Spring 2005 Faculty news Guest speakers New courses for 2005-06 New faculty in the Department Philosophy medals and awards Philosophy Theses for 2005 WHAT’S NEW IN THE DEPARTMENT @X It has been an interesting and busy year in Philosophy @ StFX, and 2005-06 promises to be the same. In the fall, the Department will be offering a number of courses for the first time – Philosophy of Law (Phil 372), Social and Political Philosophy (Phil 371) and Ethics in Health and Medicine (Phil 366). We will also be offering a senior seminar on the Philosophy of Immanuel Kant (Phil 460). A new professor, Dr. John Cook, will be joining the Department of Philosophy in the fall – he is our second new faculty member in as many years. (Read more about Dr. Cook on page 3.) In the past year, several books have been published by professors in the Department, and Department members continue to be invited to give lectures across Canada and around the world. The StFX Philosophy Club has been active as well – and their new T-shirts are one of the “must have” items of 2005. The breadth and range of study and research – by students and by faculty – in Philosophy at StFX is FACULTY OF THE remarkable. The quality of our teaching and research DEPARTMENT OF PHILOSOPHY has been long recognised. Dr. Steven Baldner received Back row (left to right): Louis Groarke, William Sweet the University’s Distinguished Teaching Award in (Chair), James Mensch. 2004, and Dr. William Sweet received its Research Front row (left to right): Stephen Baldner, Award in 2001. Inside this newsletter you’ll see some Christopher Byrne, Laura Byrne. Missing: Ed Carty of the reasons why, in its last external assessment, the reviewers stated that the “Philosophy Department is almost certainly the best small department in the country." FACULTY NEWS Professor Steven Baldner’s article on “Thomas Aquinas on Celestial Matter” was accepted for publication Department Chair Professor William Sweet has been in The Thomist. In February of last year, he gave a seminar actively involved in teaching and research, both at home at Blackfriars, Oxford, on “Aquinas on Prime Matter and and abroad, over the past year. the Heavens” – where he undoubtedly scotched the This year Professor Sweet has taught ‘Contemporary theories of Professor Christopher Byrne. Last November, Anglo-American Philosophy’ – which he reminds us he he presented commentaries – on papers on “Scientific lived through as an undergraduate and a graduate student Reporting, Imagination, and Neo-Aristotelian Realism,” – as well as a pilot course in Health Care Ethics. and on “The Commensurability of Thomistic Natural Last summer, Professor Sweet lectured in India, China, Philosophy and Cartesian Mechanics” – at the meetings of Thailand, and in Europe. He gave the Principal William the Society for Thomistic Natural Philosophy, held with Miller Lectures at the University of Madras (India), and the American Catholic Philosophical conference meetings also taught a graduate course in philosophy of religion at in Miami, Florida. Prof. Baldner will be on sabbatical leave Dharmaram College in Bangalore, India. As well, he gave a in 2005-06. series of 9 lectures at the Fu Jen University in Taiwan, where he held the Lokuang Chair in Philosophy and ₪ Culture. Professor Christopher Byrne has been continuing his Later this spring, Prof. Sweet flies to Seoul, Korea, and to research on Aristotle and Plato’s natural science and their Helsinki, Finland, where he is on the Programme views on the relation between physical necessity and the Committee for the World Congress of Philosophy that will good. He gave a presentation at the recent Western be held in 2008. He will also be participating in a Canadian Philosophy Association conference, entitled conference on “Dialogues among Cultures” to be held in “How much do Aristotle’s Formal Causes explain about Asia this spring. Natural Substances?” – his answer was, “not everything In the past year, three of his (edited) books have been permanent about them” – and is currently writing a paper published – Approaches to Metaphysics, The Philosophy entitled “Aristotle’s Definition of the Soul and the Material of History: a re-examination, and To the Mountain – as Cause of Biological Organisms.” well as his 3 volume critical edition of Early Responses to Professor Byrne is the Co-ordinator of the Classical British Idealism. Professor Sweet’s latest (edited) book, Studies Programme at StFX. In 2005-06, he will be Politics, Ethics, and the Challenges to Democracy in the teaching courses in Ancient Greek Philosophy and in 'New Independent States', will appear in April 2005. the Classics program, as well as a section of the Introductory course in Philosophy. Early Responses to British Idealism Responses to B. Jowett, T.H. Green, E. Caird and W Wallace William Sweet Early Responses to British Idealism, a three-volume set of essays, edited, annotated, and introduced by Professor William Professor Steven Baldner imposing ‘form’ on Professor Sweet, gathers responses to the major writings of the leading figures of the British idealist movement of the late 19th and early Christopher Byrne’s ‘prime matter’. 