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Philosophile DEPARTMENT OF PHILOSOPHY March 2010 UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA Philosophile Letter from the Chair A warm welcome to all readers of this, the first issue of Philosophile, the Department of Philosophy Newsletter. I thank Robert Burch for agreeing to serve as its first editor, and to Jessica Moore for her tireless design and production work. We plan to make Philosophile an annual event that allows you to keep in touch with developments in our department. Inside this issue Another annual event that we hope keeps you in touch with the Rob Wilson .................................. 2 department is our new Annual Public Lecture in Philosophy. The Jenny Welchman ......................... 2 inaugural lecture will be given by Adam Morton on April 8 at 3:30 and is entitled “Anguish, Despair, Acceptance”. Everyone is welcome to both it and the reception which Pilkington Memorial Scholarship 3 follows. Details can be found below. Anna Kessler ............................... 3 The last few years have seen dramatic changes to the make‐up of the department. W. P4CA ........................................... 4 David Sharp, former department Chair, retired in 2007 after 36 years at the University of Recent Graduates ....................... 4 Alberta. A retirement party was held at the home of Glenn Griener, full of speeches, Newer Faculty ............................. 5 reminiscences, and gifts. Allen Carlson decided to retire in June 2008 after 39 years on Graduate Awards ........................ 7 staff, but opted to take a 2 year half‐time post‐retirement arrangement that has kept him Thank–you to our Donors! .......... 7 busy teaching and helping out around the department. Continued on page 3 Killam Postdoctoral Fellowship ... 7 Public Lecture: Adam Morton We are pleased to announce the first Annual Public Lecture in Philosophy. This inaugural lecture, entitled “Anguish, Despair, Acceptance,” will be given by Adam Morton, on April 8, 3:30 pm. It will be held in the Biological Sciences Building, Microbi‐ ology Wing M‐145, on Saskatchewan Drive. The lecture is free and open to the public, with a reception to follow. We hope to see you there! This lecture is made possible through the sponsorship of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts. Research Profile: Rob Wilson Rob's work ranges across the philosophy of mind, cognitive science, philosophy of biology, the history of modern philosophy, and disability studies. Since his move to Alberta in 2000, his research has focused on the “individual in the frag‐ ile sciences” project, which so far has produced Boundaries of the Mind (Cambridge University Press, 2004) and Genes and the Agents of Life (Cambridge University Press, 2005). His major individual research project for the next few years is to complete a third book in this series that is focused on kinship and sociality in the social sciences. Rob has also initiated several large‐scale, commu‐ nity‐oriented research projects associated with the What Sorts Network (www.whatsorts.net), whose work is focused on understanding the nature of human diversity and variation, our ability to influence this variation, and what this means for social policy and communal living. Rob is the principal investiga‐ tor for the recently CURA‐funded, 5‐year project Living Archives on Eugenics in Western Canada, leading a team of 24 researchers and community activists. Rob also directs Philosophy for Children Alberta (www.ualberta.ca/~phil4c), promoting the teaching of critical thinking skills through philosophical dialogue in Alberta schools. Further details can be found at his website (www.arts.ualberta.ca/robwilson). Rob is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. Research Profile: Jenny Welchman Jennifer’s interests are in ethical theory, the history of ethics in the empiricist tradi‐ tion, and environmental ethics. As an historian, Jennifer is perhaps best known for her work in pragmatic moral theory, including her book, Dewey’s Ethical Thought, as a major text in the field. She has also edited a collection on virtue ethics, The Practice of Virtue, which provides readings from five classical thinkers together with new essays from contemporary thinkers on applied topics in virtue ethics. Jennifer's current research is in the area of environmental stewardship. Although in the public sphere stewardship has become an accepted way of conceptualizing morally decent conduct towards the environment, critics claim that this approach is morally problematic. Some argue that it is inherently sexist, speciesist, or anthro‐ pocentric. Others argue that stewardship of nature is a wholly impractical role to try to adopt because we cannot ‘manage’ nature and/or be held accountable by future generations if we fail to do so. Jennifer believes these criticisms are sur‐ mountable. Despite its origins in morally questionable social systems, environ‐ mental stewardship, like 'democracy' (another concept with equally questionable historical associations) has undergone important modifications of meaning in re‐ cent decades. Drawing upon contemporary environmental advocacy and public policy literature, Jennifer aims to present and defend a conception of environmental stewardship that is not vulnerable to such objections. 