For more details, look at the ANNOUNCEMENTS box on the right.
Students — you are strongly encouraged to attend. The topics of the papers are quite varied, and there probably is something that will interest you. This conference is very informal, aimed primarily at helping philosophers in the general area to get to know one another. So show up, get stimulated, and get involved in some philosophical discussion.
Plus, free drinks and cookies.
Apply for this scholarship, if you meet the criteria. It definitely should go to a Philosophy major!
Here it is, from the pen of the inimitable Harry Caines. I cannot resist recording a few of my disagreements: phil majors don’t resemble Comic Book Guy, anthropogenic global warming is no myth, and I’m no Zen Humanist (I’m just a timid smartass). But as for Harry’s thesis, that we should have more philosophers in the program: “Yea-Yuh!” I bray.
Kent was the first philosopher at USU, and he retired just this past spring. A retirement party is being held for him this Wednesday, 3:30-5, in the Colony rooms at the TSC. Drop by to celebrate the career of this philosopher, who has done more for the Philosophy program at USU than any other single individual.
What if we don’t, but it’s hard to live with that fact? Read an interesting interview with Galen Strawson here. A representative quote:
No one can be ultimately deserving of praise or blame for anything. It’s not possible. This is very very hard to swallow, but that’s how it is. Ultimately, it all comes down to luck: luck—good or bad—in being born the way we are, luck—good or bad—in what then happens to shape us. We can’t be ultimately responsible for how we are in such a way as to have absolute, buck-stopping responsibility for what we do. At the same time, it seems we can’t help believing that we do have absolute buck-stopping responsibility.
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