Wednesday, March 7 | 12:00n – 1:00PM
Food & Thought: "This Time It's Different?  The Economics and Politics of the Great Recession"

Mark Twain said that, "History does not repeat itself, but it does rhyme."  To what degree are the political and economic events that we are living through similar to the past, and to what degree are they different?  In short, are things really getting worse, or does it just feel that way?  In this talk, Dr. Kuperberg will explore these questions, focusing on the economic, political and legal issues that shape our collective civic experience.

Speaker: Mark Kuperberg, PhD, Professor of Economics, Swarthmore College

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Wednesday, March 21 | 12:00n – 1:00PM
Food & Thought: "Practical Wisdom:  The Right Way to Do the Right Thing or Can Empathy Be Taught?" 

When our social institutions—hospitals, schools, courtrooms, or banks—are not giving us what we need, we reach for two tools to make them work better—more and stricter rules, and smarter incentives.  In this talk Dr. Schwartz will argue that neither rules, no matter how strict, nor incentives, no matter how smart, can get us what we need.  They are no substitute for virtue, and for the particular virtue that Aristotle called “practical wisdom.”  Indeed rules and incentives typically make the problem worse.  Rules prevent people from developing the skill they need to do the right thing, and incentives undermine people's will to do the right thing.  The argument will draw on examples from a variety of different social institutions, including medicine.

Speaker: Barry Schwartz, PhD, Professor of Psychology, Swarthmore College

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Wednesday, May 16 | 12:00n – 1:00PM
Food & Thought: “Snakes, Sex, Sushi, Saunas, and Spinach”

Although we don’t often think about it, changes in society can have profound impacts on patterns of disease.  In fact, our seemingly ordinary life choices can have harmful and lasting effects on the health of our communities.  In this colorful, story-filled talk, Dr. Lorber uses real-life examples to show how travel, dietary patterns, use of leisure time, sexual behavior, medical progress, alternative medicine, the weather, and even politics can change patterns of infectious diseases.

Speaker: Bennett Lorber, MD, FCPP, MACP, Thomas M. Durant Professor of Medicine and Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at the Temple University School of Medicine; President of the Board, The College of Physicians of Philadelphia