Month: October 2015

Call For Papers – 20th Annual Pacific University Undergraduate Philosophy Conference

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Call For Papers – 20th Annual Pacific University Undergraduate Philosophy Conference

April 15-16, 2016

Pacific University

Forest Grove, Oregon

Keynote talk by Elliot Sober (University of Wisconsin)

The 20th annual Pacific University Undergraduate Philosophy Conference will be held April 15-26, 2016 on the campus of Pacific University, in Forest Grove, Oregon. The purpose of this conference is to provide a forum for the presentation of philosophical work of undergraduates to their peers. Papers are required to be of philosophical content, but there are no specific restrictions on subject matter within the arena of philosophical discussion itself. Papers should be approximately 3000 words (10-12 pages). Electronic submissions, including paper and abstract (Word documents), should be sent to: boersema@pacificu.edu. Submission deadline in February 1, 2016. Final decisions will be made by February 28, 2016. Volunteers for session chairs are also welcome. Selected papers from the conference will be published in Volume 7 (2016) of the journal Res Cogitans. 

This is strictly an undergraduate conference, with only undergraduates allowed on the conference program. The single exception is the keynote speaker. Past keynote speakers have included: Paul Churchland, Hilary Putnam, John Searle, Keith Lehrer, Catherine Elgin, John Perry, Hubert Dreyfus, Jerry Fodor, Alvin Plantinga, Cora Diamond, James Sterba, Peter Kivy, Walter Sinnott-Armstrong, and Daniel Dennett. This year’s keynote talk will be by Elliot Sober.

The conference banquet will be on Friday, April 15 and all paper sessions, including the keynote talk, will be on Saturday, April 16.

Travel and lodging information can be found by going to the conference website at: http://www.pacificu.edu/as/philosophy/conference

Registration costs: $40, payable at the conference. Three meals will be provided: Friday night banquet, Saturday breakfast and lunch.

For further information, contact Professor Boersema via email (boersema@pacificu.edu) or by phone (503-352-2150) or at the following address: Dept. of Philosophy, Pacific University, 2043 College Way, Forest Grove, OR 97116

Sapere Aude – The College of Wooster Philosophical Journal

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Sapere Aude, the College of Wooster Philosophical Journal, is inviting undergraduate students to submit papers in all areas of philosophy. The papers should exhibit independent, creative thought and exemplify deep understanding of a philosophical subject. Submissions with interdisciplinary engagements are also encouraged (e.g. philosophical intersections with social sciences, humanities, natural sciences, social justice studies, etc.) Content, however, should be concerned with a primarily philosophical issue.

Papers sent to Sapere Aude for consideration of inclusion must adhere to the following:

  1. Each entry should be prepared for blind review and must have a title page containing the author’s name, college or university, and class year. (No other identifier should be present with the paper.)
  2. All entries should be no longer that 20 pages and may include footnotes as a supplement to the text.
  3. Paper format: one inch margins, double-spaced, 12 pt. Times New Roman font, and use of an accepted style of citation.
  4. All pages, except the title page, should be numbered.
  5. All entries should be submitted as an electronic copy (.doc only please) to Sapere_aude@wooster.edu

Please send any questions to Sapere_aude@wooster.edu.

The deadline for submission is January 16, 2016.

Call for Papers – Ohio Philosophical Association

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Ohio Philosophical Association Annual Meeting

Otterbein University

Westerville, Ohio – Saturday, April 9, 2016

Undergraduate student papers are invited on any topic. Review will be blind and conducted by the editorial staff of Sapere Aude at The College of Wooster. Accepted papers will also be considered for publication in the 2016 print volume of the journal. Paper should be less that 4000 words (not including notes) and be deliverable in half an hour or less. Submissions should be prepared for blind review and include an abstract of no more than 200 words. An electronic copy (.doc, .docx, .rtf, .pdf, or .txt only, please) should be sent to arrive no later than January 10, 2016, to:

sapere_aude@wooster.edu

Science, Democracy, and Values?

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The University of Vienna, Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Institute Vienna Circle are holding their annual Scientific World Conceptions two week summer program from July 4-15, 2016 in Vienna. This course will explore the historical, philosophical, and political perspectives on the relations of science, values, and democracy. Specific topics include:

  • Roles of values in science
  • Historical relations of science and democracy
  • Public engagement in sociotechnical controversies
  • Race, gender, and science
  • Science and religion in democracies
  • Politics of expert advice
  • Public assessment of scientific expertise
  • Science communication in democratic contexts
  • Universities and public life

The main Lecturers will be:

Mark B. Brown is a professor in the Department of Government at California State University, Sacramento
Heather Douglas is the Waterloo Chair in Science and Society and Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
 
Andrew Jewett is Associate Professor of History and of Social Studies at Harvard University.
For more general information about the program, click here.
To apply, click here.

The Process Story: Journalism or Distraction?

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On October 28, 2015, Matt Martinez, the new Director of Content at KPLU (NPR), will be giving an informal talk entitled, “The Process Story: Journalism or Distraction?” at noon in Wyatt 326. If you are interested in pursuing journalism of any kind, Matt Martinez would be a great resource to talk to.  This “brown bag” discussion is organized by the Department of Politics and Government.

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Reminder: Talk by Naomi Zack on Thursday 10/22

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Naomi Zack will be giving a talk, “A New Paradigm of Anti-Racism: Why Discourse of WhitenaomizackPugetSoundFinal Privilege, Justice, and Equality Do Not Work,” on Thursday, October 22nd @ 5 p.m. in the Rasmussen Rotunda, Wheelock Student Center.

There will also be a reception before the talk, starting at 4pm, also in the Rotunda.  Please join the members of the philosophy department and Professor Zack for some refreshments and conversation.

You can read more about the talk and professor Zack’s here.

A recent interview with Professor Zack can be found in Public Radio International can be found here.

And another interview in the New York Times blog The Stone can be found here.

Lecture by Justin Tiehen: “A Theory of Everything that Exists in the Entire World”

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Justin Tiehen, Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Puget Sound, will be delivering the 2015 Phi Beta Kappa Magee Address titled “A Theory of Everything that Exists in the Entire World” on Wednesday, October 28th @ 5pm in Trimble Forum.

Professor Tiehen sent us the abstract for the talk:

Philosophers have long sought a unified theory of everything. Consider Thales, the first Western philosopher, who thought everything that exists is ultimately made of water. Today a more common view is Physicalism, the thesis that everything that exists is ultimately physical, that is, made up of the sort of entities described by the science of physics. My talk will examine the prospects of Physicalism, focusing especially on potential problems for the view that arise in connection with attempts to provide Physicalistic explanations of consciousness, of normativity (including morality), and of absences (things that don’t happen).

Justin Tiehen is the author of numerous articles in the philosophy of mind, metaphysics, and philosophy of science. His recent works include“A Priori Scrutability and That’s All,” in The Journal of Philosophy (2014); “Explaining Causal Closure,” in Philosophical Studies (2014); and “The Role Functionalist Theory of Absences,” in Erkenntnis (2015). More information about these and his other writings can be found in his webpage.