UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO DEPARTMENT OF PHILOSO PHY

FALL 2014

IAN HACKI NG WSEI E NPAGS E 3BALZAN PRIZ E! PRACT ICAL ETH ICS – SHEL LY KAG AN ON SPECIESISM By Ellen Roseman Shelly Kagan, the Clark Professor of Philosophy at , drew a capacity crowd to the Roseman Lecture in Practical last fall. He is an engaging, funny and whip- smart speaker. And he chose an intriguing topic, one that is not usually explored in mainstream philosophy courses. The title: What’s wrong with speciesism? In a bestselling 1975 book, Animal Liberation , Australian philosopher claimed that most of us Shelly Kagan with Ellen Roseman are “speciesists” in our attitude toward, and treatment of, animals. Singer, now a professor than persuasive. “People have rights. Animals don’t,” he tells Speciesism is supposed to be a kind at , created me after the lecture. “There’s a of morally unjustified prejudice, akin a splash when he called for an huge crowd of people working to racism or sexism, Kagan said in animal rights movement. Kagan on this issue. I thought a lot of his notes for the lecture. “Although read the book while in graduate the arguments were weak.” I found that charge compelling for school. He became a vegetarian. years, I now find that I have my But in a second reading of the Kagan thinks the crucial concept doubts,” he explained. “It now seems book in 2011, while preparing is to define the meaning of a to me that most people are not actu - to give an seminar “person.” Going back to British ally speciesists at all, but something to Yale students, Kagan found philosopher John Locke’s work rather different.” some of Singer’s arguments less ...continued on Page 2

We wish to thank the generous donors to the Department of Philosophy, without whom Philosophy News would not be possible. Please see the back page for details on how you can support the Department in endeavours like this one. Kagan, 59, was born in Skokie, Shelly Kagan . He received his B.A. on Speciesism from in continued from Page 1 Connecticut (where he met his wife) and his Ph.D. from in the 17th century, he defines a Princeton in 1982. Before moving person as a creature that is self- to Yale in 1995, he taught at the conscious, rational, intelligent and with able to communicate. An animal is David Gauthier, former chairman not a person, he argues. Only of the University of Toronto’s homo sapiens fits that category.His philosophy department from 1974 one-hour talk went by in a flash. to 1979. Gauthier, now professor He talked quickly and rarely emeritus and living in Toronto, checked his notes. came to the lecture on speciecism and asked a question at the end. He answered questions with ease. He looked comfortable, showing a Kagan has written four books. level of informality not always The Geometry of Desert (Oxford Highly recommended for philoso - University Press, 2012) looks at found in academia. He wore faded phers and non-philosophers alike.” jeans, a flannel shirt and sneakers. the idea of giving people what they Kagan’s teaching style is very morally deserve. He took 20 years His hair and beard could have used visual, another reviewer said. a trim. And he sat cross-legged at to complete the work, but it seems He explains just about everything to have paid off. “An extraordinary the front of the Jackman with examples – and thought- Humanities Building’s lecture hall. accomplishment,” said Larry provoking examples at that. Temkin of Rutgers University. While other lecturers stand or While making a name for himself “It is the most comprehensive and walk from side to side, Kagan likes in North America talking about thoughtful discussion of the topic to sit on a table or shelf. He’s very death, he also became famous in of desert in the literature.” animated, crossing and recrossing China. “The Chinese were not his legs, gesticulating with his It’s easy to see that Kagan loves exposed to any philosophy outside teaching. He can’t imagine a arms and turning his head from of Marxism,” he says. Students side to side. better job.“I feel like I’m on a paid liked the way he sat on the vacation,” he says. “I have a reputa - Don’t take my word for it. podium with his legs crossed, tion of being a hard grader, but You can see him on YouTube, said a Yale News article in 2010. I do it out of respect for students. where he appears in many tele - “His image, resembling that of an I take a paper apart and put it vised lectures, interviews and ‘immortal’ in Chinese mythology, together again, explaining what I debates. Start by watching him has made him a star closely liked and didn’t like. It’s not introduce his Open Yale Courses followed by the youth in China,” unusual for my comments to be Series on death, which has the article said, quoting China longer than the paper itself.” received about 325,000 views National Radio. since 2008. He oozes self-confidence. “My ego “Ever since Kagan’s philosophy is very secure,” he tells me. “I’m He adapted the lectures into a class Death appeared on the not a humble person.” This can be Death paperback book called (Yale Internet, many young people in off-putting to some, but he’s also University Press, 2012), also China scramble for the lectures known as a crowd-pleaser and an available as a Kindle and given by this unconventional pro - unforgettable character. His online Kobo e-book. fessor who could have been lectures have touched thousands of In an online review, one person considered ‘out of line,’ according people and introduced them to a said: “I’ve never had so much fun to the traditional Chinese standard more rigorous way of thinking thinking about my own death! of teaching style and manner.” about life, death and .

