The Phi Beta Kappa Society
BOSTON ASSOCIATION
ΦΒΚ - Boston Events
"Love of Wisdom is the Guide of Life"
What: Join Members and Guests of the PBK Boston Association for a Discussion on the meaning of the motto of Phi Beta Kappa
When: Thursday, January 23rd, 2025, 6 to 8 pm
Where: The Foundry (https://www.cambridgefoundry.org/ ) at 101 Rogers Street, Suite 2C, in Cambridge, MA 02142.
What: In keeping with the ideals of Phi Beta Kappa to encourage friendship, scholarship, and culture, PBK Boston will be offering a social event plus discussion at the Foundry in Cambridge, MA centered around an hour-long presentation and discussion facilitated by PBK Boston board member Gabe Ciociola. The focus will be on what it means to love wisdom, with opportunities to socialize around refreshments both before and after the discussion, both in person and also via a Zoom link for those who cannot physically be there. There is no cost to attend.
The discussion will be facilitated with short quotations from the great philosophical traditions (Plato, Lao Tse, Buddha, the Upanishads, Marcus Aurelius, Plotinus, Epicurus, Meister Eckart, Walt Whitman, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Rumi, the Bible, the Koran) of the world in considering these perennial questions:
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What is wisdom?
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Who is wise?
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How does one love wisdom?
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How may the pursuit of wisdom guide one’s life?
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What is the one thing that we know of a certainty?
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Who am I?
When: This social, networking, and discussion event will take place on Thursday evening, January 23rd, beginning around 6 pm with conversation and networking, with the discussion group from 6:30 to 7:30 pm or so, followed again by socializing until 8 pm, at which time the Foundry will no longer be available, but there will be an option to repair to Toscanini’s Ice Cream two blocks away at 159 First Street for refreshments and further discussion.
Where: The Foundry (https://www.cambridgefoundry.org/ ) at 101 Rogers Street, Suite 2C, in Cambridge, MA 02142.
Directions:
Via car:
There are any number of routes to the Kendall Square area in Cambridge, depending on the starting point. On-street parking will likely be tight, but there are a number of parking garages in the area for those who wish to drive.
Parking at the Alewife T station at the end of the Red Line on the north side of Greater Boston and then taking the Red Line to Kendall Square may be the most cost-effective for those driving.
Via Public transportation:
The Foundry is located at 101 Rogers Street:
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This is a 9-minute, 0.4 mile walk up Third Street from the Kendall Square Red Line T stop at 300 Main Steet in Cambridge, followed by a left turn onto Rogers Street, in the first block on the right.
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This is an 11-minute, 0.5 mile walk up Cambridge Street and then down Third Street to Rogers Street from the Lechmere stop on the Green Line.
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Other routes are available via the MBTA Trip Planner at https://www.mbta.com/trip-planner
Zoom link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8920883489?pwd=B90kR5pZ7WNSS3Zt3ojVPxOuNvSuPI.1&omn=89322177004
Pass Code: PBKBoston
Please RSVP via Eventbrite:
Please ask any questions to thomas@pbkboston.org or to tlaage@hotmail.com
Please join our PBK Boston Discord group for updates: https://discord.gg/CW5axGEf
Upcoming and Recent
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2024 PBK Boston Key Connections Event
Event Overview:
Join us for the 2024 PBK Boston Key Connections event, a gathering designed for informal socializing and networking among PBK members. Engage with new initiates and long-time members while sharing knowledge, experience, and insights aligned with the Society’s values of learning, service, and community.
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Event Details:
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Date: Saturday, October 5, 2024
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Time: 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
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Location: Kendall Center Urban Park Roof Garden, 325 Main Street, Cambridge (Above Kendall/MIT Red Line Station)
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Complimentary ice cream and beverages will be provided for all attendees.
In the Event of Inclement Weather: The event will be relocated to a nearby indoor venue, with cover available in spaces under awnings at the Rooftop Park.
