Winter 2012-13
Letter from the Chair
Graeme Forbes In this Issue
Dear Students, Alumni, Friends, Colleagues: Letter from the Chair 1 Faculty Activities 1–8 As I write this, I have just returned from a con- ference at NYU on the work of Kit Fine. Fine Interview with is one of the very best philosophers active today Alison Jaggar 3–5 and is a leading member of NYU’s Philosophy Graduate Student Department, which has been ranked as the top Accomplishments 6–7 program in the English-speaking world for several years now. In recognition, NYU gave Prizes & Awards 8 it its own building on Washington Place, de- Graduation 8–9 signed by the star New York firm Steven Holl Architects. It’s not luxury in the way that, say, Donation Appeal 10 the Gehry Weatherhead Management School at Case Western is, but it’s heartening where NYU’s administration chose to direct resources when it had them. The Business School? Ath- Faculty Activities letics? More administration? No, philosophy! 2011-2013 No wonder it made the New York Times. Here at CU, the most column inches in the David Barnett spent the Spring 2012 semester on sabbatical, working on his last year have been given over to our purchase forthcoming book, “The Things We of a football coaching staff predicted to bring Believe.” To get a feel for the topic of the book, consider a common belief us renown of a kind that mere humanists, among scientists: that the Earth is even the philosophers of NYU, can only Graeme Forbes, Department Chair warming. There is this thing—that stand in awe of. In even better news, we will the Earth is warming—such that most scientists believe it. What is this thing? be spending $170,000,000 in pursuit of said interview on page 3 below) and a 2012 “Best First, it is the sort of thing that can be renown. But you will have to look elsewhere Should Teach” award, and Brad Monton won believed, doubted, and feared. While for more information about this and other one of three prizes for Excellence in Philoso- most scientists believe that the Earth is warming, some politicians doubt great leaps forward. I’m happy to avert my phy of Religion for an article in Oxford Studies that the Earth is warming, and most gaze from the world immediately beyond in Philosophy of Religion in 2011. environmentalists fear that the Earth the Department’s walls, since from within We hosted a number of conferences in is warming. Second, it is something that is true or false: either it is true those walls, there is much that is positive to 2012, and since I’ve received questions about that the Earth is warming or it is false report. Our undergraduate major continues them, I’ll give some more details about three that the Earth is warming. Third, it is the meaning of various sentences. The to flourish, graduating over 250 students in of them (see p. 7 about the Rocky Mountain English sentence “The Earth is warm- the last three years. To date, three of our recent Philosophy Conference). Carol Cleland, ing” means that the Earth is warming. graduates, Cory Aragon, Amandine Catala with Ben Hale’s assistance, organized the Fourth, it is not tied to any language in particular. There are sentences of and Pamela Lomelino, have been appointed Committee on the History and Philosophy Japanese and Swahili that mean that to tenure-track jobs. And we also have more of Science’s 28th conference. The theme the Earth is warming. Fifth, it appar- faculty successes on top of the ones I de- was “history and philosophy of climate ently does not depend on languages or minds for its existence. If there had scribed in previous newsletters: Adam Hosein science”, and the conference met along been no languages or minds—due, say, won a CHA Fellowship for Fall ’13 to work with a larger International Conference on to a difference in the way life on Earth had evolved—it still would have been on philosophical issues about immigration, Culture, Politics, and Climate Change that true or false that the Earth is warm- Alison Jaggar won a 2012 Gee Award (see was taking place at CU in mid-September. ing; thus, this thing—that the Earth The CHPS meeting was opened by our As- of Philosophy, Psychology and Computer is warming—would still have existed. sociate Dean, Mary Kraus, and was highly Science, along with the CHA and the Dean’s In my book I try to give an informative account of the nature of the things we attended and highly praised. CHPS is a very Fund for Excellence. Unlike the other two believe, including this thing, that the interdisciplinary effort: it’s directed by Carol meetings, this was a one-off, since the SPP Earth is warming. and supported by Philosophy, but also by the meets in different places in different years. David Boonin In addition to con- tinuing his work as Associate Dean departments of Anthropology, EEOB, Geol- But I’m sure we’ll see many other scholarly for Arts and Humanities, David ogy, History, Math, MCDB and Physics, as societies meeting here in the next few years. As made further progress on a book on well as by the College and CHA. So a broad well as bringing obvious intellectual benefits the non-identity problem and had the book accepted for publication constituency saw its money being well spent. to CU students and faculty, these events are by Oxford University Press. He also profile-raising for the Department. began work on a new project on the Finally, we noted with sadness the passing subject of posthumous harm, thus moving directly from our duties to in November 2012 of John Carnes, aged 88. future generations to our duties to past Professor Carnes joined our department in generations and continuing his recent record of indifference to anything he 1956 after spending the Second World War might owe to his contemporaries. In in the Air Force, and the years afterwards addition, he published an article cri- first in an unsuccessful project at Oak tiquing David Benatar’s anti-natalism in the South African Journal of Philoso- Ridge to create a phy and gave talks at Scripps College nuclear-powered and Pitzer College. aeroplane, then in Eric Chwang took a