Philosophy@Utah State

… in a supercomputer. See Henry Markram’s TEDtalk here.

See the schedule, over in the “Announcements” box on the right. All are certainly welcome; the presentations have breaks among them so you can move among rooms if you like. Also, if you’re interested in dining with the philosophers, let Huenemann know.

Some students are starting up a petition to have a Middle East Studies program here at USU. Here’s the info from an email I recently received:

> The Utah State Middle East Club is petitioning the University to begin
> offering classes focused on the Middle East. Specifically, we are
> asking for classes in Political Science, History, Religious Studies,
> and Arabic.
>
> Our long term goal is to have a Middle Eastern Studies program at Utah
> State; our short term goal is simply to let President Albrecht, the
> Provost, and Dean Niemann know that there are students interested in
> this critical area of this world.
>
> If you see the need for Middle East-centered curriculum at Utah State,
> please see the attached petition sheet. Representatives from the club
> will be coming around to as many classes as possible and sending the
> petition around. If you are able to help us in the petitioning
> effort, we need as many people as possible to print out the petition
> and send it around in their classes. If you have any questions or
> comments, please email us at usu.mec@gmail.com, or at any of our
> personal addresses.
>
> Thanks, and we hope to hear from you!
> The Middle East Club
>
> Rob Jepson – President
> robmjepson@gmail.com
> (801) 995-3336

This may be of interest to our many students who are also interested in Religious Studies. A reader over on Huenemanniac provided this link to a very interesting lecture (by my mentor, Edwin Curley) on whether the Hebrew Bible can possibly be read as portraying a morally admirable divine being. Be sure to also watch Peter van Inwagen’s reply; and Curley’s reply to the reply. Very engaging dialogue.

What is it like to be a Buddhist in America?
Dr. Charles Prebish, Redd Chair of Religious Studies
Utah State University

Wednesday, November 4
Noon
Room FAC 220

Read this.

Try this sentence generator! (Just kidding; any students in my classes making use of it will have holes drilled into their heads.)

I just placed 6 copies of Dialogue (Phi Sigma Tau’s undergraduate journal in philosophy) in the envelope on my door. They’re free — first come, first serve!

from the University of Utah’s undergraduate journal of philosophy. Click here for more details.

Note the change in day and time for our Philosophy Brown Bag. Fridays at 11:30 seems to work better for some students, with no complaints from the others who were there last Wednesday.