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After a brief review of Ayn Rand’s basic theory of concept-formation, Dr. Binswanger presents his own understanding of advanced topics at the heart of epistemology, drawing on material from his book How We Know.
Class 1. How concept-formation gets started: conceptualizing perceptual concretes; the crucial role of the Conceptual Common Denominator; why this first level of conceptualization is only the preparation for forming higher-level concepts—the concepts required for civilization, science and progress.
Join us for a trip to learn about the Pittsburgh area’s industrial history. We’ll leave from the hotel at 10 AM after morning classes. You’ll get a lunch box that you can eat at your leisure. The first stop is at Carrie Furnace (https://www.riversofsteel.com/preservation/heritage-sites/carrie-furnaces/), a renovated blast iron furnace that was once owned by Carnegie Steel. We’ll tour the facility while learning about its history and the men who ran it. We’ll then continue to Frick Art and Historical Center (www.thefrickpittsburgh.org/), the home of Henry Clay Frick. There’s a tour of his house, a visit to the Carriage and Auto Museum, to the small Helen Frick art collection and time to enjoy the grounds or have your lunch at the community room. We’ll return to the hotel around 4:30 PM, with a stop at the Senator John Heinz History Center (www.heinzhistorycenter.org/) for those interested in the history of Pittsburgh (those going to the Heinz Center will find their own way back to the hotel).
Price includes entrance tickets, bus transportation and a lunchbox.
This tour is limited to 110 people.
This tour will take us to Fallingwater (www.fallingwater.org/), the weekend house that Frank Lloyd Wright designed for the Edgar J. Kaufmann family, owners of Kaufmann’s Department Store. Buses leave the hotel between 8:15 AM and 11:15 AM, and return between 4:30 PM and 8 PM. At Fallingwater, you’ll get a lunch box that you can enjoy at your leisure. We’ll tour the house in groups of fourteen people, listen to a lecture on Structural Repair of Fallingwater. There will be time to enjoy the grounds and visit the giftshop.
Price includes entrance tickets, lecture fee, bus transportation and a lunchbox. You will need to stay in the bus you came in, so pick up your departure time from the Sheraton accordingly. Fees are the same for adults, children and seniors.
Note that once in Fallingwater, all purses, backpacks, camera bags, tripods and other cumbersome items are not permitted on the tour. You can leave your items in complimentary lockers on-site. Other challenges include a half-mile walk to and from the house on uneven gravel paths, a one-hour walking tour, and over 100 steps. If the walk to and from the house is a challenge, please email info@objectivistconferences.com and we will help arrange a shuttle at the Visitor Center.