2 Karen Pilkington In the days before her death, with a grace and integrity and self‐ possession that would humble a Stoic, Karen helped us to think about how we might honor her memory. Please consider supporting the Karen Pilkington Memorial Scholarship in the History of Philosophy, which supports a bi‐annual undergraduate prize. Karen Pilkington was a much‐loved teacher and colleague in the Depart‐ Karen also recorded an interview, ment, serving as a sessional instructor from her hospital bed, about how she from 1996‐1999. She was a gifted came to philosophy, what she loved teacher, with a verve and passion for about it, and the advice she’d have philosophy that could not help inspir‐ for those new to the discipline. You ing those around her. She died of can listen to this interview at: leukemia in 2000, and we felt and feel www.arts.ualberta.ca/~whyphil her loss deeply. Anna Kessler Letter from the Chair Anna Kessler was working towards Continued from page 1 her PhD in Philosophy when she Wesley Cooper likewise decided to retire in June 2009 after 38 years, and also opted for passed away suddenly in March the 2 year half‐time post‐retirement arrangement. We’ll be holding retirement parties for each and urge all of you to send greetings and any reminiscences you have to Anita 2005. Her research interests included Theroux ([email protected]), our department administrator. Kant, Kierkegaard, and Ethics, which Meanwhile, new regular staff members continue to join the department and keep it helped inform her brilliant reviews of interesting: Philip Corkum in 2005, Marie‐Eve Morin in 2007, Katalin Bimbó, Ingo recording artists, such as Nick Cave, Brigandt, and Geoffrey Rockwell in 2008, and Chloë Taylor, Neil Dalal, and Howard Nye in See Magazine. Anna's paper, in 2009. Details about them and their research can be found in Newer Faculty on page 5. "Faith, Doubt, and the Imagination: We also welcome back F. Jeffry Pelletier who will be well known to many of you. Jeff retired after 32 years at the U of A in 2003 to take up a Tier I Canada Research Chair in Nick Cave and the Divine‐Human Linguistics and Philosophy at Simon Fraser, but returned to Alberta in 2009 as a long Encounter" appeared in Call Me the term Visiting Professor. Seeker: Listening to Religion in Popu‐ Department members continue to receive honours and awards for their teaching and lar Music, edited by Michael J. Gil‐ research. Of particular note is the recent election of Robert Wilson and Jeff Pelletier as mour (New York: Continuum). Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada, one of the greatest honours that an academic can receive in Canada. Congratulations are in order to them as they join Adam Morton in On July 21, 2006 a dedicatory tree that august body. was planted and a bench installed in We hope that you enjoy reading more below about our students and colleagues and Anna’s memory on the south lawn of their activities and achievements. We intend this newsletter for you; please stay in touch the Humanities Centre. Anna’s PhD and share your news with us. And please visit our web page: www.uofaweb.ualberta.ca/philosophy degree was granted posthumously at the November 2005 Convocation. 3 Philosophy for Children Philosophy for Children Alberta (P4CA) was attending a day‐camp that appeared to be formed in May 2008 in the Department of even remotely based on reading, a pro‐ Philosophy by Professor Rob Wilson and gram was developed that used activities 13 graduate students with the aim of facili‐ and games to promote philosophical in‐ tating the introduction of philosophical quiry. The results of the one‐week trial dialogue and active learning strategies as a were so encouraging that the Edmonton basis for developing critical thinking skills Community Foundation initiated a part‐ in students and building communities of nership and has already donated $3000 inquiry in Alberta classrooms. Montclair towards covering the registration costs of State University’s novel‐based Philosophy youth who would not otherwise be able to Recent Graduates for Children Program—a complete meth‐ benefit from the educational experience Jenny Woo (MA) odology and set of instructional materials offered by EUREKAMP! for teaching philosophy in schools—has “Understanding National The introduction of a P4C variant Authenticity” sup. Donald proven effective in achieving these goals in Ipperciel many other jurisdictions, and so has been of Philosophy 101. This class exposes our initial focus. P4CA has begun achiev‐ participants and teaching assistants to Edwin Etiyibo (PhD) “David collaborative methods of critical inquiry by Gauthier’s Moral Contrac‐ ing its mission in four important ways: making these tarianism and the Problem The uptake of of Seccession” sup. Wes approaches the Cooper the Philosophy primary method of instruction Shaheen Islam (PhD) “Stuff, for Children within the class.
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