DEPARTMENT OF WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY thinkwestern the annual newsletter for the department of philosophy at western washington university

WESTERN AGAIN NAMED AMONG THE BEST Western Washington University's philosophy department has again been named one of the best undergraduate programs in the country by the Philosophical Gourmet Report, a respected biennial review. The report, edited by Brian Leiter at the University of Chicago, ranks the top 2011: THE YEAR IN REVIEW doctoral programs in the English-speaking world, based on surveys of several 2011 was another eventful year BLPR was funded by a generous hundred prominent members for the philosophy department at grant from the John Templeton of the philosophy profession. Western Washington University. Foundation and featured a series WWU does not have a In January, Professor Hud Hudson of lectures by renowned Christian doctoral program, but it was stepped down as department chair Alvin Plantinga (the mentioned in a section after six years of service. The new John A. O'Brien Professor of focusing on undergraduate chair is Associate Professor Ryan Philosophy at the University of education: "Among schools Wasserman. Notre Dame). Dr. Plantinga’s first that do not offer the PhD or lecture was attended by over In February, we were joined by MA in philosophy, those with seven-hundred people, and many Christian Lee, who spent much of the best philosophy faculties more watched the lectures as they his semester at Western as a would probably include: streamed on-line. For more on the visiting scholar. A former graduate Amherst College, California BLPR - including information on of WWU, Christian is currently Institute of Technology, the 2012 schedule - see the website completing his dissertation at the Dartmouth College, Reed here. University of Colorado in Boulder. College, University of Also in February, we hosted In May we hosted the 10th Vermont, Western the 3rd annual installment of the annual Northwest Student Washington University, and Bellingham Lectures in Philosophy Conference. Wellesley College.” Philosophy & Religion. This year’s (continued on the next page...)

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2011: THE YEAR IN REVIEW

The conference was run by the student philosophy club and organized by senior Alex Rivera. The keynote speaker was Western alumnus Kris McDaniel (now a philosophy professor at Syracuse University.) For pictures of the event, see here. In June, longtime member of the department Tom Downing retired after 43 years of teaching. (See the interview with Tom below.) In August, we hosted the 12th annual Bellingham Summer Philosophy Conference. This Also in September, we were joined by Dr. year’s conference was organized by Ned Markosian, Michelle Saint (PhD Arizona State), who will be with help from Elizabeth Barnes and Ishani Maitra. teaching as a visiting instructor during 2011-12. The conference featured nine papers and over fifty We hope that 2011 was a memorable year for you, participants from all over the world (including and that 2012 will be more of the same. Canada, England, New Zealand and Israel.) You can learn more about the conference by visiting the website here. All the Best Wishes in the New Year, In September, Dr. Dennis Whitcomb was Ryan Wasserman granted tenure and promoted to the rank of associate professor. Chair and Editor

THE DEPARTMENT OF PHILOSOPHY CONGRATULATES

THOMAS HALL AS THE RECIPIENT OF THE 2010-2011 DOWNING MONTAGUE SCHOLARSHIP FOR PHILOSOPHY, HEALTHCARE AND TECHNOLOGY

BENJAMIN COREY AS THE RECIPIENT OF THE 2010-2011 PAUL J. AND REBECCA ANN OLSCAMP PHILOSOPHY SCHOLARSHIP

JOSEPH FRALEY AS THE RECIPIENT OF THE 2010-2011 DEPARTMENTAL TUITION WAIVER SCHOLARSHIP

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ALUMNI INTERVIEW it broke my heart. The people and the land are beautiful. They are James Pirtle (class of 2001) currently generous and curious. The poverty lives in Seattle, where he helps head is abject and the suffering the Sentinel Law Group. We sat down palpable. The people of Uganda to catch up with James and learn have suffered Africa's longest war. about his current work. And this is a continent that knows essentially nothing but conflict. What do you remember most about Do you think that your background in your time at Western? philosophy helped prepare you for your Without a doubt the most law career? enjoyable part of my Western Undoubtedly my background in experience was my involvement in philosophy helped prepare me to the philosophy department. What be an attorney. That said, the existed during my time, and You recently spent some time working intellectual skill set that is carries on through today, is a small on an international war crime case in developed in this arena will set a tight community invested in one Africa--what can you te us about graduate up for success in virtually another and the advancement of your experience? any discipline. Critical thought ideas and questions from time and the ability to challenge immemorial to contemporary The case is fascinating on every conventional wisdom are tools for issues. Further, that the professors level. First, it's the first trial being success in any arena. were invested in the students' tried in the new International educational and personal well- Crimes Division in Uganda being on and off campus made all specifically set up to try mid-level What would you say to students who of us feel secure. That and the LRA soldiers that have not been are interested in majoring in weekly philosophy pizza dinners indicted by the International philosophy, but worried about their were not to be missed. Criminal Court at the Hague. But future job prospects? there is a conflict of laws as To be honest, there are not many Amnesty Act of 2000 is still in What did you do aer graduation? undergraduate degrees that are effect (any fighter that renounces "practical" enough for most to I graduated in the winter of '01, rebellion and lays down arms can moved to Seattle, and then started graduate and launch a career. rejoin society). Our client applied Most undergraduates will find that law school in the summer of '02 at for amnesty while he was in prison Seattle University School of Law. they will need to pursue advanced but was denied. We petitioned for training/education in the field of his release on equal protection their choosing in order to What led you and Matthew to start grounds--you can't arbitrarily deny facilitate entry into a successful the Sentinel Law Group? amnesty to one guy when you have professional career. In my case, Matt and I decided to start granted it to nearly 26,000 others. law school. But as I mentioned Sentinel Law Group as we both The Constitutional Court agreed before, the skills developed in had enough experience to handle and ordered his release. The ICD your program provide a complex cases in addition to and the Director of Public foundation for success in many sharing the experience of working Prosecutions (attorney general) professional arenas. at law firms that were poorly run. flagrantly disregarded the order for release and now we are going We were and are convinced that You can learn more about the Sentinel to hammer this whole thing out in we could change the culture of the Law Group by visiting their website. the Supreme Court of Uganda. traditional firm and create a new, You can learn more about James’s work small, client focused enterprise. As for being in Africa, it is in Africa by visiting his blog. beautiful and tragic. I loved it and