semester’s leave the Ph.D. program in fall 2011 to take care of his sick mother. In the summer of 2012 at Ann Arbor. He he attended a fruitful and relaxing was a member of bioethics workshop outside Geneva, Alastair Norcross Switzerland. In the meantime he has our department continued working to push papers until 1988, was into print. Since the last newsletter, Our annual Rocky Mountain Ethics the author of the his paper “Cluster Randomization (RoME) Conference was held in late sum- and Political Philosophy” has been book Axiomatics published in *Bioethics* (November mer. The main organizer, Alastair Norcross, and Dogmatics 2012). tells me that 200+ submissions from all over (OUP 1982), and John Carnes Carol Cleland In the spring of the world were winnowed down to 56 talks, served as Associate 2013, Dr. Cleland was awarded a two special sessions, and 30 poster presenta- BFA award for excellence in research. Dean for seventeen years. He spent a sab- Since January of 2012 she has pub- tions (and thanks to everyone involved in the batical in Edinburgh in 1975, where he and lished 3 major journal articles: “Life refereeing process!). Our own graduate Jason without Definitions” in Synthese, “Is his son Steve pursued the family geneal- a General Theory of Life Possible; Hanna, now of Northern Illinois, jointly won ogy and became enthusiasts for haggis and Seeking the nature of life in the con- the Young Ethicist Prize with Adrienne Mar- single malt (obviously, a family of taste and text of a single example” in Biological tin (Penn), and their papers, together with a Theory, and “Pluralism or Unity in discernment). In retirement, he lived in Biology: Do microbes hold the secret selection from the other talks, will appear in Longmont, pursued various cultural inter- to life?” in Biology and Philosophy. an issue of The Journal of Moral Philosophy. ests, and was active in the Boulder County In addition, she has 5 articles in press, Earlier in the summer, a meeting of the and is finishing a book (The Quest for Nature Association. ❒ a Universal Theory of Life; Searching Society for Philosophy and Psychology, or- for life as we don’t know it) under ganized by Rob Rupert, was held here. About contract with Cambridge Univer- 200 attendees heard sity Press. She also gave a number of invited talks to various scientific talks ranging from and philosophical conferences and the physical nature workshops. The most notable of these presentations were a presenta- of conscious experi- tion to a special session on prebiotic ence, to the factors chemistry of the 2012 annual meeting that affect moral of the American Chemical Society, a keynote talk in Switzerland on the judgments, to the methodology of the historical sci- role of intellectual ence to an international meeting of virtue in the acquisi- forensic scientists, and the Van Tuyl Lecture on geoscience to the School tion of knowledge. of Mines in Golden, Colorado. This was another Rob Rupert John Fisher discovered the editing very interdisciplin- side of research—enticing, rejecting, rewriting, cajoling—as he spent the ary event, and was supported by our Institute last year and a half shaping a philo- for Cognitive Science and the Departments sophical topic for a special issue of the
2 Philosophy Department Newsletter Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, Interview with co-edited with Jeanette Bicknell. The issue is titled “Song, songs and sing- Alison Jaggar ing,” and the aim was to introduce the neglected topic of songs to the philoso- phy of music. Fisher and Bicknell also Alison Jaggar is a founder of feminist philoso- wrote the introductory essay, “Making phy and one of the Department’s two College Room for Song.” The special issue will Distinguished Professors. Last year she won the appear in Feb. 2013 and will be simul- Elizabeth D. Gee Memorial Award for 2012 taneously published as a book, Song, Songs and Singing by Wiley-Blackwell. (see http://artsandsciences.colorado.edu/maga He also helped organize a session at the zine/2012/01/alison-jaggar-wins-gee-memorial- Pacific APA in April 2013 on “Words lectureship-award/). The award “recognizes and and Music.” In fall 2011 he delivered honors an outstanding faculty member of the comments at the American Society for Aesthetics annual meeting on a paper University of Colorado for efforts to advance applying Hume’s remarks on beauty women in academia, interdisciplinary scholarly to nature. He also developed a new ac- contributions and distinguished teaching.” I count of the distinction between high and low art in his chapter on “High Art interviewed her about her background and some versus Low Art” for the 3rd edition of of the work she’d done to merit the award. the Routledge Companion to Aesthetics (to appear April 2013). His paper “En- GF: You’ve been a philosopher for a long time. vironmental Aesthetics” was reprinted Tell us how you started. in the second edition of Reflecting on Nature (2012). He warmly thanks AJ: I grew up right after WWII in Dore, a Claudia Mills for generously allowing village just outside Sheffield, in Yorkshire, him to use her office while she is away England. When I grew up, life at church being Distinguished Visiting Professor Alison Jaggar at DePauw University. and school was saturated by the established Church of England religion. I think my inter- my university was closed and occupied by the Graeme Forbes survived another est in philosophy, like many peoples,’ came state police due to student anti-war rioting. third of his term as Chair, achiev- ing administrative triumphs whose from pondering big metaphysical questions During this time, I joined a group of graduate number makes them unlistable in this about freewill, predestination, etc, raised by students who ran alternative “free university” Newsletter. He also had two papers religion, as well as by various ethical teachings courses on (among other things) “women’s come out, one in Analysis and the other which I found troubling. My interest in epis- liberation.” When I got my first academic in Richard