2 University of Toronto Ian Hacking wins 20 14 Balzan Prize Ian Hacking has been awarded the 2014 Balzan Prize. The Balzan Prizes are awarded in two scientific areas and two areas in the social sciences and humani - ties each year, rotating through different subjects. This year's theme was Epistemology and the Philosophy of Mind. Hacking’s contributions to these areas come from his groundbreaking work on questions about the nature of concepts and the ways in which we reason with them. In a recent article, Hacking characterizes his project in the following terms: “How did a species like ours, on an Earth like this, develop a few quite general strate - gies for finding out about, and altering, its world?” In the Prize Citation, the Committee drew attention to Hacking’s “fundamental and pioneering contribu - tions to philosophy and the history of social and natural sciences, for the thematic breadth of his research, for his original epistemological perspective centred on a version of scientific realism and defined in contrast with the dominant paradigm in the philos - ophy of science of the twentieth century.” Only three other philosophers have been awarded Balzan Prizes in the past 54 years: Emanuel Levinas, and Ronald Dworkin. The Prize is valued at 750,000 Swiss francs (nearly $900,000). to the Department's bright future in both Epistemology and in the Philosophy of Mind. In 2001, the Balzan Foundation introduced a require - ment that “Prizewinners must destine half of the prize Franz Huber (St. George), Jennifer Nagel (UTM), to finance research projects that are preferably carried and Jonathan Weisberg (UTM) are all rising stars out by young scholars or scientists.” in the field of Epistemology; Imogen Dickie (St. George), Benj Hellie (UTSC), Mohan Matthen Ian and several of his colleagues, including former (UTM), Diana Raffman (UTM), Bill Seager provost Cheryl Misak, are developing a project (UTSC), and Sonia Sedivy (UTSC) have made spanning four or five years that will continue and the department a major center for the Philosophy of celebrate his work on ‘styles of reasoning’. Mind. In addition, the St. George department will be While celebrating Ian's past and ongoing achievements, making a junior appointment in the Philosophy of the prize also provides us with an opportunity to look Mind this year. Notes Coordinator for the St. George so little needed to be done. from the Philosophy Department, I can look At a time when the humanities seem back with almost euphoric relief to be under attack everywhere, and St. George maniacal laughter an Edvard Munch scream – no no, it was fine really. students are under more pressure than ever to choose drearily preprofessional Undergraduate If anything, I can look back with a training over an education, we some - Department certain quiet satisfaction, bordering how seem to be in very health. on pride. Not pride in what I did, U of T students still love to learn, and Having at the end of June completed since I did very little; pride in our stu - our students appreciate the of my three-year stint as Undergraduate dents and in my colleagues, for whom ...continued on Page 5

Department of Philosophy News 3 From the Previous Chair Arthur Ripstein

t has been a privilege serving you and working with all of you over the past three years. When I was appointed I worried that colleagues mIight think of bringing in someone whose primary appointment was at the faculty of law as some unwelcome form of academic receivership. I was delighted to be welcomed, and to get Arthur surfs away to know everyone in the department much better than I had. Peter King has completed his term as and Margaret Opoku-Pare constantly Placement officer, and Mark Kingwell amazed me with their astonishing When I took office, the department has taken over. combination of intelligence, profession - was extremely strong. Thanks to alism, patience, and good humor. everyone’s efforts, we have consolidat - I am grateful to all of them, and to ed and built on those strengths. everyone in the department, who I’ve remarked before that philosophy I am particularly pleased with the out - helped in so many ways to make the is unusual because it is a discipline in standing hires the tri-campus department flourish during my years which there is basically no closure. department has made over the past as Chair. We continue to debate topics that were three years, each of whom has raised I also want to thank the department's discussed in the Agora in ancient Athens the quality of our already strong many alumni and friends for their sup - 2500 years ago. Our ability to put up department. with each other in this respect (and the port, both moral and financial, enabling ability of administrators to manage it) I am delighted to welcome J ames us to provide encouragement for our is one thing; the ability of our staff to Allen , Andrew Franklin-Hall , undergraduates in the difficult economic keep smiling while dealing with such Waheed Hussain , Jim John , and times for “millennials,” their generous an unusual bunch is truly remarkable. Nick Stang , who officially joined the financial support that has strengthened department July 1. our graduate program, and for many events that have helped to enrich our Arthur Ripstein I leave the department in capable intellectual life. Former Chair, Department of Philosophy, hands. Brad Inwood will be Acting Faculty of Arts & Science; FAS Chair and Interim Graduate Chair But I am most grateful to the depart - for one year, after which Martin ment’s outstanding staff – in addition Former Chair, Pickavé will take over as Chair. to Suzanne, Eric Correia, Anita Graduate Department of Philosophy Di Giacomo, Mary Frances Ellison, The end of my term coincided with Suzanne Puckering ’s last day as the department’s Bus- iness Officer and Office Manager. Suzanne outlast - Puckering ed me by a remarkable two decades, providing 23 years of outstanding service to the Department. Many of you will have already had an opportunity to meet her successor, Ben Eldridge , over the past month. Please join me in thanking Suzanne and welcoming Ben. Other changes are also taking place. Rachel Barney completed her term as St. George Undergraduate coordinator. Tom Berry took over that position as of July 1, while continuing in his role as tri- The Ups and Downs of Being Chair –Martin Pickavé receives lessons from Arthur Ripstein campus TA coordinator.

4 University of Toronto St. George continued from Page 3 been fortunate to be able to hire three enough to lead tutorials, and mature visiting Lecturers – welcome to enough to grade student work. the skills we have to teach. (And last Jonathan Rick , Amber Ross , and (I don’t like to think about how many year, for the first time, we participat - Ashley Taylor ! – not to mention of those criteria I would have flunked ed in the ‘Backpacks to Briefcases’ Mark Schranz , who is lecturing in in my own undergraduate years here.) program, which enabled some of our the Department as well as running the And as a final bit of luck, I have been students to meet – and be encouraged Project, and returning post - able to hand over the office of UGC, and reassured by – former students of doc Asaf Angermann . now rebranded DUS (Director of the Department who have gone on to And every year, the most engaging Undergraduate Studies), to Tom success in a huge variety of fields, and part of the job was selecting students . have no regrets.) Berry for the Socrates Project. I can think of no one more qualified Every year, the most difficult part There can’t be many universities in for the job, and only hope he gets as of my job was rounding up enough the world, if any, where in every year much out of the role as I did. instructors and finding enough places the Philosophy Department can count in our courses to come anywhere on finding ten or more majors not Rachel Barney close to meeting student demand, only willing to take on the demanding Former Associate Chair, without compromising on class size and stressful job of a TA, but qualified Undergraduate Studies and quality in general. to do so: broadly learned in the field, (St. George) For the 2014-15 year, along with our skilled enough as writers to be able to two new tenure-track hires, we have teach others, outgoing and composed