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FACULTY NEWS to Disneyland together in August. continue to work on knowledge Great fun. Cathi is now in a and value. This year I published a HUD HUDSON permanent position in Speech- paper on evidentialism, and I'm Language Pathology in the Blaine currently working up a piece On the professional side: At the School District, Aris is a senior in trying to define "what we should beginning of 2011 I stepped down Economics and Mathematics at believe" in terms of what we know. as Chair of the Philosophy Western, Eli is a junior at Department after a six year run. Bellingham High School, and ...more news on next page I’m very happy to be out of the Orion is a 6th-grader at Fairhaven Chair’s office and to take all of my Middle School. Xerxes continues questions to our excellent new to be a devoted reader and invites Chair, Ryan Wasserman. you to my homepage to see her In February, I traveled to Texas posts each week. announcing to participate in a debate with Finally (since I began teaching Michael Tooley on the Problem of in Fall 1991 and plan to retire in Evil. In April, I was a keynote Spring 2030) my mid-career day The 50th speaker at the Rocky Mountain occurred in Winter Quarter 2011. Anniversary Philosophy Conference at the I taught my classes on that day in University of Colorado, Boulder. my doctoral robes to celebrate! Conference and In June, I participated in the Celebration annual Notre Dame Philosophical RYAN WASSERMAN Theology Workshop. In October, I gave a paper at the Georgetown The highlight of my year was The 2011-12 academic year our family vacation to California marks the 50th anniversary of the Conference. In November, I gave in August. We drove over 2,000 philosophy department at a colloquium presentation at the miles during a two week period, Western Washington University. spending time with friends in University of Rochester (and – To celebrate, we will be Cambria, and stopping at every funny thing is – I received my hosting a series of events on May tourist trap on Highway 101. invitation to do so 20-years-to- 18th and 19th, including an alumni the-day after defending my In academic news, I published panel discussion, a philosophy dissertation there). In December, one paper (“Intentional Action conference with presentations I gave a colloquium presentation and the Unintentional Fallacy”) in from former students, and a at the University of Alabama, and Pacific Philosophical Quarterly, and dinner celebration at Boundary I also delivered a university lecture another (“The Paradox of the Bay Brewing Co. in their Philosophy Today series. Question”) in Philosophical Studies All philosophy department This last calendar year I’ve had (the latter paper being co- alumni are encouraged to attend papers accepted for publication in authored with Dennis Whitcomb). some or all of the events. an anthology of new pieces on I also had papers accepted at personal identity (for Cambridge), Philosophical Perspectives and Mind. For more information, contact Ned Markosian or visit the on philosophy of time and philosophy of religion for the DENNIS WHITCOMB conference website here. journal Philosophical Perspectives, I got tenure! In other news, my The weekend of the 18th is and in an anthology of new pieces wife Maria and I grew a huge also the third annual “Back 2 on art and abstract objects (for garden, and we continue to enjoy Bellingham” celebration. You can Oxford). spending time with our dogs. find out more about this event by On the personal side: Cathi, Last spring, we flew to San Diego, visiting the alumni association Eli, Orion, Cheri (Cathi’s twin), bought a car, and drove it back to website here. Caleb (Cheri’s son), and I all went Bellingham along the coast. I