Schantz’s long awaited (at least by the contributors) Prospects for temology was certainly a reaction against the job in 1970 at Miami University of Ohio, Meaning. He gave three talks in the authoritarian style of teaching practised in my my “free university” experience inspired me year, one a Work-in-Progress talk in high school. Outside of school classes, I began to teach what I believe was the first feminist the department, the other two at the philosophy course in the United States. It University of Vienna and at the confer- reading Bertrand Russell. He introduced me ence “The Philosophy of Kit Fine” in to an exciting world of ideas which challenged was called “Philosophy of Women’s Rights.” Romania. He also assumed the mantle the orthodoxies of school, church and good of the philosophy editor-in-chief of GF: You came to CU in 1990? Can you tell us manners. Were the supposed proofs for the Linguistics and Philosophy, though he something about your recent work here? What existence of God valid? Did the external world will not be fully engaged in that until is “Fempov”? his term on the College Personnel exist? After devouring Russell’s Problems of Committee ends this May and he can Philosophy, I was inspired by his declaration AJ: It’s a transnational feminist research proj- start living again. that “The free intellect will see . . . without ect which aims to produce a better standard Ben Hale published several academic the trammels of customary beliefs and tradi- or metric for measuring poverty across the articles and non-academic essays this year, including one heavily cited tional prejudices . . . ” I wanted to be a “free world. (www.genderpovertymeasure.org). piece—“The Veil of Opulence”—in intellect,” and I thought philosophy was the The project received funding for three years the New York Times. At the begin- way to do that. from several sources, mainly the Australian ning of the year, he was invited by Research Council but also the University of the Royal Family of Qatar to speak GF: But your career really started in the USA, at the inauguration of the Center for Colorado at Boulder, the Philippine Health isn’t that so? Islamic Legislation and Ethics in Doha. Social Science Association, and some NGOs, He also spoke at the San Diego State AJ: After I graduated from the University of mainly The International Women’s Develop- University, Colgate University, the London, I trained as a secretary (the only alter- ment Agency, Oxfam Great Britain Southern University of Buffalo, and the ISEE Conference. Over the summer he was native to teaching for most women graduates Africa Office, and Oxfam America. elected vice president/president of the in the liberal arts at that time) and worked as GF: Why exactly do we need a metric for mea- International Society for Environ- a “top temp” in London. However, I was for- mental Ethics. He will serve a three suring poverty across the world? tunate to have the opportunity to earn an M. year term first as VP and then another three years as President of ISEE. In the Litt. at the University of Edinburgh. In 1967, AJ: Poverty measurement is used to allocate fall, acting as a co-PI, he was awarded a I came to graduate school in New York State scarce resources, evaluate policies, and advo- $400,000 NSF grant to create a series with my husband, David. The late 1960s were cate for political reforms. At the global level, of short video episodes on the norma- a turbulent period on US campuses. In 1969, accurate knowledge about poverty is crucial tive dimensions of climate change. “Spring” 2013 3 for making judgments about global justice. lack of money as the primary deficiency Apart from that, most of his work We have to learn how countries and their that impoverishes them; some indigenous recently has focused on ethical ques- tions associated with intervention ecol- citizens are faring relative to each other to see people regard themselves as poor if they ogy and environmental remediation. who is benefiting economically from various lack access to land or kin relationships. An In other areas, he again coordinated developments and who is paying the price. exclusive focus on income may also evidence Rocky Mountain Ethics Congress Accurate knowledge about poverty trends is with Alastair Norcross and continues gender bias: the lives of poor women may be as co-editor of the Routledge journal especially necessary for analyzing what’s now characterized not only by lack of money but Ethics, Policy & Environment. widely known as “the feminization of poverty” also by other deprivations or hardships that During 2012, Bob Hanna published and for figuring out what is true and what is 5 papers, 2 of which were re-prints, misleading in slogans, like “Poverty Wears they may feel even more keenly. For instance, with 5 more new papers forthcom- a Woman’s Face.” And in order to measure they may suffer from sexual vulnerability, ing, finished a co-authored book MS political marginalization, clothes that make and had it accepted for publication poverty on a global scale, we need a standard (*In Defense of Intuitions: A New that is sufficiently “universal” to permit com- them ashamed, and heavy burdens of work, Rationalist Manifesto*, co-authored parisons across countries as diverse as Iceland including domestic work. For girls, lack of with the four other members of The and India, yet also sensitive to the experience Intuitions in Philosophy Research sanitation is especially crucial: many girls Group, forthcoming from Palgrave of various demographic groups within and drop out of school when they begin men- Macmillan in 2013), finished another across those boundaries. struating. solo book MS (*Cognition, Content, & the A Priori: A Study in the Philoso- GF: So the Fempov team sits in a room some- phy of Mind & Knowledge*), did 11 invited talks in 4 different countries, where debating the content of these metrics? refereed 18 articles for journals, taught AJ: We want to challenge the assumption 2 courses, & otherwise had his idea of a so-called good time. that academics