The new UTM Philosophy quarters with Marleen Rozemond, Jonathan Weisberg, Mohan Matthen, and Gurpreet Rattan UTM Philosophy News We also had many events this year. We would also like to take this oppor - Our graduate-undergraduate confer - tunity to congratulate our Prize We have moved! We love ence in March featured six excellent winners: Athena Calarasu (First our new location at talks (three by graduate students and Year Essay Prize), Theodore the 2nd floor in the three by undergraduate students) cov - Lindgreen (First Year Essay Prize), Academic Annex. It’s ering many areas of philosophy. In our Kevin Persaud (Erindale Prize in great having such a UTM Alumni Series Chris Shirreff , Philosophy), Arianna Falbo (Gombay cozy dining/lounge now a graduate student at Western Prize in Philosophy), and Mahan area and being able to Ontario, presented a fascinating paper Esmaeilzadeh (Gombay Prize in enjoy beautiful views entitled “Laughing at Immoral Jokes” Philosophy). of the Credit River Valley from our (with a response by Belinda Percy ). large office windows. The new loca - Our speakers for the Seminars in We are looking forward to another tion is, however, temporary. We are Philosophy this year were Jennifer exciting year! there during the process of recon - Lackey (Northwestern University), Sergio Tenenbaum struction of the old North Building, Declan Smithies (Ohio State Chair, Department of Philosophy which will also change its name to University), and Karl Schafer University of Toronto at Mississauga “Deerfield Hall”. (University of Pittsburgh).

Department of Philosophy News 5 UTSC Philosophy News and Practice and the Journal of Moral of Grounding in Metaphysics”. This Philosophy . Before coming to Toronto, will be a wonderful showcase of he was an assistant professor at The Professor Wilson’s philosophical In the Winter of 2014, Wharton School of the University of achievements. Please join me in the Department of Pennsylvania. Hussain and Julia congratulating her. Philosophy at UTSC Nefsky are together a formidable Meanwhile, our Department concluded a very teaching team, covering most of cen - Students’ Association has an active and successful search in tral courses in Ethics and in Political interesting year planned ahead, Ethics and . including a Mind Night; a Political Philosophy, and hired Also in the Winter of 2014, Jessica Philosophy night; several discussion Waheed Hussain , Wilson was one of this year's two nights; and an Undergraduate who joined us on July 1, 2014, as an recipients of Dr. Martin R. Lebowitz Conference planned for March 2015. Assistant Professor. and Eve Lewellis Lebowitz Prize for On a more personal note, Julia Nefsky Hussain's main research interests lie Philosophical Achievement and gave birth to her son Miles in May mostly at the intersection of moral Contribution, awarded by the Phi Beta 2014. Please join me in congratulating and political philosophy, economics Kappa Society in conjunction with the her and her husband, Alex Rennet. and business. His work has appeared in American Philosophical Association. a variety of academic journals, includ - The two award recipients, Wilson and Philip Kremer ing Philosophy & Public Affairs , Economics Jonathan Schafer (Rutgers), will pres - Chair, Department of Philosophy and Philosophy , Journal of , ent a special symposium at the Eastern University of Toronto Scarborough Business Ethics Quarterly , Social Theory APA in December, entitled “The Role

Notes from we’d like to welcome all members of In May, the graduate students ran the Toronto philosophy community, their annual conference, this year on the Graduate including present and former faculty the theme Normativity: Action, Mind, Department and students, to come out to the and Language , with keynote speakers alumni talks on Saturday, March 20, Anandi Hattiangadi of Stockholm The Department had a 2015, by Michael Garnett (PhD University and David Velleman of record-high 245 appli - 2006) of Birkbeck College London New York University. Graduate stu - cations to our PhD and Kara Richardson (PhD 2008) dent participants came in from as far program this year and of Syracuse University. Details away as Southern California and the 161 applications to will be posted on the events listing of United Kingdom, and were paired up our MA program. our website. with graduate and undergraduate This year Toronto Three of our incoming students won commentators in Toronto. joined the North the prestigious four-year Trillium University of Toronto students had an American trend of hosting a recruit - Scholarship. This is a remarkable active year of their own on the con - ment weekend to court the graduate achievement for these students, and ference circuit, presenting their students chosen by our admissions for our department—only 20 of research at a great variety of loca - committee. The weekend brought these are awarded across all divisions tions, including Dublin, Mexico City, together past, present and future at the University of Toronto. Los Angeles, Vancouver, Coventry, Toronto philosophy graduate stu - Meanwhile, our second-year PhD Amsterdam, Seoul, Chicago, Halifax, dents, featuring talks by Toronto student Etye Steinberg won the top Tel Aviv, Sherbrooke, Philadephia, alumni Matthew Fulkerson (PhD federal government prize, the three- Santiago and all three Cambridges 2010), now on faculty at UC San year Vanier Scholarship, in recognition (UK, USA and Ontario). Diego, and Helga Varden (PhD of his academic excellence and 2006), now on faculty at University leadership in humanitarian causes and Toronto graduate student research of Illinois, with comments from the arts. was accepted for publication in a Toronto graduate students Lana wide range of journals, including The Kühle and Dan Hooley . Three other students won the next- Journal of Philosophy, Philosophical best thing, the Joseph-Armand Studies, Philosophical Quarterly, Analysis, Despite heavy snow and hard winds, Bombardier Scholarship: Carolyn The British Journal for the History of enough fun was had that we succeed - Richardson , Renaud-Philippe Philosophy, Philosophy of Science. ed in recruiting a great first-year PhD Garner , and Matthieu Remacle . and class of 5 women and 7 men, coming Robinson Fellowships in Ancient Jennifer Nagel in from New Zealand, Hungary, the Philosophy were awarded to our Associate Chair, Graduate Studies and across Canada. students Willie Costello and We’re doing it again this year, and Robbie Howton .

