Austin and Hempel Lectures
Two to four times a year, we have distinguished philosophers supported by the Austin and Hempel Fund. Austin and Hempel lecturers give a public lecture to the university community on a Thursday night and give a second talk to the philosophy department at the Friday colloquium. Graduate students take the Austin and Hempel speaker to dinner on the Friday night and there is generally plenty of opportunity over the weekend for socializing and philosophizing with these visitors.
Dr. Susan James
Birkbeck, University of London
Thursday, Nov. 12, 2009 "Narrative as the Means to Freedom, Cultivating a Co-operative Way of Life"
7:30 pm Scotiabank Auditorium, Marion McCain Building, 6135 University Avenue
Friday, Nov 13, 2009 "When does Truth Matter: The Politics of Spinoza's Philosophy"
3:30 pm, Scotia Bank Auditorium, Marion McCain Building, 6135 University Avenue
Dr. Elizabeth Anderson
University of Michigan
Sept 17, 2009 "What is Egalitarianism?"
(7:30 pm MacMechan Room, Killam Library)
Sept 18, 2009 "Expanding the Egalitarian Toolbox"
(3:30 pm, Scotia Bank Auditorium, Marion McCain Building, 6135 University Avenue)
Dr. David Copp
Department of Philosophy, University of Florida
Feb 12, 2009 "The Politics of Reasonable Disagreement: Rawls' Defense of Liberalism"
(8:00 pm, Scotia Bank Auditorium, Marion McCain Building, 6135 University Avenue)
Feb 13, 2009 "Toward a Teleological Theory of Normativity"
(3:30 pm, Scotia Bank Auditorium, Marion McCain Building, 6135 University Avenue)
"Dr. Alan Hájek
Research School of the Social Sciences, Australian National University
April 3, 2008 "Most Counterfactuals are False"
(7:30pm, Scotia Bank Auditorium, Marion McCain Building, 6135 University Avenue)
April 4, 2008 "Arrows and Haloes: Probabilities of Conditionals and Desire as Belief"
(3:30pm, Room 1130, Marion McCain Building, 6135 University Avenue)
Dr. Robert Audi
Departments of Management and Philosophy, University of Notre Dame
Oct. 11, 2007: "Intuition, Inference, and Moral Obligation"
(7:30pm, Scotia Bank Auditorium, Marion McCain Building, 6135 University Avenue)
Oct. 12, 2007: "Skepticism About the A Priori: Self-evidence, Defeasibility, and Cogito Propositions"
(3:30pm, Room 1130, Marion McCain Building, 6135 University Avenue)
Dr. Alasdair Urquhart
Department of Philosophy, University of Toronto
May 17, 2007: “P=?NP-Some Recent Thoughts.”
(7:30pm, Potter Auditorium, Kenneth C. Rowe Management Bldg, 6100 University Avenue)
May 18, 2007: The Place of Logic in Philosophy and of Philosophy in Logic.”
(3:30pm, Room 1130, Marion McCain Bldg (aka the FASS bldg), 6135 University Avenue)
Dr. Ray Jennings
Department of Philosophy, Simon Fraser University
Oct 19, 2006: "Language as Biology"
( 8:00-9:30pm, CIBC Auditorium in the Computer Science Bldg )
Oct 20, 2006:"Knowledge and Understanding"
(3:30pm-5:30pm, Scotia Bank Auditorium, McCain Bldg a.k.a FASS Bldg)
Dr. Gary Watson
Department of Philosophy, University of California Riverside
Oct 5, 2006: (Thursday): "Standing in Judgement"
(7:30-9:30pm) Scotia Bank Auditorium, Marion McCain Bldg, 6135 University Avenue).
Oct 6, 2006: (Friday): "Acceptance and Self-Acceptance"
(3:30pm-5:30pm, Room 1130, Marion McCain Bldg a.k.a FASS Bldg).
Dr. Barry Stroud
Department of Philosophy, University of California at Berkeley
March 30, 2006(Thursday) "Dissatisfactions with Subjectivism: Values and Modality". (8:00-9:30pm, Scotia Bank Auditorium, Marion McCain Bldg, 6135 University Avenue).
March 31 2006: "Metaphysics and Necessities of Thought" . (3:30pm-5:00pm, Room 1130, Marion McCain Bldg a.k.a FASS Bldg).
Dr. Terence Diffey
Department of Philosophy, University of Sussex, UK
October 20, 2005: "The Aesthetic Conception of Art" (7:00-9:00pm, Computer Science Bldg, CIBC Room 127)
October 21, 2005: "Experiencing Nature and Experiencing Art" (3:30pm-5:00pm, Ondaatje Hall, Auditorium 2, Marion McCain Bldg).
Dr. Joan C. Tronto
Department of Political Science, Hunter College, New York
March 3, 2005: “Is Peace Keeping Care Work?” (Computer Science Bldg, Room: CIBC 127)
March 4, 2005: “Democratic Caring” (Marion McCain Bldg, Room 1130)
Dr. Catherine Wilson, FRSC
Department of Philosophy, University of British Columbia
November 13, 2003: “The Aim and Structure of a Moral Theory”
November 14, 2003: “Interpreting Descartes' Sixth Meditation”
Dr. Elisabeth Lloyd
Department of History and Philosophy of Science, Indiana University
October 16, 2003: “Evolution, Sex and Bias In Science: What is Female Orgasm For?”
