Brsq #142-144
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THE BERTRAND RUSSELL SOCIETY QUARTERLY Fall 2009 Issue Numbers 142 -144 / May -November 2009 THE ROAD TO CONNECTICUT Published by The Bertrand Russell Society with the support of Lehman College - City University of New York THE BERTRAND RUSSELL SoCIET¥ QUARTERLY is the official organ of the THE BERTRAND RUSSELL SOCIETY Bertrand Russell Society. It publishes Society news and proceedings, and QUARTERLY articles on the history of analytic philosophy, especially those on Russell's life and works, including historical materials and reviews of recent work on Fall 2009 Issue Russell. Scholarly articles appearing in the a"crrfer/,v are peer-reviewed. Numbers 142-144 / May -November 2009 Co-EDITORS: Rosalind Carey and John Ongley ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Ray Perkins Jr. EDITORIAL BOARD Rosalind Carey, Lehman College-CUNY THE ROAD TO CONNECTICUT John Ongley, Bloomsburg University Raymond Perkins, Jr., Plymouth State University Christopher Pincock, Purdue University David Hyder, University of Ottawa CONTENTS Anat Biletzki, Tel Aviv University SuBMISsloNS : All communications to the Ber/ra#cJ Rwssc// Soci.edy gwcrr/er- In This Issue /y, including manuscripts. book reviews, and letters to the editor, should be Society News sent to: Prof. Rosalind Carey, Philosophy Department, Lehman College- ln Memoriam: Theo Meijer CUNY, 250 Bed ford Park Blvd. West, Bronx, NY 10468, USA, or by email to: [email protected]. Feature SuBSCRlpTloNS: The BRS gwc}rfedy is free to members of the Bertrand Rus- sell Society. Society membership is $35 a year for individuals, $40 for cou- Nicholas Griffin Speaks His Mind: An Interview by ples, and $20 for students and limited income individuals. Membership also JOLEN GALAUGHER AND ILMARI KORTELAINEN 11 inctndes a sotoschprfion to Russell: The Journal Of Bertrand Russell Studies` published biannually by the Bertrand Russell Research Centre at MCMast.`r Book Review University, and other Society privileges. INSTITUTIONAL AND INDIVIDUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS to the BRS gi/crrfcr/y arc Russell and the Edwardians SAMUEL LEBENS 27 $20 a year. Send membership dues or subscription fee as check or money order payable, to `The Bertrand Russell Society,' to: Kenneth Blackwcll` R:ussell Letters BRS Treasurer, Bertrand Russell Research Centre, MCMaster University` Hamilton, ON, Canada LBS 4L6. Letter of July 8,1915 on Sense-Data. Introduction by SINGLE IssuEs may be obtained for $5 by sending check or money order. OMAR NASIM BERTRAND RUSSELL payable to `The Bertrand Russell Society' and addressed, as above I.or subscriptions, to Kenneth Blackwell. BACK ISSuES are also $5 each. I.`()r Russell 1967 Letter to Ivewsi4/eek BERTRAND RUSSELL availability of current and back issues query: Tom Stanley, BRS Librarian, at: tjstanley@myfairpoi nt.net. Reports The Bertrand Russell Society Quarterly is .rrrdexed .rn The Philosoi)her's /#c/ex. It is published in February, May, August, and November by the Traveler's DiaryreRS 2009 Annual Meeting Report Bertrand Russell Society, Inc. The full text of past issues can be viewed on- line at: http ://www.Iehman.edu/deanhum/philosophy/BRSQ. BRS Annual Board and Members Meeting Minutes ISSN: 1547-0334 © 2010. All rights remain with contributors Treasurer' s Reports Cover: Merritt Parkway, Connecticut IN THIS ISSUE "Remember COVER ART. THOSE DRIVING TO LAST YEAR'S ANNUAL MEETING from Your Membership , the south and west traveled there a good part of the way on the famed Merritt Parkway, which cuts across southern Connecticut. The illus- Forget the Rest!" tration on the cover gives some sense of this remarkable highway. A pet project of Robert Moses, the Merritt has beautifully designed art deco and beaux-ails bridges and exit and entrance ramps; the curves of the highway themselves are art deco. Traveling on it to and from the Society meeting in New Britain was an elegant beginning and ending of an excellent weekend conference. THIS ISSUE'S FEATURE ARTICLE is (we promise you) an action-packed interview with Nicholas Griffin by Jolen Galaugher and llmari Kor- telainen. In it, Griffin shares his views on all aspects of the history of analytic philosophy and on the history of the history of analytic philosophy as well (its "historiography" for those preferring ambig- uous technical terms), providing us with bold conjectures and start- ling insights into the now major movement of the history of analytic philosophy, as well as into Bertrand Russell's and Ludwig Wittgen- stein's own philosophies. Historians and historiographers alike will not want to miss this interview. RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP IN THE BRS! Just as important, Griffin gives us a good idea of what is in store for us next May 21-24 at the PA4@100 conference (celebrating the PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP NOW! centenary of the publication of volume 1 of pr;.