6 University of Toronto The Value of Philosophy ’ve been asked to write a short piece on how, It also turns out to be quite handy that philosophical or indeed whether, being a philosopher was provosts are used to putting forward a view and relevant to the job of being a provost of a large then having it attacked. If one goes into an academic university. For those in a state of blissful unaware - administration not knowing how to handle impas - nIess about what that job is, the provost of the sioned dissent, one goes into it with a very University of Toronto is the chief academic officer significant deficit. I was mindful of my debt to those and the chief budget officer for the whole of sharp minds and personalities who gave my views a the university. rough ride at countless conferences and philosophy- All the deans report to the departmental colloquia. provost, as do the vice- It was good training. provosts (for faculty and There are differences, to be academic life, students and sure. At times, decisions in the student life, graduate educa - provost’s office have to be tion, and so on), the head of made at lightning speed, espe - libraries, and many others. cially when crises arise (and Labor and legal matters fall with 87,000 students and a into the provost’s orbit – corresponding number of indeed, there is hardly a cor - faculty and staff, they arise ner of the University that weekly). At times, the give does not. To say the least, the and take of reasons operates job is extremely interesting. within the constraints of pressing economic and Philosophy comes into the political facts, although it is a picture in that a provost is question that must always be engaged in constant decision- asked whether those facts making and policy-making, should be worked with or often delicate, and with worked against. almost always immediate or far-reaching consequences. At least in some parts of philosophy, we can reason less burdened by Being able to analyze a problem, revise one’s view in contingent and changing contexts, and we can light of arguments from others, sift through com - almost always have the luxury of taking our time to peting reasons, defend and communicate come to our views. That said, if you are wondering conclusions once they have been carefully made, are what to do with that PhD in philosophy, it turns out all vital skills. that it’s a great preparation for a role in academic All of this happens to be part and parcel of what we administration, and indeed in all sorts of positions do as philosophers. Philosophers live in a culture of in government, private enterprise, and civic life. justification. We also live in a culture of reflection, Cheryl Misak and being reflective about the aims and values of an Professor, Department of Philosophy institution is critical for anyone who has any kind of Vice-President & Provost, University of Toronto, 2009-2013 leadership role. UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO - DEPARTMENT OF PHILOSOPHY One needs to think hard about, and always keep in mind, the true values of a university such as ours: a PwHww.pIhL ilosOophyS.utOoronPto.cHa Y NEWS publicly-supported university with the vital task of Editor: Anita Di Giacomo educating the next generation and in conducting Design: Alvin Ng/Dragon Snap Design outstanding research and scholarship.

Department of Philosophy News 7 Faculty Appointments & Promotions

Donald Ainslie , Waheed Hussain Medieval Studies) has

w University College joined UTSC been named Chair of e D r

e Principal and Philosophy as an the St. George h p o t former Chair of Assistant Professor Undergraduate s i r h Philosophy (2003- this summer. Department for a five- C

: o t o 2011), has been He’s a specialist in year term over a h Hussain Pickavé P Ainslie promoted to Full Political and Moral seven-year period Professor. Donald’s area of Philosophy and . effective July 1, 2014 to June 30, expertise is the history of modern 2021. Since Martin has been Associate philosophy, especially Hume. Brad Inwood Director of the Centre for Medieval (University Studies and the Director of the James Allen Professor, Canada Collaborative Program in Ancient and has joined UTM Research Chair in Medieval Studies for the past three Philosophy as a Ancient Philosophy, years, he decided to take a year’s Full Professor. with a majority break from bossing people around. He comes to us Inwood appointment at the from University of Allen Department of Classics) has been Nicholas Stang Pittsburgh, and his named Acting Chair of the has joined the St. specialty is Ancient Philosophy. St. George Undergraduate George department Department and the Interim Chair as an Assistant Tom Berry has of the Graduate Department of Professor. His areas been appointed Philosophy while Martin Pickavé of specialty are Early Stang Director of takes a rest from administration. Modern Philosophy, Undergraduate Kant, Metaphysics, and Aesthetics. Studies. He will James (Jim) John continue to act as who has been with Byeong-Uk Yi has Berry the TA Coordinator. us since 2006 has been promoted to been cross-appoint - Full Professor. Andrew ed to the Cognitive He joined UTM Franklin-Hall Science Program at Philosophy as an John started his appoint - University College. associate professor Yi ment as an Assistant in 2006. Byeong’s Professor in July at Martin Pickavé (Canada main research interests are the St. George cam - Research Chair in Medieval Franklin-Hall metaphysics and philosophy of pus. His specialty is Philosophy, with a minority language, logic and philosophy Moral and Political Philosophy. appointment at the Centre for of mathematics. Awards and Honours

Graduate Student Alumna Joanna Graduate Student Brian Embry was Langille (Honours Eric Mathison the winner of the 2013 BA 2006), a Doctor of received the 2013 Martha Lile Love Juridical Science Martha Lile Love Essay Award for Excellence student at UofT’s Award for his essay, Embry in Teaching Philosophy Langille Faculty of Law, has “The Insufficiency Mathison for his course in 17th been awarded the pres - of Neutrality for Century Philosophy. tigious Pierre Elliott Trudea uFoundation Environmental Policy”. scholarship. Joanna is a lawyer and schol - ar of international law and legal theory. ...continued next page