and professional experts are Chris Heathwood earned tenure in the only people who know what poverty 2012. He won a research fellowship at really. On the one hand, it can be disrespect- Princeton’s University Center for Hu- ful simply describing people as poor if we man Values, where he is in residence refuses to recognize the value of the wealth for the 2012-2013 academic year, working on a book on well-being. He that allegedly poor people regard themselves presented a paper on the nature of as possessing. On the other hand, it can be value facts to the Madison Metaeth- equally disrespectful to refuse to acknowledge ics Workshop and to the philosophy deprivations that people regard themselves as departments at Cambridge, Notting- GF: And current standards don’t do this? ham, and Edinburgh Universities. suffering, implying that they do not know He completed an encyclopedia entry AJ: There are many standards already out what is really important in their lives. When on hedonism about value as well as a there, but our team believes they all have impoverished people dispute standards that piece on subjective theories of well- flaws, including ethical and methodological they find alien, it is not uncommon for “ex- being for the Cambridge Companion shortcomings. The best known metric is the to Utilitarianism. His paper “Could perts,” including philosophers, to insult them Morality Have a Source?” appeared International Poverty Line (IPL) used by the further by asserting that they have adaptive in print. After repeated injuries from World Bank. One problem with this is that preferences, false consciousness, or are just running, he joined a cult (Bikram it sets the poverty line arbitrarily low. More Yoga), where he hopes he is less likely plain ignorant. In addition, ascriptions of to hurt himself. fundamentally, however, all income-based poverty are often used as a rationale for mis- threshold approaches are inevitably insensitive Adam Hosein In the fall of 2012, guided interventions touted as lifting out of Adam was on teaching leave and to individuals’ differing needs and differing poverty those designated as poor. My team visited at the Munk School of Global costs of procuring commodities and so always thinks it is wrong for interventions to occur in Affairs, University of Toronto, and bear more harshly on those whose needs and the Hoover Chair, UCL Louvain. During the year he presented in sev- costs are greater. For this reason, critics charge eral places. With Adam Cox (NYU that the whole monetary threshold approach Law) he presented on immigration at of the IPL is anti-poor in principle as well as the law and philosophy workshop the practice. University of Chicago Law School. He gave his paper, ““Where are In addition to selecting a threshold below you really from? Ethnic Selection which people are impoverished, all poverty in Liberal States,” at the Program metrics must select a “currency;” that is to on Values in Society, University of Washington, Seattle, ICREA Barce- say, they must decide which specific depri- lona, the University of Leuven, and vations make poor people poor. The “cur- UCL Louvain. He presented “De- rency” selections used in existing metrics mocracy, Paternalism, and Campaign Finance,” at the Society for Applied often evidence cultural bias. For instance, Philosophy, Oxford, and the Pacific the IPL selects money as the stuff that poor APA. And he gave “Contractualism, Politics, and Morality,” at the Bled people crucially lack, disregarding the fact Philosophy Conference, Bled, where that people in some societies do not regard he also discovered borovnica.
4 Philosophy Department Newsletter only of providing “data” but also of reflect- Michael Huemer completed a mas- ing on it critically. We plan to explain our terpiece of philosophy, The Problem of Political Authority (Palgrave Macmillan methodology and report our findings at a 2012; only $32 from Amazon!). This conference in Oslo in June 2013. book shows that there are no legitimate governments, that you don’t have to GF: Congratulations on all this. Readers who obey the law, and that the ideal society want more details should go to http://www. is an anarchist one. He wrote some genderpovertymeasure.org/. Looking at all the more papers defending Phenomenal Conservatism, and a paper in praise of hard work this particular project has involved, political passivity. He gave lectures at it’s not surprising to me that you’ve reached the UNC-Greensboro, UNC-Chapel Hill, rank of Distinguished Professor! UC San Diego, and a TEDx event in Denver (the last one is available on AJ: Well this is only one of my many philo- Youtube). contravention of people’s own perceptions of sophical interests but I have particularly en- Alison M. Jaggar In 2012, Alison gave talks at several international con- their needs. Moreover, in real world contexts, joyed this project because of the opportunity it gave me to be part of a multidisciplinary ferences (Austria, Canada, Norway) it is politically authoritarian to use metrics and at several universities. She contin- that were initially decided and continue to be team. It is exhilarating to feel that philosophy, ued her work as Research Coordinator and especially feminist philosophy, can con- at the Centre for the Study of Mind monitored by unelected and unaccountable in Nature at the University of Oslo. economic “experts” and academics whose tribute substantively to real world change. As for hard work, I did not do much of it early Alison is proud that Kacey Warren reasoning is often opaque. We think that successfully defended her dissertation developing poverty measures is an inherently in life but I did later, once I got to college and (Kacey is currently teaching in our evaluative exercise that should be a subject of fell in love with philosophy. However, I also department) and that David Meens consider myself to have been very fortunate successfully defended his Master’s thesis public reasoning with participation by those (David is now pursuing a Ph.D. in the identified as impoverished. and