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Transportation:
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By Car: Limited metered parking is available on surrounding streets. Alternatively, there are nearby parking garages:
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Green Garage (entrances on Broadway and Ames Street)
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Yellow Garage (entrance on Ames Place)
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For assistance, contact VPNE Parking Solutions at (617) 621-7618.
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By Public Transit: Take the Red Line to Kendall/MIT Station and follow signs to the rooftop of Kendall Center.
We look forward to a meaningful and engaging event, where PBK members can connect, share, and grow together.
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Contact:
Thomas Laage at tlaage@hotmail.com or Sophie Long at sophielong2014@gmail.com.​
Event Highlights​
PBK Boston Book Club
Join members of the Boston Association of PBK for a book discussion via Zoom, scheduled for the evening of Tuesday, January 16th, 2024, at 7:30 pm. (Please note we are meeting on Tuesday!)
Guests of participants are welcome and please come even if you haven’t finished (or even started!) the book.
The discussion will be on this book:
White Teeth: A Novel by Zadie Smith
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The blockbuster debut novel from "a preternaturally gifted" writer (The New York Times) and author of On Beauty and Swing Time—set against London's racial and cultural tapestry, reveling in the ecstatic hodgepodge of modern life, flirting with disaster, and embracing the comedy of daily existence.
Zadie Smith’s dazzling debut caught critics grasping for comparisons and deciding on everyone from Charles Dickens to Salman Rushdie to John Irving and Martin Amis. But the truth is that Zadie Smith’s voice is remarkably, fluently, and altogether wonderfully her own.
At the center of this invigorating novel are two unlikely friends, Archie Jones and Samad Iqbal. Hapless veterans of World War II, Archie and Samad and their families become agents of England’s irrevocable transformation. A second marriage to Clara Bowden, a beautiful, albeit tooth-challenged, Jamaican half his age, quite literally gives Archie a second lease on life, and produces Irie, a knowing child whose personality doesn’t quite match her name (Jamaican for “no problem”). Samad’s late-in-life arranged marriage (he had to wait for his bride to be born), produces twin sons whose separate paths confound Iqbal’s every effort to direct them, and a renewed, if selective, submission to his Islamic faith. (464 pp.)
We look forward to a lively and wide-ranging discussion with this interesting novel as a starting place.
Please RSVP to thomas@pbkboston.org or to tlaage@hotmail.com.
Thomas Laage is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: PBK Boston Book Club
Time: This is a recurring meeting Meet anytime
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87210599496?pwd=c25oYmdQbXBWWFJPakxqdmlacE1FZz09
Meeting ID: 872 1059 9496
Passcode: 934657
Phi Beta Kappa Annual Key Connections:
"Socrates: Pre-Texting"
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The Boston Public Library in Copley Square
700 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116
in The Commonwealth Salon
October 23, 2022, 2:00-4:00 PM
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The Phi Beta Kappa Association of Boston invites you to learn about or reacquaint yourselves with the Socratic Method of Discussion as seen in Plato's works, then as adopted by Ward Farnsworth in his book "The Socratic Method: A Practitioner's Handbook." There will be a lecture followed by ample time for small groups to practice the Socratic Method of Discussion, led by members of PBK Boston. Short readings from Plato, Farnsworth, and other authors will be sent to registered guests before the event. The event will end with time for guests to socialize over drinks and light fare. Members and friends of PBK and the public are welcome to attend.
This event is hosted in conjunction with The Phi Beta Kappa Society's annual Key Connections program. Key Connections offers a great opportunity for PBK members to familiarize themselves with their local association and to network with other PBK members. Registration ends October 20 and is limited to 50 participants.
Those registered will be given access to the readings as of October 15th. You may register at the following link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pbk-boston-key-connections-socrates-pre-texting-tickets-435734994097?aff=ebdssbeac.
Contact: Margarita Fenn at margarita at pbkboston dot org