1hour)

FEE: FREE. NO CHARGE. PAG welcomes donations to help defray expenses.

Where: Atlantic Room (Bayside Pavilion) - Mercy Hospital - link for directions

Please RSVP– Call Jessica at 305 285 2702

Professor of History
Miami-Dade College
Historian to the Historical Association of Southern Florida

Prof Paul George will continue his discussion from last year covering from the pre-Miami\ SE. Florida., which stretches back nearly 11,000 years, to the Miami that followed the railroad’s entry in 1896. The last part of the presentation will be the international city that has emerged in the past 50-60 years

Date: Thursday, Sept 17, 2009

Time: 6:30pm – Wine and cheese
7:00pm – Lecture (45min – 1hour)

FEE: FREE. NO CHARGE. PAG welcomes donations to help defray expenses.

Where: Atlantic Room (Bayside Pavilion) - Mercy Hospital

Please RSVP– Call Jessica at 305 285 2702

Presented by:
Prof. José Manuel Hernández
Emeritus Professor, History Department
Georgetown Univ.

Caudillismo is a socio-political phenomenon that relies on personality cult, appearing first in Latin America in the IXX century during the course of South American Wars of Independence. Caudillos took it upon themselves to attain power over society and place themselves as its leader. In this position of power, the Caudillo has been a significant factor in the history of Latin America.

Date: Thursday, May 21, 2009

Time: 6:30pm – Wine and cheese
7:00pm – Lecture (45min – 1hour)

FEE: FREE. NO CHARGE. PAG welcomes donations to help defray expenses (visit blog for suggestions).

Where: Atlantic Room (Bayside Pavilion) - Mercy Hospital

Please RSVP– Call Jessica at 305 285 2702

Presented by Prof Harvey Siegle
Professor, Department of Philosophy
Univ. of Miami

Prof Harvey Siegel

In his groundbreaking The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, Kuhn challenged the common conception of science as a rational, objective, evidence-based activity, and of scientific development as gradual, linear, and progressive. His alternative conception, deeply informed by the history of science, portrays scientific practice as governed by ‘paradigms’ that control scientific practice and perception, but that are periodically overthrown during periods of ‘revolutionary science.’ In this talk I will introduce the main features of Kuhn’s views, illustrate them with examples of several scientific revolutions, and briefly discuss some of the radical philosophical implications of his view.

Date: Thursday, April 16, 2009

Time: 6:30pm – Wine and cheese
7:00pm – Lecture (45min – 1hour)

Where: Atlantic Room (Bayside Pavilion) - Mercy Hospital

Please RSVP– Call Jessica at 305 285 2702