Minnesota Independent Scholars Forum

Philosophy Study Group (session 2)
2018-01-31 19:00 - 21:00 UTC | Curran’s Restaurant, 42nd and Nicollet in Minneapolis
We are reading The Logic of Scientific Discovery by Karl Popper. The next meeting will cover chapters 6 and 7. I would like to mention that the people who attend our meetings are definitely not from any sort of, let us say, fecal hollow. They’re really more Norwegian-like. You are welcome to join us no matter where you come from.

Philosophy Study Group (Session 1)
2018-01-29 19:00 - 21:00 | Curran’s Restaurant, 42nd and Nicollet in Minneapolis

Minneapolis' Murdered Editors. A Look at Investigative Journalists and the Underworld in the Early 20th Century.
2018-01-27 10:00 - 11:30 | Washburn Library, 5244 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55419
In the early 20th century the Minneapolis underworld was ruled by some pretty ruthless mobsters and gangs who did not look kindly on efforts of campaigning newsmen to clean up the city. This time will be the topic of our speaker, Beth Johanneck, who regards herself as an amateur historian. [Ed. Note: Meaning: She is an independent scholar.]
Beth Johanneck was raised on a small farm in southwestern Minnesota with seven brothers and a sister. They spent their summers working in the fields. She graduated from Wabasso High School and then attended Southwest State University in Marshall, Minnesota. She has B.S. degree in business administration with a finance concentration and currently works for Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park. She describes herself as an amateur historian.
She hosted a blog called Minnesota Country Mouse for seven years which led to a book contract with the History Press. Her first book was the Hidden History of the Minnesota River Valley. She then wrote Twin Cities Prohibition, also for the History Press. She self-published Minneapolis Underworld at the request of a local organized crime member. This led to an introduction and brief friendship with “Tommy the Bomber” Ogdahl, former member of The Baldies gang who later became deputy mayor to Charles Stenvig.
Twin Cities Prohibition was mentioned on MPR as one of the three top food books of 2011, This ironic honor was bestowed by Minnesota Monthly magazine’s food editor, Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl. She appeared on an episode of the Travel Channel’s Monumental Mystery series to discuss the Foshay Tower.
She is currently working on a fictional history of Henry Sibley, and book of fiction about a Minnesota farm family during the Great Depression tentatively entitled, Bittersweet.

History Study Group
2018-01-18 19:00 - 21:00 | Curran’s Restaurant, 42nd and Nicollet in Minneapolis
We will continue reading The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt’s New World by Andrea Wulf. For this meeting we will cover chapters 9 through 17. Join us to see how Nature was actually invented. (Hint: It was not at 6:00 pm on October 23, 4004 BC.)

Board Meeting
2018-01-17 16:00 - 18:00 | Highland Park Library, 1974 Ford Pkwy, St Paul, MN 55116
MISF members welcome!

Philosophy Study Group (session 2)
2018-01-10 19:00 - 21:00 | Curran’s Restaurant, 42nd and Nicollet in Minneapolis
We will continue reading The Logic of Scientific Discovery by Karl Popper with chapters 3, 4, and 5. If you are interested in joining this discussion, but have not read Part I (chapters 1 and 2), this section of Popper’s book has been condensed by Squashed Philosophers. It is not breaking the rules to read condensations. In the last notice I gave some incorrect information. All the additions that Popper added to the English version of his book were done in 1959, so any edition of this book should contain them. I also did not want to give the wrong impression by pointing out that all meetings of the Minnesota Independent Scholars Forum (our generous sponsor) are free. People come to our meetings for other reasons than the fact that they don’t have to pay. Perhaps it’s for all the philosophical insights we dish up, or the chance to express your own ideas, or the criticism we offer to each other, or the camaraderie, or the food, or else it’s because philosopher-types lead such boring lives that anything is better than sitting around at home.

Philosophy Study Group (Session 1)
2018-01-08 19:00 - 21:00 | Curran’s Restaurant, 42nd and Nicollet in Minneapolis

Philosophy Study Group (session 2)
2017-12-17 19:00 - 21:00 | Curran’s Restaurant, 42nd and Nicollet in Minneapolis
We are turning to the topic of philosophy of science with an examination of a book considered a classic in this field: The Logic of Scientific Discovery by Karl Popper. First published in Germany in 1934, Popper rewrote it for the English edition in 1959. He later added chapters on quantum mechanics and corroboration as well as more appendices. We will cover Part I for this meeting. The price of this book new is all over the place, but it is generally available in paperback for around $17. As an ebook, it is for sale in epub format on Google books for $16, but is $26 for Kindle (or rent it for $8 for a month). It can be found for less – but not a lot – as a used book. Note, however, that not all editions contain the extra material. The best deal, easily, is on archive.org: free. Another great deal: We don’t charge anything to come to our meetings, unless you include reading the book…which you will surely do.