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FACULTY NEWS

NED MARKOSIAN In 2011 I continued to work on the topics in that have occupied me for much of the recent past: the metaphysics of physical objects and the matter that constitutes them, the problem of freedom and determinism, and the nature of time. But I also branched out into decision theory, and published a paper called “A Simple Solution to The Two Envelope Problem” in the online journal Logos and Episteme. In addition, I presented papers at the Universities of Barcelona, Wyoming, Ned and his children, Zane and Leila, on vacation in Iceland Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Barcelona (again). Other highlights included a family trip to Reykjavik, Amsterdam, Madrid, The summer was filled with FRANCES HOWARD-SNYDER and Barcelona. (Again? No: the teaching and camping in eastern Highlights of my year included first talk at the University of Washington and Idaho with traveling to France with my son, Barcelona was during the family William and Peter, who just Peter, and my parents, where we trip.) turned twelve. As I started my visited the Normandy beaches and My big hope for 2012 is to see hike southbound on the PCT in were moved by American WWII lots of former and current August, from Echo Summit cemetery there, saw the Bayeux Western philosophy students at through the High Sierra, I was tapestry and climbed the Eiffel the Philosophy Department’s 50th tortured by thoughts about work Tower; my parents’ visit to anniversary conference and left undone; so, after a two and a Bellingham in August; and my celebration. half days and 50 miles in some of sons’ starting middle school in the most magnificent terrain September. imaginable, I flew home and did DANIEL HOWARD-SNYDER my part in revising The Power of Professionally, I worked on the fifth edition of The Power of Logic May’s BLPR went smoothly. Logic, and then prepared a new course (new to me), Intermediate with Dan and Ryan, updated my Over 1400 people listened to Al Stanford Encyclopedia article on Plantinga’s two lectures, live and Logic, which was a blast to teach this Fall. doing and allowing harm, and online; the Q&A was considerably published papers on hypocrisy, longer than the lectures! Check it Had a bumper crop of apples; prayer and the principle that out: http://blpr.org/. My Phil 335 dozens of pies. Many thanks to “ought” implies “can”. In June, I students were awesome when Al students and colleagues who’ve made a presentation on faith and visited class; they asked great been helping me work out my reason at a convocation at the questions after studying his new crazy views on faith. Finally, I grew First Presbyterian Church. book on religion and science. He an inch this year: I’m now 6’3”. No loved it. kidding! Frances is unhappy.

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TOM’S TRIP Lauderdale we boarded Amtrak’s Gettier and his wife Lucia. Silver something-or-other for Gettier is great at 84, and even by Tom Downing Manhattan. Because we had a after a heart attack he still plays sleeper, we were delivered to the badminton, rather well, I’m told. e boarded the MS Zuiderdam W first-class lounge at Penn Station We gossiped copiously about the in Vancouver on September 24th. where I had a very nice many who were After stops in San Diego, Mexico conversation with Congressman connected to both UMASS and (four ports), Guatemala and Costa Charles Rangel who was there for Western. On October 29th, two Rica we made our way through reasons unknown to me. Then it days before our planned the still amazing Panama Canal, was a seven block cab ride to our departure from New England, a which we were told, has changed seriously over-priced hotel in record snowstorm hit while we only in very minor ways since it Times Square, and a two-block were in Marlborough. Happily, opened in the summer of 1914, walk to the heart of the square in New England they actually days before the beginning of which was “occupied” by the clear the snow from the roads, so World War I. (By the way, our OWS that Saturday night. we managed without trouble to ship was levied a $300K fee for Anyway, it was a great week-long get to Boston the next day, stayed transit of the canal.) The first stay in New York, with lots of in another overpriced eastern port in the Caribbean was walking, great restaurants, hotel, and taxied to the Amtrak Cartagena, Colombia. The museums, and two Broadway station the next morning. highlight of the brief sojourn plays, including the wonderful there was the Museum of Torture, Because of the snow storm, the musical “Anything Goes,” which I train couldn’t make it to Boston part of, I believe, the Museum of enjoyed so much that I began to the Inquisition. from the west, so we picked it up fear for my masculinity. in Albany after a bus ride there The twenty day cruise ended at By Amtrak’s rather fast Acela, supplied by Amtrak. From Albany Fort Lauderdale after a brief stop we traveled to Boston’s South it was to Chicago, and in Chicago in the Bahamas. From Mexico all Station to begin a week’s stay in we boarded Amtrak’s magnificent the way to Florida, with the the Boston, Cape Cod, Empire Builder for the 46 hour exception of the lovely day in Marlborough and Amherst area(s). trip back to Seattle. 13,000 miles, Antigua, Guatemala (el 4500 feet) In Amherst we stayed with Ed 40 days, seven countries, 22 it was way too hot for a states, God knows how many Northwesterner. In Fort climates, and we never left the ground. The only way to fly. Retirement is good!

We Want to Hear From You! If you are a WWU philosophy department graduate, we’d like to hear about what you’ve been up to this year. Send your news, stories, and photos to Ryan Wasserman and you might be featured in the next issue of WESTERN THINKS. Tom on vacation in Cartagena.

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