#ci.pj.cz A4lcrfAemcr/j.cc}) at MCMaster University. As might be guessed, it is logic, history of Membership dues: $35 for individuals, $40 couples logic, philosophy of logic, and then for variety, mathematics, his- $20 for students & limited income individuals tory of mathematics, and philosophy of mathematics. For talks of a Add $4 for postage if you live outside the US more humanistic nature, there will be the Bertrand Russell Society's Send check or money order in US or Canadian funds own annual meeting occurring in conjunction with the PA4@100 con- payable to The Bertrand Russell Society to ference at MCMaster May 21 -23, just down the hall. THE WINNER of the 2009 Bertrand Russell Society book award last Ken Blackwell, BRS Treasurer Bertrand Russell Research Centre yea,I was OmiLr INasin for his bock Bertrand Russell and the Ed- MCMaster University wardian Philosophers: Constructing the World. Ir\ this .ls,sue of the Hamilton, ON, Canada LBS 4L6 g"orJer/)J, Samuel Lebens reviews Nasim's award-winning book, First class postage to Canada is S.75 providing us with a clear understanding of Russell's relations with the Edwardian philosophers, especially of their debate over the na- ture of sense-data. An important document in the Edwardian debate TO RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP ONLINE, SEE INSTRUCTIONS AT http://users.drew.edu/~jlenz/brs-join.html on the nature of sense-data is Russell's 1915 letter to the Jowr7?cz/ o/ 3 IN THIS ISSUE SOCIETY NHWS P#/./asapAy clarifying his view that sense-data are physical, not mental. That letter is reproduced in full in this issue. Accompanying IT IS TIME TO RENEW youR MEMBERSIIIP in the Bertrand Russell Soci- this letter is a substantial introduction to it by Omar Nasim, telling ety. Memberships run from January to January, so it is time to re- us the background to the letter, the contemporary context in which new your membership. Please take a minute to do so now. Details it occurred, and the role this specific letter played in Russell's con- for renewing can be found in the ad on p. 2. tribution to the Edwardian's debate on sense-data. THE LAST (2009) ANNUAL MEETING OF THE BERTRAND RUSSELL SO- FOLLOWING THE RUSSELL LETTER OF 1915, we indulge in some edi- CIET¥ itself took place June 5-7 at Central Comecticut State Univer- torial quibbling over the interpretation of another Russell letter, this sity in New Britain, Connecticut, hosted by David Blitz. It was a one a letter by Russell to Iven;sM;eek in 1967. This in turn is followed rich and rewarding weekend. See the full report beginning on p. 41 by the Traveler's Diary, which in this issue reports on the Russell for details of the event. Society's last annual meeting. Finally, there are the meeting min- utes of both the 2009 annual BRS board of directors meeting and THE AVERT ANNUAL MEETING OF THE BRS, the Society's 37th, will 2009 BRS membership meeting, published in the back along with take place at MCMaster University May 21-23, 2010. This will be the treasurer's reports. Note that these minutes have not yet been the 7th time that the Society has met at MCMaster. The annual meeting will occur in conjunction with another Russell event - the approved by the board or members. The minutes can now be found online. Indeed, the BRS board of directors and membership meeting PA4@100 conference, which is the centenary celebration of the pub- minutes for every year going back to 1990 can be found online at lication of volume 1 of Prz.#c/.p/.cr iv/a/foemc7/r.cc7. The PA4@100 con- users.drew.edu/~lenz/brs-minutes.html. Minutes of still earlier meet- ference will occur on May 21-24, 2010, also at MCMaster Univer- ings will be put online as they are transcribed for the web. sity - and just down the hall from the BRS conference. The align- ment of the annual meeting with another stellar Russell conference is a rare event, and when it occurs, it is a big affair. For this reason alone members should start making plans now to attend this year's BRS annual meeting, especially if you have never been to one be- fore; it will have double the talks, double the people, and double the excitement. And since the Russell Archives are at MCMaster, this is another good reason to attend this year's meeting. Go a day early and visit the archives, or if you have research to do there, kill three birds with one stone (your research and two conferences) and go several days early. Details of the meeting program, talks and ab- stracts, registration, housing, food, and fees, with regular updates, will soon be online at http://russell.mcmaster.ca/brsmeeting. NEXT SPRING'S PA4@100 CoNFERENCE. It's full title is "PA4@100: Logic from 1910 to 1927," it is taking place May 21-24, 2010 at MCMaster University in conjunction with the May 21-23 Bertrand Russell Society annual meeting, it is hosted by the Bertrand Russell Research Centre, and it will be a big affair.