in many ways privileged. I was born to College of Education). Alison won the the right parents at the right time. I enjoyed For all these reasons, we undertook field- Elizabeth D. Gee Award for advancing good health—and good healthcare on the women in academia, interdisciplinary work designed to uncover what the poorest British National Health Service; as a child, I scholarly contributions and distin- guished teaching. She also won a “Best people in some very poor countries think received free milk, orange juice, cod-liver oil. poverty consists in. We had three sites in Should Teach” Boulder Gold Award. In the 1960s, my entire university education Dan Kaufman has been laying low each of six countries: Angola, Fiji, Indonesia, was paid for by the state and I graduated from and taking care of business. Malawi, Mozambique, and the Philippines. college with no debt, like all my generation in Matt Kopec His article entitled “We In each country, data were collected in a poor Britain. I also enjoyed good timing. The social Ought to Agree: A Consequence of urban community, a poor rural community upheavals of late 1960s gave me both moral Repairing Goldman’s Group Scoring Rule” was published in Episteme: A and a marginalized community, which is not inspiration and social permission to do my Journal of Individual and Social Epis- only poor but also disadvantaged by other “own” work, though even now I struggle with temology in June. He presented his factors, such as belonging to a minority or the feeling that it is “selfish.” As to whether I paper “Clines, Clusters, and Clades in have been successful? I would assess this not the Race Debate” at the Twenty-Third excluded religious or ethnic group. We used Biennial Meeting of the Philosophy simply in terms of winning prizes and awards. this qualitative data to develop a structured of Science Association in November. For me, success also means having scholarly He presented his paper “Race in questionnaire which asked participants to work on gender respected. It means having Population Genetics: Comments on assess whether various suggested indica- universities which regard programs on gender Hardimon and Maglo” at the Eastern tors should be viewed as aspects of poverty, Division meeting of the American studies as vital to their missions. And it means Philosophical Association in De- and to rank them in order of importance to having philosophy departments in which cember. He received grants from the them. In early 2012 fieldworkers returned work on gender is seen not as a “women’s aux- History of Science Society and the CU to the communities with this question- iliary” or boutique specialization but rather as Dean’s Fund for Excellence to cover the cost of travel to these conferences. naire. Their goal was to elicit information integral to most reputable scholarship done ❒ Kathrin Koslicki Highlights for in a more quantitative form, and to identify by men as well as women. 2012: Dr. Koslicki was mostly on more clearly the preferences and priorities teaching leave during 2012, but par- of participants over a range of deprivations. ticipated in the team-taught Prosemi- nar in Metaphysics and Epistemology. GF: So where is the project now? Whatever time may have been freed up by the lighter-than-normal teach- AJ: Using all this data, we developed a pilot ing load, though, was easily filled by metric, which is currently being tested in two a busy service schedule during the Spring of 2012, when she served as countries. We would have liked to test it in Chair of Graduate Admissions and all six countries but we ran out of funding. Chair of the newly created Climate Inviting lay participants to reconsider both Committee. For the academic year of 2012/13, she was awarded the Alvin their own earlier reports of their experience Plantinga fellowship at the University and the reports provided by others reflects our of Notre Dame’s Center for the Phi- conviction that poor people are capable not losophy of Religion and, in connection “Spring” 2013 5 with that, gave the gave the eleventh Graduate Student Accomplishments Alvin Plantinga Fellow Lecture in November 2012, sponsored by the 2011-2012 Center for Philosophy of Religion and entitled “The Death of Socrates”. She presented an early precursor of this lec- Major Fellowships workshop at NASSP on the basis of this paper ture at the East Boulder Senior Center and was awarded a cash prize for doing so). as a community outreach talk in their Chelsea Haramia, currently in her third year “History Behind the Headlines” in the Ph.D. won a Lowe Fellowship for James Hall presented a paper at the Inter- Lecture Series in the Spring of 2012. 2013-2014. mountain Philosophy Conference (She also won another fellowship at the National Humanities Center, but Noël Saenz currently holds a Templeton Fel- Annaleigh Curtis presented a paper at the unfortunately had to decline it, since it lowship at Notre Dame Intermountain Philosophy Conference was for the same project and the same time period as the Alvin Plantinga Spencer Case was awarded a Fulbright student Nicholas Byrd presented a paper at Towards fellowship.) In addition, she spoke at grant to study in Egypt, and a Kathryn Davis a Science of Consciousness Conference several workshops, conferences and Scholarship to study Arabic at Middlebury’s department colloquium series in her branch at Mill’s College. Nicholas Byrd presented a paper at the Inter- usual globe-trotting ways in Hong mountain Philosophy Conference Kong, Spain, Canada, New York and Publications (recent and forthcoming) Chicago. Meanwhile, she is continu- Spencer Case presented a paper at the Annual ing her work on a new book manu- Chelsea Haramia, “Our Responsibility to the Bled Conference on Philosophy script on ontological dependence, Non-Existent,” forthcoming in Southwest substancehood and fundamentality Philosophy Review (this paper also won the Michael Sechman presented a paper at the and have several articles coming out in President’s Prize for the best paper from a meeting of the North Carolina