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2014-PDF-Of-Philosophy-News 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 Yale University, drew a capacity crowd to the Roseman Lecture in Practical Ethics 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 Peter Singer claimed that most of us Shelly Kagan with Ellen Roseman are “speciesists” in our attitude toward, and treatment of, animals. Singer, now a bioethics professor than persuasive. “People have rights. Animals don’t,” he tells Speciesism is supposed to be a kind at Princeton University, 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 animal ethics 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 Illinois. He received his B.A. on Speciesism from Wesleyan University 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 University of Pittsburgh 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 morality. 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, Thomas Nagel 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 good 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 value 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 Imight think of bringing in someone whose primary appointment was at the faculty of law as some unwelcome form of academic receivership.
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