Volume 12 U N I V E R S I T Y OF P I T T S B U R G H B U LAUGUST L E T 2004 I N NOTES FROM THE DIRECTOR on the concepts and methods of This past year has been an ex- Ancient Greek mathematics citing one for the Center. When (Reviel Netz) through the natu- I was composing these notes for ral philosophy of the Middle last year’s Bulletin I had just Ages (Ed Grant) to up-to-the- returned from our 4th Athens- minute lectures on Realism Pittsburgh collaboration. As I (Ruetsche), Computability began this year’s notes I had (Sieg), Group Selection just returned from our 5th Inter- (Godfrey-Smith) and Truth national Fellows Conference in (Gibbard). (See p. 20) Rytro, Poland, a truly wonder- BULLETINBULLETIN ful meeting about which I will In February Paul Griffiths and have more to say presently. Karola Stotz organized the sec- Table of Contents This past August Wenceslao ond ‘Representing Genes’ Gonzalez visited Pittsburgh for workshop, and we timed the 3 Visiting Fellows 2003-04 a formal ceremony celebrating HPS Alumni Lecture to coin- 6 VF Program Impact Jim Lennox the signing of an agreement of cide with it. We took advantage 7 Alan Chalmers cooperation between his Uni- of my former student and col- year from now, I will versity, A Coruna, and the Uni- league Rachel Ankeny being 8 Neuroscience Workshop be passing on the re versity of Pittsburgh. The first back from Australia as a Dibner 9 5th Fellows Conference Asponsibility of direct- event to be held under the aus- Fellow to invite her to be this 10 Representing Genes ing the Center for Philosophy pices of that agreement will year’s Alumna lecturer. Rachel, of Science to my mate and HPS take place in March of 2005, a as many of you will know, is a 11 News from Visiting Fellows colleague John Norton. It is conference entitled ‘Evolution- specialist on the Human Ge- 16 News from Resident Fellows gratifying to know the Center ary Theory: Present Ap- nome Project and in particular 17 The Center & Hillman Library will be in such good hands proaches’ at which I will deliver on the history and philosophy when I step down in August of two lectures, one on Darwin’s of the use of model organisms 18 Lunchtime Colloquium 2003-04 2005. use of thought experiments and within that project, and thus it 19 Photos from Poland another on the use of thought was a real plus to be able to in- 20 Annual Lecture Series I will leave the director’s post experiments in contemporary clude her in the Representing with mixed emotions. On the evolutionary biology. Genes workshop. Her visit was 21 Special Events 2003-04 one hand, it has given me un- also the occasion for an inter- 22 Fellows and Scholars 2004-05 paralleled pleasure to befriend We had an outstanding group esting coincidence—with Alan 23 Calendar of Events 2004-05 so many members of our world- of Visiting Fellows with us this Chalmers here as a Visiting wide fellowship, especially year (see p. 3). In December Fellow, Paul Griffiths as a Cen- those Fellows who visited dur- we took advantage of strong ter Officer, and Rachel as our ing the past seven years; and to interests in the neurosciences Alumna lecturer, we had all the be involved in the planning of on the part of three of them directors of the Unit in History so many wonderful confer- (Grush, Schaffner and Keeley) and Philosophy of Science at ences, workshops, lecture se- to organize a workshop on neu- the University of Sydney from ries, and publications. I’ve told roscience and consciousness, to 1986 to the present at the Cen- many of you that being direc- coincide with Jesse Prinz’s visit ter simultaneously! tor of the CPS is extremely to give an Annual Lecture Se- gratifying because nearly every- ries presentation on conceptual Speaking of Paul Griffiths, by thing you do in that role fur- development entitled ‘Are In- now the grapevine will have thers the goals of our discipline. fants Little Scientists?’. And informed many of you that Paul On the other hand I am eager speaking of the ALS lectures, has taken a position at the Uni- to pursue those goals myself, this year their historical scope versity of Queensland as Aus- and let someone else feel that was outstanding, with lectures tralian Research Fellow in gratification. 