Society for print in edited volumes in connection graduate student or recent PhD student at Philosophy with this project. the Southwest Philosophical Society’s con- Beth Johnson presented a paper at the an- Mitzi Lee Dr. Lee took her sabbati- ference.) nual meeting of the Society for Christian cal in Spring 2012 and won a Center Philosophers for the Humanities and the Arts Andrew Chapman, In Defense of Intuition, faculty fellowship for Fall 2012. She forthcoming book, co-authored with Robert Joey Stenberg presented a paper at the an- is writing a book Justice in Aristotle’s Hanna, Henry Pickford, and Tyler Hildeb- nual meeting of the Society for Christian Moral and Political Philosophy, was rand (forthcoming with Palgrave Macmillan) Philosophers offered a courtesy appointment in Classics, and presented a paper “Greed Beth Johnson, “Animals, Phenomenal Con- Joey Stenberg presented a paper at the To- and Justice in Aristotle’s ethics” at sciousness and Higher-Order Theories of ronto Colloquium in Medieval Philosophy University of Utah, and Colorado Mind,” no. 2 (2011): 1-22. College in November 2012. Philo 14, Tyler Huismann presented a paper at the an- Ryan Jenkins, “Is Stuxnet Physical? Does it nual Philosophy in the Abrahamic Tradition Claudia Mills is spending a second year on leave from CU as the Robert matter?” (forthcoming) in Journal of Military conference and Carolyn Frederick Distinguished Ethics Our graduate students also gave invited Visiting Professor of Ethics at the Ryan Jenkins, “Good Old Bender” (forthcom- Prindle Institute for Ethics at DePauw commentaries at the American Philosophi- University in Greencastle, Indiana. ing) in Futurama and Philosophy cal Association, Society for Philosophy and She organized a groundbreaking Joey Stenberg, Book Review in Notre Dame Psychology, and the Society for Christian symposium in September 2012 on Philosophical Reviews with Robert Pasnau: Philosophers. Ethics and Children’s Literature and is working on an edited volume of Grand Theories and Everyday Beliefs by Wal- Invited colloquium talks essays presented at the conference. In lace Matson June she will assume the presidency Chelsea Haramia, University of Wyoming, of the thousand-member scholarly Conferences “The Axiology of Reacting,” University of Children’s Literature Association. Beth Johnson presented a paper as part of a Wyoming Bradley Monton won an Excellence symposium at the annual meeting of the Pa- Ryan Jenkins, “Is Stuxnet Physical? Does It in Philosophy of Religion prize for his cific Division of the American Philosophical Matter?” United States Air Force Academy paper “Prolegomena to Any Future Association Physics-Based Metaphysics”, which Beth Johnson presented two papers at the was published in Oxford Studies in Joey Stenberg presented a paper at the an- Center for Philosophy of Religion, the Uni- Philosophy of Religion. For the 2012- nual meeting of the Central Division of the versity of Notre Dame 13 academic year, he is on sabbatical American Philosophical Association at Victoria University of Wellington, RMPC in New Zealand. While there he is Chad Vance presented a paper at the 2012 teaching a bit, and writing a book, The meeting of the Society for Exact Philosophy. The graduate students hosted and organized Flow of Time, defending the (arguably the 14th annual Rocky Mountain Philosophy common-sensical) view that there Jay Geyer presented a paper at the 2012 meet- Conference on April 20-21, 2012, a graduate is a fundamental dynamical aspect ing of the Society for Exact Philosophy. philosophy conference attracting submissions to reality; time objectively passes (a Annaleigh Curtis presented a paper at the from students from across the U.S. The key- view that most philosophers of time and physicists reject). He has recently 2012 meeting of the North American So- note speakers were Jerry Fodor (Rutgers), Kit given talks at University of Sydney, ciety for Social Philosophy (Curtis was also Fine (NYU), and Russ Schafer-Landau (Wis- University of Auckland, Monash invited to participate in a graduate publication consin). Eight graduate students presented University, and Victoria University.
6 Philosophy Department Newsletter papers, and CU students did the commentary. in Moorhead, Minnesota. His position is in Wes Morriston took one more jab Andrew Chapman, Annaleigh Curtis and social/political philosophy. at the kalam cosmological argument. His response to Craig’s response to his Kelly Vincent were the co-organizers. Amandine Catala has accepted a tenure- earlier “Endless Future, Beginningless Graduates track position at the University of Quebec at Past, and the Actual Infinite” has now Montreal. Her position is in social/political appeared in Faith and Philosophy. A Corwin Aragon successfully defended his new paper, “Skeptical Demonism: PhD dissertation on January 9, 2013. His philosophy and ethics, with an emphasis on A Failed Response to a Humean dissertation, entitled Situating Responsibility feminism. Challenge,” has been accepted for for Injustice, was completed under Alison Jag- publication in an OUP volume on Tyler Hildebrand has accepted a one-year skeptical theism. Three other papers, gar, with committee members Claudia Mills, position at the University of Washington for “Is faith in the Ultimate rationally Alastair Norcross, Adam Hosein and Steven the 2012–2013 academic year. required?”, “Doubts about the Kalam Vanderheiden (Political Science). Cosmological Argument”, and “The Christian Lee has accepted a temporary posi- Problem of Apparently Abhorrent Kristin Demetriou successfully defended her tion as Assistant Professor in the School of Divine Commands” are in press (the PhD dissertation on Thursday, January 5, Humanities at the University of Western first inReligious Studies, the second in 2012. Her dissertation, entitled “Free Will Australia. an Oxford University Press volume, Fundamentals: Agency, Determinism, and Debating Christian Theism, and the Pamela Lomelino has accepted an assistant (In)compatibility,” was completed under third in the