8 University of Toronto RETIREME NT Ingrid Leman Stefanovic Someone once said that the problem with retirement is that one never gets a day off! This is particularly true in my case, having retired from the University of Toronto to serve as Dean of the newly-formed Faculty of Environment at Simon Fraser University. As one of only five Faculties in the country dedicated to the interdisciplinary study of environment, the unit pre - sented me with a challenge that builds on some of my happiest times at UofT when I helped to create the extraordinarily productive environmental scientists, I Centre for Environment (now renamed the School of am particularly pleased to be able to show this audience the Environment). That opportunity could only have how perceptions, values, attitudes and hidden para - arisen because of the administrative experience that I had digms drive environmental decision making. While no gathered in serving as Associate Chair, Undergraduate, in longer at the Department of Philosophy at UofT, I find the Department of Philosophy from 1997-2000. myself sharing my experiences from Toronto often. Having completed my undergraduate and graduate Importantly, I am pleased to be in a position to take my degrees in philosophy in the 1970s at the University of philosophical message to students in a different domain, Toronto, it will always be home to me. The experience beyond a philosophy department setting. of being hired in the early 1990s to teach in the very I continue to supervise one student from UofT and to department where I had defended my PhD only rein - serve on the committees of two others. I also continue forced that sense of home. Wayne Sumner took a to employ one student from the Department of chance in hiring me, given my interdisciplinary back - Philosophy as an RA on a SSHRC-funded grant. It is ground, and for this opportunity, I remain always hard to leave those wonderful students behind and I am grateful. To this day, when the QS University rankings happy that I have not been forced to do so. report that UofT is #1 in the country, I feel honored to Many colleagues remain my friends for life, and in clos - have spent the bulk of my career at a university of this ing, I invite you to keep in touch and hope to continue immense stature. to collaborate and socialize with my friends from this Currently, I am the first philosopher and only humani - extraordinary Department for many years to come! ties Professor to be hired in the Faculty of Environment (If you are heading out west, do feel free to contact me at Simon Fraser University. Surrounded by a team of at [email protected] !)

...continued from Page 8 and the Law: A for Philosophical Graduate Student Unified Theory , which Achievement and Johanna Thoma has also been accepted Contribution by the The won the 2014 for publication by Phi Beta Kappa Society Martha Lile Love Cambridge University in conjunction with the Essay Award. Her Press. This year, Jacob American Philosophical Thoma Weinrib paper “Temptation, is the Dworkin-Balzan Association for a Wilson Risk-Taking, and Regret” was judged Postdoctoral Fellow at New York symposium on “Grounding in to be the best in a strong field this year. University School of Law. Metaphysics.” Jessica and co-prize winner Jonathan Schaffer will be presenting the The David Savan Prize for the best Professor Jessica Wilson has been symposium at the December meeting of dissertation went to Jacob Weinrib awarded the Martin R. Lebowitz the Eastern Division of the American (PhD 2013) for his thesis Authority, and Eve Lewellis Lebowitz Prize Philosophical Association.

Department of Philosophy News 9 IN MEMORIAM Remembering André Gombay MAY 4, 1933 – FEBRUARY 28, 2014

I had the privilege of being André’s colleague for He was also the most wonderful colleague you could twenty-seven years. I participated in the conference imagine. It wasn’t just that he came to every talk, in his honour when he retired at the age of sixty- was interested in every topic, sat in on colleagues’ five. I presided over his re-retirement in my capacity classes, and so on. He did all of that, more than any - as department chair, when, after fifteen years of one else ever did. But he also – partly because his postretirement teaching, he became, as he wryly put was so infectious – made everyone feel it “Professor emeritus emeritus.” connected to him and to each other. If you had We have a very diverse philosophy department along asked everyone in the department to name the two a number of dimensions – intellectual style, topic, or three colleagues with whom they felt closest, even geography. André bridged everything that any - everyone would have included André on their list. one ever thought of as a divide. He taught the entire If you had asked the staff, all of them would have history of philosophy, ranging from the ancient listed André first. Greeks through to Nietzsche and Freud, but he also In the published obituary, André’s family described taught . He wrote and him as a “happy philosopher.” That’s certainly an apt taught thinkers and topics ordinarily classified as description of him; I want to say a little bit about the analytic and others classified as continental; he way in which he was each of a philosopher and happy. worked in both theoretical and practical philosophy. André was a philosopher in every positive sense He even taught at all three University of Toronto of that term. Someone who didn’t know much campuses. about philosophy, or didn’t know André, might have André loved to teach and was much loved as a taken his interests to be those of a philosopher in teacher. He would walk into his classes and say a pejorative sense, an eccentric professor with “hey hey” to get the students’ attention, and away theories entirely removed from the concerns and he would go. His fascination with the material, and realities of ordinary life. But André wasn’t that kind his joy at presenting it was infectious. of philosopher at all.