1 CENTER FOR PHILOSOPHY U N I V E R S I T Y OF P I T T S B U R G H OF SCIENCE Biohumanities and will be leav- upgrading, and updating the tirelessly to garner support from MISSION ing us to return whence he Center’s Web site. I encourage Jagiellonian University, the came. Paul served the Center all of you who haven’t looked State Committee for Scientific OF well not only as a Resident Fel- recently to browse around Research of Poland, the Fritz THE ENTER low but as a Center Associate www.pitt.edu/~pittcntr/. And as Thyssen Stiftung of Germany C Director, and we will miss him with Brian’s project, please feel and the Institut Wiener Kreis. very much—but wish him the free to let us know about any We at the Center were able to The Center for Philoso- very best. errors you find or to suggest rely on the generous support of phy of Science exists to improvements. the Harvey and Leslie Wagner Speaking of former Associate Endowment, and the promote scholarship and Directors, in 1962, shortly af- I shall close with a few words University’s Center for Russian research, to encourage ter Nicholas Rescher joined the regarding our wonderful week and East European Studies gen- scholarly exchanges, and Philosophy Department here, in southern Poland. The pic- erously contributed to the event. to foster publications in he was invited to become Asso- tures you will see on pp. 9 and And perhaps most significantly, the philosophy of science ciate Director of the then two 19 tell part of the story. The through the kind efforts of Col. as well as in philosophi- year old Center for Philosophy location was beautiful, the ho- Merle Addams, President of the cally informed history of of Science. He also served as tel facilities very comfortable, Polish Cultural Council, we re- science and related fields. Director from 1981-88, after the meals excellent, and the ceived generous support not The Center is dedicated to which he was appointed Vice wonderful banquet in an au- only from his organization, but bridging the gulf between Chairman. Now, as of Septem- thentic mountain lodge, com- also the Polish Falcons Alliance the sciences and the hu- ber 1, 2004, I am pleased to re- plete with roast suckling pig, of America, the Polish National manities, and to helping port that he has been appointed live folk music and dancing all Alliance, and the Kosciuszko to develop and dissemi- by the Provost to join Adolf as were wonderful. And those Foundation. The interest these Co-chair of the Center. who braved the cool weather to Polish-American cultural orga- nate a philosophical un- go rafting on the Dunajec River nizations showed in this con- derstanding and apprecia- Since becoming Center direc- were rewarded with spectacu- ference was impressive, and tion of the sciences. The tor I have had the goal of col- lar vistas, to which no camera deeply appreciated Center pursues its mission lecting statistics that would can really do justice. not only locally and re- measure the impact of the Cen- gionally, but also nation- ter on the Philosophy of Science But these images are only a ally and internationally. in a concrete way. A number small part of the story. The Like other centers at of former Center staff worked quality of the lectures was out- the University of Pitts- on collecting the data; and now standing, and the warmth and burgh, the Center for Phi- Brian Hepburn has achieved camaraderie that permeated our losophy of Science is a some preliminary, but nonethe- days in Krakow and Rytro un- unit for research rather less very impressive, results. forgettable. Thanks to the ap- Please take a look at them on parently inexhaustible energy than teaching. Neverthe- p. 6—and feel free to add to, or of Kasia and Tomasz Placek less, through its many un- suggest corrections to, the da- and Brian Hepburn, the rest of dertakings and initiatives, tabase at any time. A second us were able to act as if there the Center substantially idea I have is to do a citation were absolutely no problems to enriches the graduate pro- search on articles initially pub- worry about. grams in the Department lished by the Center—many of of History and Philosophy the classics of our field first saw Of course the event would never of Science and in the De- the light of day as Annual Lec- have happened if Jan Wolenski partment of Philosophy. ture Series lectures or lectures had not agreed to host the event. Some of these Center ac- at Center conferences. He and the rest of the program tivities also enrich the un- committee (Zofia Rosinska, dergraduate programs of While Brian has been working Tomasz and Kasia Placek, the University. on that project, Carol Weber has Miklos Redei, Gereon Wolters been hard at work redesigning, and Frederich Stadler) worked 2 B U L L E T I N 2003-2004 VISITING FELLOWS AND SCHOLARS Alexander Afriat Daniela Bailer-Jones Mark Colyvan Vana Grigoropoulou Alexander was born in Indiana, Daniela Bailer-Jones is inter- Mark Colyvan is Professor of Vana Grigoropoulou taught at in fact on the banks of the ested in, among other things, Philosophy at the University of the University of Athens from Wabash, which makes him one cognitive aspects of science and Queensland in Brisbane, Aus- 1996 to 2003 and currently of the world’s few genuine Hoo- recent history of philosophy of tralia.