Blackwell Companion to professor position at Loyola University in the Problem of Evil). Robert Hanna, with committee members Chicago. The position begins in the Fall of Graeme Forbes, Michael Huemer, Robert Graham Oddie continued his research 2013 and has an emphasis on research. and publishing in the metaphysics of Rupert, and Ben Hale (ENVS). value, and the prospects for a theory Brian Talbot has accepted an instructor posi- Jason Hyde successfully defended his PhD of truthmakers. He gave three invited tion at Washington University in St. Louis. dissertation on November 9, 2011. His dis- presentations; at the annual confer- The position begins in the Spring of 2014. ence of the Canadian Philosophical sertation, entitled Caring Satisfactionism: A Association, on the nature of the New Theory of Personal Welfare, was com- Jason Wyckoff accepted a one-year position fitting attitude analysis of value; at a pleted under Chris Heathwood, with commit- as an Associate Instructor at the University conference in Geneva, on the nature tee members Ben Hale (ENVS), Bob Hanna, of Utah. of desire; and at the annual SPAWN conference in Syracuse, on normative Alastair Norcross, and Michael Tooley. Placements realism. He also took up the appoint- ment of Interim Director of the Hu- Christian Lee successfully defended his PhD Addison Ellis (MA 2012) was accepted to dissertation on Monday, August 20th, 2012. manities Program for the 2012-2013 a PhD program at University of Illinois at academic year. His dissertation, entitled “Adding Goods,” Urbana–Champaign. was completed under Michael Tooley, with Bob Pasnau continues to be hard at committee members Michael Huemer, Spencer Case (MA 2012) was accepted to work studying Arabic and Islamic phi- the Ph.D. program in Philosophy, U. of losophy. On the side, he has begun to Alastair Norcross, Graham Oddie, and John work on what he hopes will be a best- Gibert (Classics). Colorado, Boulder. selling popular account of the history Ian Tully (MA 2012) was accepted to the of philosophy. On still another side, David Meens successfully defended his he was named director of the Center Master’s thesis on Friday, August 24, 2012. Ph.D. program in Philosophy, Washington for Western Civilization here at CU/ It was completed under Alison Jaggar, with U. of St. Louis. Boulder, and has been hard at work committee members Michael Zimmerman David Meens (MA 2012) was accepted to the promoting its activities. and Kenneth Howe (Education). Ph.D. program in the College of Education, Rob Rupert In the spring of 2012, U. of Colorado, Boulder. ❒ Dr. Rupert was on sabbatical. During Kacey Warren successfully defended her PhD that period, he held a visiting fellow- dissertation on Friday, April 20, 2012. Her ship in Philosophy at the Australian dissertation, entitled Recognizing Justice for National University, was a visiting Citizens with Cognitive Disabilities, was academic in Cognitive Science at completed under Alison Jaggar, with com- Macquarie University, and gave nu- merous talks in both the northern and mittee members Alastair Norcross, Michael southern hemispheres. Most of these Zimmerman, Celeste Montoya-Kirk (Women talks presented material currently be- & Gender Studies), and Eva Kittay (SUNY ing developed for a book on what he Stony Brook). calls the “massively representational mind.” In the fall of 2012, Rob took Michael Zerella successfully defended his PhD over as the Department of Philoso- dissertation on December 1, 2011. His dis- phy’s Director of Graduate Studies sertation, entitled Biological Mechanisms and and as the chair of the College of Arts Evolution, was completed under Carol Cle- and Sciences’ Curriculum Committee. land, with committee members Bob Hanna, Michael Tooley Dr. Tooley gave John Jackson (Communications), Bradley the Keynote Address at the 2011 Illinois Philosophical Association Monton and Rob Rupert. Meeting in DeKalb, Illinois on No- News about Past Graduates vember 19, 2011. He attended a conference on the topic of “The Cory Aragon has accepted a tenure-track posi- Objective Reality of Causality” that tion at Concordia College, a private university took place the University of Konstanz,
“Spring” 2013 7 in Konstanz, Germany, on May 17 Prizes and Awards and 18, 2012, where he read a paper entitled “Causation and Probability”. His publications in 2011-12 were as Faculty Graduate Students follows: “Hume and the Problem of Evil,” in Philosophy of Religion: The Key Carol Cleland has won a 2012-2013 Boulder Ashley Taylor and Jonathan Spelman won a Thinkers, edited by Jeffrey J. Jordan, Faculty Assembly Excellence Award for Excel- grant from the President’s Fund for the Hu- London and New York, Continuum, 2011, 159-86. “Naturalism, Science, lence in Research, Scholarly, and Creative manities to host the 2013 Society of Christian and Religion,” in The Nature of Na- Work. Philosophers Mountain-Pacific Region Con- ture, edited by Bruce L. Gordon and ference, March 8-9, 2013 in the University William A. Dembski, Wilmington, Dominic Bailey has been awarded a Loeb Memorial Center. Keynotes speakers were Delaware, ISI Books, 2011, 880-99. Classical Library Foundation Fellowship. His “Are Nonhuman Animals Persons?” Lara Buchak (UC, Berkeley), Trent Dough- 25,000 word paper “The Structure of Stoic in The Oxford Handbook of Animal erty (Baylor University), and Jeffrey Jordan Ethics, edited by Tom L. Beauchamp Metaphysics” will appear in Oxford Studies (University of Delaware). and R. G. Frey, Oxford, Oxford Uni- in Ancient Philosophy later this year. versity Press, 2011, 332-70. “Against Jentzsch Prize Presentism: Two Very Different Adam Hosein has received the 2013-14 AY Types of Objection,” in Future of the CHA Faculty Fellowship award. Noël Saenz (PhD student) is the winner of Philosophy of Times, edited by Adrian Barton, New York, Routledge, 2012, Mike Huemer is the first winner of the this year’s Jentzsch Prize for his paper, “A 25-40. “Inductive Logic and the E. Maynard Adams Prize. He will be traveling Non-Revisionary Solution to the Grounding Probability