10 University of Toronto He was an excellent philosopher in the ways in the most forthright people that you could ever which people were philosophers late in the last meet. century and are early in this one. We live in an age The philosophy department used to mount a in which philosophy has undergone a kind of Continuing Studies course on the great philosophers professionalization. By the standards of professional on a series of Tuesday evenings; André gave the lec - philosophers, he was an excellent philosopher, an ture on Descartes, which was always a favourite of active participant in professional life, teaching, the students. André loved teaching those classes; supervising graduate students, writing important invariably someone would come to tell him that articles on multiple topics, overseeing an enormous Descartes had articulated thoughts that they had editorial project and writing a major book on always had in an inchoate way. The course had a Descartes. significant impact on André also; I remember one What was most striking about André was that, at the Wednesday morning, more than twenty years ago, same time, he was a philosopher in a very different when Jackie Brunning picked us up at the corner of sense of the term, a sense that was very much alive Bloor and Spadina to drive out to Erindale, as it was in the ancient world, where a philosopher was a then called. André had given his Descartes lecture person who lived a life in a certain kind of way, in the night before, and was struck by how eager the light of a commitment to a distinctive way of under - students were to engage with the material. standing the world. He wondered whether this was because they André managed to combine these two very different weren’t being graded, and he became very interest - ways of being a philosopher in a single life, and the ed in (and opposed to) grading as a practice. fact that he was a philosopher in the ancient Greek He began campaigning, quietly for its abolition; sense made him so much more interesting than most he wrote a Nietzschean “genealogy” of grading, professional philosophers. discovering its origins in the Jesuits, and the ways When he wrote about Descartes, André was partic - in which it had been repurposed in subsequent cen - ularly interested in the role of deceit in Descartes’s turies, a persistent practice constantly rediscovering first and third Meditations; where others saw the its own rationale. introduction and subsequent dismissal of the deceiv - Like his interest in lying, André’s interest in grading ing demon as a sort of rhetorical flourish to engage was not driven by the desire to get himself off the with a more radical version of traditional forms of hook. André was no different from most professors; scepticism, André understood deceit to be a more he loved his job, but grading was not his favourite fundamental issue for Descartes. As a result of this part of it. But he never campaigned – and I’m quite refocus, he was able to find things in the text that sure he never even thought – that the problem with others had overlooked. grading was that it was a colossal waste of his time André’s interest in issues of deceit and what his for - and effort. Instead, the problem with grading was mer colleague, Calvin Normore, referred to as that it drew the attention of students away from a “counterprivacy” shaped the ways in which he full engagement with the ideas before them. looked at philosophical questions, and also the way André’s interest in deceit and his interest in grading in which he lived his life. André’s interest in deceit were, I think, instances of a much more general wasn’t restricted to his Descartes scholarship; he outlook, one that made him suspicious of ways in was also impatient with the constant moralizing which human beings are forever trying to measure about honesty that is a central feature of our cul - each other and hold each other to standards. Here ture, and no better disposed to those philosophers, is another example: in 1995, the popular neurolo - such as Kant, who were quick to condemn deceit in gist Oliver Sacks published a hugely popular book all of its forms. His disdain for the moralizers was called An Anthropologist on Mars: Seven Paradoxical Tales . not the product of any desire to excuse any sort of André wrote a review of it for the Globe and Mail . conduct on his own part; indeed, André was among ...continued on Page 13

Department of Philosophy News 11 A LOVE STORY Remembering Ma rtha Lile Love artha Lile Love came to Toronto in the 1970s as a graduate student with a passion for Classical Indian philosophy, a topic she had first encountered during her undergraduate studies in Mphilosophy at Smith College. She enrolled in Toronto’s MA program in South Asian Studies, working on Sanskrit texts with Professor Bimal Matilal, who went on to become Spalding Professor of Eastern Religions and Ethics at Oxford. Throughout her years in graduate school, Martha maintained strong interests in as well, taking courses in philosophy of language and logic with Professors Hans Herzberger and John Slater , among others. She travelled with her fellow student and partner Brendan Gillon (MA 1979, Sanskrit & Indian Studies) to the Centre for the Advanced Study of Sanskrit at Poona University; together, they worked on a study of the Nya-yaprave s´a , a core text in Buddhist logic. While in India, Martha discovered that she had breast cancer, and returned to Toronto for treatment. another of her assets. She was easy to get to know and Doctors were ultimately unable to save her, and she even easier to get along with; she was popular with her died in April of 1979, at the age of 29. The article peers, the centre of attention in the group when the Gillon and Love wrote together, “Indian Logic members of the class were socializing both before and Revisited: Ny a-yaprave s´a reviewed” was published in the after class. Journal of Indian Philosophy the following year. “The great distress her fellow students and teachers felt Those who knew Martha have indelible memories of when they learned she had cancer is eloquent testimo - her intelligence and vitality. Brendon Gillon describes ny to her popularity. Her strength of character was her as “a truly remarkable woman, both as a person exhibited in the way in which she faced the devastating and as an intellectual. I feel very fortunate to have news of her illness and its likely progress. I recall her known her.” Martha’s friend Lee Manchester (MA discussing it with me without exhibiting an ounce of 1973, PhD 1980) describes her as “a warm and engag - self-pity. Very few people are able to do that. She was ing person, full of life, excited about her studies and truly an admirable young woman.” her passions.” Professor Emeritus and Departmental The month after Martha died, the department Historian John Slater remembers her well. “Martha established a memorial fund in her name, to recognize Lile Love was among the most gifted students it was excellence in philosophical writing. This fund issues an my good fortune to teach in a long career. She was annual prize for the best essay submitted in a philoso - gifted in several ways. She was very intelligent; she phy graduate course; essays are nominated by faculty quickly became expert in formal logic, writing elegant members and judged anonymously. proofs of the most difficult problems that either the Over the years, the prize has gone to many Toronto textbook or I set for the class. graduate students who have gone on to distinguished “In addition she became expert in the language used careers in philosophy. Trish Glazebrook (PhD in discussing formal logic. She would have made an 1994), now Chair of the Department of Philosophy excellent teacher of the subject. Her personality was and Religion at the University of North Texas,