October 17, 2003: “Objectivity: An Anatomy”
Dr. Lloyd's visit was co-sponsored by the Department of Biochemistry, the History of Science and Technology programme (University of King's College), and Women's Studies.
Dr. Paul Griffiths
Department of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Pittsburgh
September 12, 2003: “Conceptual Analysis And The History of Science”
September 11, 2003: “What is Innateness?”
Dr. Robert Brandom
Department of Philosophy, University of Pittsburgh
April 11, 2002: “Reason, Expression, and the Philosophic Enterprise”
April 12, 2002: “Modality, Normativity, and Intentionality”
Dr. Gerald Cohen, All Souls College, Oxford University
March 10, 2001: “Facts and Principles”
(In collaboration with the Department of Political Science, Dalhousie University and with Contemporary Studies, University of King's College)
March 10, 2001: “Freedom and Money”
(In collaboration with the Department of Political Science, Dalhousie University and with Contemporary Studies, University of King's College)
April 9, 2000
Margaret Walker, Department of Philosophy, Fordham University
April 9, 2000: “Resentment and Assurance”
Dr. Claudia Card, Department of Philosophy, University of Wisconsin-Madison
April 9, 1999: “Nietzsche's Genealogy of Evil”
(Cosponsored by the Women's Studies programme of Dalhousie University)
April 8, 1999: “Women, Evil, and Gray Zones”
(Cosponsored by the Women's Studies programme of Dalhousie University)
Dr. Ruth Millikan, Department of Philosophy, University of Connecticut
November 6, 1998: “Abilities”
November 5, 1998: “The Language Thought Partnership”
Dr. Brian Barry, Department of Political Science, Columbia University
October 23, 1998: “A Theory of Group Rights”
(Cosponsored by the Department of Political Science, Dalhousie University)
October 22, 1998: “The Trouble with Culture: A Critique of Cultural Politics”
(Cosponsored by the Department of Political Science, Dalhousie University)
Dr. Paul Boghossian, Department of Philosophy, New York University
September 25, 1998: “Reasons and the A Priori”
September 24, 1998: “Relativism: The Very Idea”
Shelley Kagan, Department of Philosophy, Yale University
May 9, 1997: “Equality and Desert”
May 8, 1997: “The Evils of Death”
Dr. Virginia Held, Distinguished Professor, City University of New York
November 15, 1996: “Liberalism and the Ethics of Care”
(Cosponsored by the Women's Studies programme of Dalhousie University)
November 14, 1996: “Media Culture and Democracy”
(Cosponsored by the Women's Studies programme of Dalhousie University)
Dr. Elliott Sober, Professor of Philosophy, University of Wisconsin-Madison
July 19, 1996: “Phylogenetic Inertia”
(In cooperation with the Department of Biochemistry, Dalhousie University)
July 18, 1996: “Evolution and Optimality”
(In cooperation with the Department of Biochemistry, Dalhousie University)
Dr. Marilyn Frye, Professor of Philosophy, Michigan State University
March 1, 1996: “Postmodern Performatives: Revisiting Austin”
(In cooperation with the Women's Studies programme of Dalhousie University)
February 29, 1996: “The necessity of differences: Constructing a positive category of women”
(In cooperation with the Women's Studies programme of Dalhousie University)
Dr. Hilary Putnam, Cogan University Professor, Harvard University
October 20, 1995: “Wittgenstein & Philosophy of Mathematics”
October 19, 1995: “The Importance of Nonscientific Knowledge”
Dr. Ronald Giere, Department of Philosophy, Director, Center for Philosophy of Science
University of Minnesota
August 6, 1993: “Visual Models and Scientific Judgment”
August 5, 1993: “Undetermination, Relativism, and Perspectival Realism”
Dr. Elizabeth Spelman, Department of Philosophy, Smith College
February 12, 1993: “Slavery and Tragedy”
(In cooperation with the Women's Studies Programme of Dalhousie University)
February 11, 1993: “Changing the Subject: Studies in the Appropriation of Pain”
(In cooperation with the Women's Studies Programme of Dalhousie University)
Dr. Will Kymlicka, University of Ottawa
October 2, 1992: “Two Models of Pluralism and Tolerance”
October 1, 1992: “Moral Philosophy and Public Policy: The Case of New Reproductive Technologies”
Dr. Stephen Stich, Professor of Philosophy, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
May 20, 1992: “Intentionality and Naturalism”
May 19, 1992: “Moral Philosophy and Mental Representation”
Dr. Helen Longino, Rice University
March 20, 1992: “Essential Tensions: Feminist Philosophical & Social Studies of Science”
March 19, 1992: “Feminism & Science: Current Directions and Future Directions”
Dr. Gary Hatfield, Department of Philosophy, University of Pennsylvania
June 10, 1991: “Representation and Environmental Context”
June 10, 1991: “Rorty and Modern Philosophy”