that God Exists: Farewell Problem.” The prize includes a cash award to Skeptical Theism,” in Probability to the University of North Carolina at Chapel in the Philosophy of Religion, edited Hill in two weeks for the award ceremony. and an invitation to present his paper in next by Jake Chandler and Victoria S. year’s Colloquium Talks series. Harrison, Oxford, Oxford University Alison Jaggar won the Elizabeth D. Gee Me- Press, 2012, 144-64. morial Award for 2012. Lowe Dissertation Fellowship Ajume Wingo published a number Mitzi Lee has won a Center for Humani- Chelsea Haramia has been awarded the 2013- of papers in the past year, including: ties and the Arts (CHA) Fellowship for the 14 Florence Husted Lowe and F. Rex Lowe “Governance, Development and 2012–2013 academic year to facilitate her Student Support Fund Dissertation Fellow- Transformation in Africa: Research, Learning, and Policy Priorities,” research on Aristotle’s theory of justice. ❒ ship. ❒ Workshop, Brown University’s Wat- son Institute for International Studies, Oct. 16, 2012; “Virtue (Moral and Epistemic): Can we be Taught to Act Philosophy Graduation, 2012 and Believe Wisely?” Conference, Stanford University, School of Educa- tion, Oct. 12-13, 2012; “Elections by The spring graduation ceremony was held on Friday, May 11, 2012. The department honored Contract in African Communities,” six students receiving Doctorates, thirteen receiving Masters of Arts, and sixty-three receiving London School of Economics (LSE), Bachelor of Arts degrees. The department acknowledged eleven BA students who graduated at a conference entitled “Domesticat- with honors and seven who graduated with distinction. Department Chair Graeme Forbes ing Global Justice: Africa Perspec- tive,” July 6-7, 2012. “Elections by presided over the ceremony. Daniel Sturgis awarded the Undergraduate Degrees, Alison Jag- Contract,” African Studies Program gar awarded the Graduate Degrees. The departmental award for outstanding graduate student 50th Anniversary and Reunion, Uni- paper (the Jentzsch Prize) went to Noël Saenz. versity of Wisconsin, Madison, April The graduation address was given by Richard Lamm, Co-Director of the Institute for Public 21, 2012. “Elections by Contract: A Covenant of Individual Freedom and Policy Studies at the University of Denver, and the former three-term Governor of Colorado Legitimacy,” THINK! Lecture, Uni- (1975–1987). He is both a lawyer (Berkeley, 1961) and a Certified Public Accountant. He versity of Colorado, Boulder, April joined the faculty of the University of Denver in 1969 and has, except for his years as Governor, 2012. “The Perils of Leadercentrism been associated with the University ever since. in African States,” ‑presented at the Conference on Cooperative Engage- Lamm was selected as one of Time Magazine’s “200 Young Leaders of America” in 1974, ment for Partnership Capacity: Africa and won the Christian Science Monitor “Peace 2020” essay in 1985. In 1992, he was hon- as a Model for Whole of Government, ored by the Denver Post and Historic Denver, Inc. as one of the “Colorado 100”—people Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) Monterey, January 2012, the Empire who made significant contributions to Colorado and made lasting impressions on the state’s and Economics Conference, Univer- history. He was Chairman of the Pew Health Professions Commission and a public member sity of Johannesburg, Jan. 5-6, 2012, of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. the Africa Institute of South Africa, Lamm has always been in the forefront of political change. As a first year legislator, he drafted Pretoria, South Africa, January 2012, and the Institute for Security Studies, and succeeded in passing the nation’s first liberalized abortion law. He was an early leader of Pretoria, South Africa, January 2012. the environmental movement, and was President of the First National Conference on Popula- He also attended the Africa Command tion and The Environment. Reacting to the high cost of campaigning, he walked the state in Academic Symposium: A Partnership his campaign for Governor of Colorado. Lamm was elected to three terms as Colorado’s top of the U.S. Africa Command and Africa Center for Strategic Studies, elected official, and in serving as Governor from January 1975 and retiring in January 1987, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, July 9-12, he was the longest-serving Governor in Colorado’s history to that date. ❒ 2012. ❒
8 Philosophy Department Newsletter Philosophy Department Graduates
Honors Graduates (with a Major or Minor in Philosophy)
Davis Backer, magna cum laude Matthew Cucchiaro*, summa cum laude Leonardo Labriola*, summa cum laude Errol Ball, cum laude Alex Hansen, summa cum laude Jason Lambden*, summa cum laude Tim Burkhardt*, summa cum laude Matthew Holmes, magna cum laude Mariana Rodriguez Santiago, cum laude Jason Cleland*, summa cum laude Matthew Hoops*, summa cum laude
Bachelor of Arts
William Almon Catherine Cumming Jacqueline Lim Rachel Archibold Jeffrey Drakos Colin McCall Tarah Bailey Michael Ferguson Charlotte Morgan Clark Becker* Neillie Fields Keelan Mulligan Andrew Bedick Jackson Gardner Kyle Rindahl Jack Beeken Marcus Goodgaine Tyler Schloesser Christopher Benjamin Kelsey Gross Danielle Scimeca Jessica Blechschmidt Patrick Hunter Harrison Nicholas Smiley–Kallas Sarah Budisavljevic Julian Hirschbaum Benjamin Spady Natalie Byrnes Alexandra Janes–Paulsen Cullen Steele Niklas Cederstrom Jennifer Jeung Karissa Steiner Kenneth Choi Matthew Johnson Korey Streich Melissa Cisewski Yelin Lee Stacia Telsey Colin Clark Tyler Lehman David Tracey Alexis Corindia Alec Leslie Joshua Volkman
Master of Arts
Spencer Case Todd Grassman Christian Nelsen Michael Cousineau Jason Hanschmann Ian Tully Annaleigh Curtis Keith Keydel Kelly Vincent Jonathan Dang David Meens Addison Ellis Robert Moore
Doctorate of Philosophy
Corwin Aragon Tyler Hildebrand Kacey Warren Kristin Demetriou Jason Hyde Michael Zerella
*With Distinction
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