12 University of Toronto A n d r é G o m b a y ...continued from Page 11 André conceded that the examples were interesting, like that: he was that most unusual person, the one though the voyeurism of Sacks’s presentation wasn’t who is happy not because he’s shallow but because to his taste. But the central focus of his review was a he is deep. As I said in my message to the depart - caution: he wondered what Sacks would have made ment when he died, he is a model to us all. I miss him terribly. of Leonardo da Vinci, what disorder he would have by Arthur Ripstein found in him, and what aspects of Leonardo he would thereby overlook. Imposing grids on people prevents On October 23 the department held a memorial us from fully appreciating other human beings and life event for André Gombay. Former colleague Calvin in its fullness. André’s engagement with Descartes Normore (now at UCLA) gave an acute and was in part an effort to separate out the great eloquent paper, ‘The more perfect the work, the philosopher who appreciated life from the resolutely more skilled the craftsman: Gombay and Descartes’ reductive stick-figure “Cartesian.” André was able to to a packed room. This was followed by more per - appreciate the good in people and the fortune in his sonal reminiscences of André by former colleagues own life because of this more general outlook. and students. Speakers included Lana De Gasperis This brings me to the particular manner in which he (Honours BA 2011), Jon Miller (PhD 2002), was happy. He was definitely happier than most Professor Arthur Ripstein , Professor Marleen people, but there are other people who are happy. Rozemond , and Professor Emeritus Ronald What was so remarkable about André can be de Sousa . The department is very grateful to brought out by a contrast: many people are happy Marleen Rozemond for organizing so fitting an because they’re shallow. André’s happiness was not event in honour of our beloved colleague.

remembers having felt “lost in the crowd” at the start recalls that “Winning the prize and presenting the of her time at Toronto, coming in from a much smaller paper confirmed my feeling that I had made the right department. Winning the Love Award brought a sud - choice to do Philosophy in graduate school (my under - den sense of recognition: “I felt that the award and the grad degree was in Asian Studies).” Jane Friedman , discussions that followed gave me a presence and who started her PhD here and is now an Assistant identity in the Department that was extremely impor - Professor at New York University, also felt bolstered: tant to me as a member of the intellectual community, “I was just starting out in philosophy and so it was as if the award moved me from outsider to insider.” great to feel as though I was on the right track.” Deborah Knight (PhD 1993), now Associate Over the years, the Martha Lile Love fund has Professor at Queen’s University, has vivid memories expanded to include recognition of teaching done by of the Kant course for which she wrote her prize- graduate students as well: the most recent winners winning essay—“It was a great course and Margie of the teaching prize are Lana Kühle (PhD Toronto [Morrison ] was a terrific teacher,”—and observes 2014), who has just started work at Illinois State that, of all the papers she wrote during graduate University, and Brian Embry , who is planning to school, “It was particularly nice that a paper I’d put a defend his thesis this coming year. lot into received the recognition of the Love prize.” Looking back through the file of notes, prize For many philosophy graduate students, the award announcements and donation letters associated with brought a sense that they had chosen the right path. the award, we found a letter from Martha’s mother Dennis Klimchuk (PhD 1995), Associate Professor Shirley Love, dated December 1986. Shirley writes, at Western University, recalls his winning essay as “the “I am pleased that some students are getting a little first thing I’d written on what turned out to be the boost from Marty – who always wanted to help.” area in which I wrote my thesis and a few things since.” As a department, Toronto is truly lucky to have had In a similar spirit, Evan Thompson (MA 1985, Martha Love as part of our community, and to feel PhD 1990), now a Fellow of the Royal Society and her love living on in the annual awards in her name. Professor at the University of British Columbia,

Department of Philosophy News 13 NEW INITIATIVES Ergo – a new online journal In response to the need for general philosophy journals Ergo received over 250 submissions in its first year. that are efficient, open access, inclusive, and transparent, The first issue was published after just 10 months of Professors Franz Huber and Jonathan Weisberg operations and featured four papers: in philosophy started a new online philosophy journal in July 2013. of science, early modern philosophy, experimental The new journal, Ergo , accepts submissions on all philo - philosophy, and epistemology. sophical topics and from all philosophical traditions. Nine more papers are forthcoming, spanning a wide Ergo uses a triple-anonymous peer review process and is range of topics including phenomenology, ontology, published by Michigan Publishing at the University of feminist metaphilosophy, language, and the metaphysics Michigan. It is sponsored by the Departments of of love. Philosophy at the University of Toronto and the University of Toronto Mississauga. To take a look at Ergo , visit www.ergophiljournal.org MAP – Minorities and Philosophy Minorities and Philosophy (MAP) is an inter-departmen - Chike Jeffers (Dalhousie) gave a talk enti - tal organization the aims of which are to encourage tled “The Ethics and Politics of Cultural minority participation in philosophy and provide a forum Preservation”. Both events were very well for discussion of philosophy from minority perspectives. attended and met with great enthusiasm. MAP is a relatively new initiative; many of its 31 chap - It is our hope that this enthusiasm will ters (including our own) just finished their inaugural continue to grow in the coming year. Jeffers years. And I’m pleased to report that our year was a suc - We are currently still planning the year’s cessful one. events, so any suggestions for speakers or topics are Our chapter held two events this past year. In the fall, certainly welcome. If you are interested in supporting Jenny Saul (Sheffield), (Toronto), and or becoming involved with MAP, please contact Gurpreet Rattan ([email protected] ). Celia Byrne (Toronto) participated in a panel discussion Jeremy Davis on issues of implicit bias in philosophy. In the spring, We look forward to seeing you at the next MAP event! EVENTS & ACTIVITIES DURING 20 13-20 14 World Philosophy Day Scott Shapiro , Charles F. Southmayd Professor of Law and Professor of Philosophy at Yale University, was our speaker for the 2013 World Philosophy Day Lecture. His talk, “The Law of the World,” was very well received.

