Philosophy Student Conference

Fifth Annual Philosophy Student Conference

This is the call for papers for the fifth annual Philosophy Student Conference at the University of Georgia. The conference will be held at Peabody Hall, University of Georgia, Room 115 on Saturday, March 30th. (phone(706)-542-2823). The deadline for submissions is March 9th. Following the deadline, all submissions will be reviewed and selections will be made, with notifications sent to all no later than Saturday, March 16th, 2012. It is the committee's intent to accommodate as many of the student papers submitted as possible. Papers will be followed with discussion.

Paper Submission Guidelines:

• The colloquium is open to any undergraduate student. Papers submitted can be on any topic of serious philosophical concern and are to be between a minimum of 1, 500 words and a maximum of 3,000 words.
• Please prepare paper for blind review. Include cover letter and provide no identifying information in paper.

Submissions should be sent by e-mail attachment (word document) to:
ugaphilosophyclub@gmail.com

Phi Sigma Tau-University of Georgia Chapter

An Interview with Philosopher Hilary Kornblith

3:AM: What made you become a philosopher? Has it turned out to be what you imagined? 

Hilary Kornblith

Hilary Kornblith: When I was in high school, I read a lot of existentialist novels and plays – Dostoevsky, Camus, Sartre – and I went on from there to read Nietzsche and some of Sartre’s essays and Being and Nothingness. When I got to college, I planned to be a math major, and, in addition to signing up for some math courses, I decided to take some philosophy. Quite by chance, I took a philosophy of science course in which the entire semester was devoted to reading Locke’s Essay. I was hooked. For the next few semesters, I took nothing but philosophy and math courses, and it wasn’t long before I realised that it was the philosophy that really moved me. I don’t know whether I can say that having a career in philosophy has turned out as I imagined, since in many ways I had little idea of what such a life would be like. But philosophy is still tremendously exciting to me, and the opportunity to think, and talk, and write about these issues has been wonderful.

On reflection: Interview with Hilary Kornblith » 3:AM Magazine

The Right to Bear Arms?

Do you have a right to own a gun? Take the poll below.

Be sure to attend our Philosophers' Cafe on February 22 when discuss Gun Violence

What Is Consciousness?

Philosopher Ned Block talks about consciousness and the "inner eye."



What Is Consciousness? Go to the Video! | Observations, Scientific American Blog Network

The Normal Well-Tempered Mind

Dan Dennett talks about "selfish neurons" and the well-tempered mind.

Dan Dennett

We're beginning to come to grips with the idea that your brain is not this well-organized hierarchical control system where everything is in order, a very dramatic vision of bureaucracy. In fact, it's much more like anarchy with some elements of democracy. Sometimes you can achieve stability and mutual aid and a sort of calm united front, and then everything is hunky-dory, but then it's always possible for things to get out of whack and for one alliance or another to gain control, and then you get obsessions and delusions and so forth. 

You begin to think about the normal well-tempered mind, in effect, the well-organized mind, as an achievement, not as the base state, something that is only achieved when all is going well, but still, in the general realm of humanity, most of us are pretty well put together most of the time. This gives a very different vision of what the architecture is like, and I'm just trying to get my head around how to think about that.

THE NORMAL WELL-TEMPERED MIND | Edge.org

Philosophy Movies

The Film and Philosophy series continues this spring the second Friday of each month at 3:00 in the Digitorium.

Female Philosophers Shake Up Their Field

Philosophy has been slow to change:

Most philosophy departments and conference meetings are still saturated with men. More than 80 percent of full-time faculty members in philosophy are male, compared with just 60 percent for the professoriate as a whole, according to 2003 data compiled by the U.S. Education Department, the latest available.

But it is changing.

Ms. Alcoff [President of the Eastern Division APA] and other women say that despite the overwhelmingly male nature of their discipline, faculty members picked her as president in part because those who vote in the association's elections are more likely than others to endorse change, and because the association's nominating committee assembled a diverse slate of presidential candidates, including a black male and two feminist philosophers. "One of my goals is to increase diversity," Amy Ferrer, the association's new executive director, told The Chronicle.

At NKU about 25% of our majors are female. And only one of our five tenured faculty is female. We have few opportunities to hire new faculty, but we can do more to attract more female majors and minors.  Any suggestions?

We will offer PHI 311 Philosophy of Woman in the fall. Look for it.

Female Philosophers Shake Up Their Field - Faculty - The Chronicle of Higher Education (Firewall)

Are Babies Born Good?

"New research offers surprising answers to the age-old question of where morality comes from"

Are Babies Born Good? | Science & Nature | Smithsonian Magazine

Knowledge, Innovation, and Integration (in Philosophy)

Here's an interview video we made with Integrative Studies last year. The topics included generating knowledge within philosophy, innovation and integration.

The best books of 2012 from The Philosophers Magazine

There are some good books on this list.

With 2012 safely behind us, we ask TPM’s reviewers to select a favourite book published last year (give or take a few months), taking into account our commitment to the twin virtues of philosophical rigour and readability. As a slightly late stocking stuffer, we offer you this rich, juicy and still mildly festive list of philosophy books which are both illuminating and enjoyable.

The best books of 2012 | The Philosophers Magazine