20th centuries. These volumes were published in late 2004 by Thoemmes Continuum Press. 2 ₪ Last May, Dr. Groarke participated in a Symposium on Professor Laura Byrne continues to pursue her interests Ancient and Medieval Logic (“Aristotle’s Theory of on topics in modern philosophy. Her research, at present, Definition: Posterior Analytics II:3-10”) which bears on focuses on Spinoza’s ethical theory and Early Modern Definition: Posterior Analytics II:3-10”) which bears on natural philosophy, particularly the development of the some issues in his forthcoming book on Aristotle's notion concept of mass and the law of inertia in the 17th Century. of moral and scientific induction. A paper on Aristotle and She is currently working on a paper criticizing the biology will be presented at the Canadian Philosophical Knowledge Argument, an argument against physicalism Association meetings in London, Ontario, in May, and a In addition to teaching Introductory Philosophy, Dr. paper on “Aristotle: Moral Education In Crisis” has been Byrne also has teaching interests in the Philosophy of accepted for The Association for Core Texts and Courses Human Nature and in Modern Philosophy. (ACTC) Eleventh Annual Conference in Vancouver. ₪ ₪ Professor Edward Carty continues, after retirement Professor James Mensch’s book, Hiddenness and from StFX, to teach courses in the Department. Next year, Alterity: Philosophical and Literary Sightings of the he will offer his famous Philosophy 100 – where he lectures Unseen, will be published in March by Duquesne on Socratic dialogue – as well as teach a course in University Press. Last summer, he read papers in Introductory Latin. Olomouc, Czech Republic, at the Husserl Circle conference Professor Carty can sometimes be found in his new in Washington, D.C., in Munich, Germany, and at haunts, in MacNeil Hall, or scouring the 5th floor of International Society for the Study of European Ideas Nicholson Tower, where you may overhear him chatting in conference in Pamplona, Spain. In the fall, he presented a French with a slight Scottish brogue. In the fall, Professor paper at the October 2004 Korean-American Carty will likely be found with the St. F.X. University Rugby Phenomenology conference in Memphis, Tennessee, and Club, where he has been he has been Coach since 1967. participated in an author meets critics session, on his book Ethics and Selfhood. In 2005-06, he will be teaching Phenomenology and ₪ Existentialism (380) as well as a Seminar on Professor Louis Groarke can usually be found in his Immanuel Kant and the Critique of Pure Reason. office into the wee hours of the morning – or at the gym, where he consciously seeks to exemplify the dictum, Mens sana in corpore sano [A healthy mind in a healthy body]. INTRODUCING This year, Dr. Groarke gave the first lecture of the new DR. JOHN COOK Dean’s Scholars Lecture Series, on October 27, 2004, on “The Meaning of Freedom.” His book, The Good Rebel, was John (“Jay”) Cook will be the subject of a special book symposium at the Canadian joining the StFX Department in the Philosophical Association meetings at the University of summer of 2005. Dr. Cook is a Manitoba last summer. Dr. Amitai Etzioni (George graduate of Memorial University and Washington University), Dr. Ralph McInerny (University of of the University of Toronto (Ph.D. Notre Dame), Dr. Jan Narveson (University of Waterloo), 2002), where he wrote a thesis on and Dr. Jason West (St. Jerome’s University) all spoke on contemporary philosophy of Dr. Groarke’s book. language. Dr. Cook has taught at Dr. Groarke continues to be active in research, Memorial University, the Universi ty of Toronto and, since particularly on themes in political philosophy. In October, 2002, at Trent University. He has published in Philosophy he presented a paper on “Dancing in Circles: Liberal in Review in his area of specialization – contemporary Justifications of Negative Rights” at the fall meeting of the analytic philosophy and the philosophy of language – but Canadian Maritain Association; Dr. Groake’s paper will be he also has a strong interest in the philosophy of science, published later this year in “Maritain Studies.” early modern philosophy, and the philosophy of law. Dr. Cook will be teaching Philosophy of Science (210), Logic (340), and Philosophy of Law (372) in the coming year. 4 PHILOSOPHY AND VIRTUE ETHICS These issues focus on the relative goods that might by achieved by war, the relative evils that engagement in war might effect, and finally the issue of ‘weighing lives.’ In the lively question period that followed Dr. Hurka’s lecture, a number of issues were raised, such as the relevance of the loyalty of commanders to their subordinates, the assignment of higher moral weight to one’s own citizens in wartime, and the obligation to rebuild or reestablish order following the ending of hostilities.