Colloquium Beatrice Longuenesse (Yale University) spoke at Scott Shapiro (4th from the right) with undergrads Sosseh Assaturian, Christopher Sullivan, Deborah Mazer, Kyle da Silva, Peter Povilonis, Elizabeth Benn, and Mackayla Peters our March 6 colloquium on “Kant on Persons”

14 University of Toronto 20 14 PHILOSOPHY BOOK LAUNCH The Department’s 27 th Annual Book Launch, held on March 13, 2 014, featured: Lloyd P Gerson From to Platonism Cornell University Press, 2013 Lloyd P Gerson , (translation, introduction, commentary) PLOTINUS Ennead V.5 That the Intelligibles are not External to the Intellect, and on the Good Authors Lloyd Gerson, Elmar Kremer, Sophia Moreau, Vincent Shen, Willi Goetschel. Parmenides Publishing, Las Vegas, 2013 Not pictured: Ian Hacking, DS Hutchinson, Diana Raffman, Lambert Zuidervaart. Willi Goetschel , editor Hermann Levin Goldschmidt. Elmar Kremer Vincent Shen , editor Haltet euch an Worte: im ganzen! Analysis of Existing: Barry Miller’s Dao Companion to Classical Confucian Philosophy Texte un Thesen Approach to God Springer, Dordecht, 2014 Bloomsbury, NY, 2014 Passagen Verlag, Vienna, 2013 Yolaine Escande, Vincent Shen , and Ian Hacking Deborah Hellman and Sophia Chenyang Li, editors Why is There Philosophy of Mathematics Moreau , editors Inter-culturality and Philosophic Discourse at All? Philosophical Foundations of Cambridge Scholars Publishing, Cambridge University Press, 2014 Anti-Discrimination Law Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, 2013 , 2013 D.S. Hutchinson , editor Lambert Zuidervaart , Allyson Carr, : His Life and School. Diana Raffman Matt Klaassen, and Ronnie Shuker (editors) Carlo Natali Unruly Words: A Study of Vague Language Truth Matters: Knowledge, Politics, Ethics, Religion Princeton University Press, 2013 Oxford University Press, 2014 McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2013 Alumni are invited to attend the 2015 Philosophy Book Launch which will be held on Thursday, March 12, 2015, 4-6 pm, at the Jackman Humanities Building, 170 St. George Street, Room 418. UPCOMING EVENTS Career Night 2014 Colloquia and This year’s Career Night took place Special Lectures January 22. March 24-26, 2015 – Jennifer We were honoured Hornsby (Birkbeck), Simon Lectures to have three of April 30-May 1, 2015 – Graduate our alumni come and speak with our Conference on The First Person 3rd and 4 th year stu - Perspective dents (left to right) : May 7, 2015 – Huw Price Angela Misasi (Cambridge), Colloquium (Honours BA Each talk will take place at the Jackman 2006), Manager, Business Strategies, Humanities Building, Room 100, BMO Financial (170 St. George Street) at 3:15 pm Group; Kim and will be followed by a reception. McLaren Please check our website, (BA 1991), Principal, Greenwood Secondary School & SOLE Alternative www.philosophy.utoronto.ca for details. School, Toronto District School Board; and Horatio Bot (BA 1990), Director, Financial Services, Faculty of Arts & Science, University of Toronto.

Department of Philosophy News 15 Please Support the Department of Philosophy Name: ______Address: ______City: ______Province: ______Postal Code: ______Tel: ______Fax: ______E-mail: ______o Are you a grad? If so, what year: _____ Degree ______Discipline _____ Faculty or College ______o I would prefer that my name not be included in listings of donors YES, I would like to support: o The Philosophy Department Trust Fund (Project 0560001565) The Chair’s discretionary fund is directed to student financial support, visiting lecturers, conferences and other programming. o Philosophy Alumni and Friends Graduate Scholarship (Project 0560011740) o The Donald Ainslie Graduate Scholarship in the Department of Philosophy (Project 0560012949) o Other: ______Payment Options : please select one Option #1 o Cheque enclosed (payable to University of Toronto) in the amount of $ ______Option #2 o Credit Card payment in the amount of $ ______o VISA o MasterCard o AMEX Card #: ______/______/______/______Exp: ______/______

______Name on card Signature Please charge Monthly/Quarterly/Semi-Annually/Annually (please circle one) Installment(s) of $ ______for a total of $ ______Beginning in ______(month), 20___ Ending in ______(month), 20___ Please return this form and your donation to: Donations Management, 21 King’s College Circle, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3J3. Questions? Please contact contact Jacob Wesolowski, Development Officer, Faculty of Arts and Science at (416) 978-2722 or [email protected] , or visit our website at https://donate.utoronto.ca/philosophy American Citizens & Residents - Internal Revenue Code, Section 501(c)(3): American citizens (or residents) who are not alumni or related to alumni of U of T, as well as corporations and foundations requiring a U.S. tax receipt can contribute to the University through: The Associates of the University of Toronto, Inc., c/o Mr. Gary Kaufman, Treasurer, 58 West 84th Street, Suite 2F, New York, NY 10024 U.S.A. For more information on giving to U of T through the Associates, please call toll free 1-800-699-1736 or e-mail [email protected] . Solicitation Code: 0570052402/ Charitable Reg. BN 1081 62330-RR0001 A tax receipt will be sent to you by mail. Thank-you for your support! Department of Philosophy 170 St. George Street, 4th floor University of Toronto Toronto, Ontario M5R 2M8

Philosophy News is the Department’s Newsletter for Alumni and Friends of Philosophy. Items for inclusion should be sent by fax to (416) 978-8703 or by e-mail to < [email protected] > YOUR PRIVACY: The University of Toronto respects your privacy. We do not rent, trade or sell our mailing lists.The information on this form is collected and used for the administration of the University’s advancement activities undertaken pursuant to the University of Toronto Act, 1971. If you have any questions, please refer to < www.utoronto.ca/privacy > or contact the University’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Coordinator at 416-946-7303, McMurrich Building, Room 201, 12 Queen’s Park Crescent West, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8. If you do not wish to receive future newsletters from the Department of Philosophy, please contact us at 416-978-2139 or at [email protected]

16 University of Toronto