From jlrbentley at yahoo.com.au Mon Nov 7 17:48:45 2016 From: jlrbentley at yahoo.com.au (John Bentley) Date: Mon, 7 Nov 2016 17:48:45 +1100 Subject: [SydPhil] Philorum Group @ Central. 2016-11(Nov)-08 Tue. Open Forum Message-ID: <000801d238c2$fdc54320$f94fc960$@yahoo.com.au> All welcome. Dates: 2nd Tuesdays of the month. 18:15 for a 18:30 Start. Finish 21:30 (Feel free to come and go at any point during the night.) The Members Bar, Floor 1 (Keep winding up to the top of the stairs.) The Gaelic Club 64 Devonshire Street Surry Hills 2010 NSW Sydney, Australia (100 metres from a Central railway station exit.) Cost: $3 donation. (This goes entirely to the venue). www.philorum.org View a google map at http://www.philorum.org/centralNextMeeting.html From arts.cave at mq.edu.au Tue Nov 8 11:04:34 2016 From: arts.cave at mq.edu.au (Centre for Agency, Values, and Ethics) Date: Tue, 8 Nov 2016 00:04:34 +0000 Subject: [SydPhil] Philosophy/CAVE seminar: Robert Bernasconi (Penn State), "Towards a Genealogy of the Concept of Racism", 15 November, Macquarie Uni Message-ID: Hi all, The Macquarie University Research Centre for Agency, Values, and Ethics (CAVE) and the Macquarie Philosophy Department are pleased to announce that there will be a seminar by distinguished visitor, Robert Bernasconi (Penn State) on Tuesday 15 November. Date: Tuesday 15 November 2016 Time: 13:00 - 14:30 Venue: W6A 107, Macquarie University (P12 on the campus map) (Prof. Bernasconi will also be a keynote speaker at the CAVE Workshop, The History and Philosophy of 'Race', on 17-18 November.) "Towards a Genealogy of the Concept of Racism" Abstract: One can find in the 1950 UNESCO Statement on Race a clear articulation of what became the dominant strategy for attacking racism in the aftermath of the Second World War, but its general outlines were already formulated in the 1930s by Franz Boas and Julian Huxley. Nevertheless, whereas the focus in the 1930s fell almost exclusively on isolating and discrediting the racial doctrines expounded by National Socialism, in the 1950s and 1960s decolonization and the dismantling of segregation were the central challenge. The importance of exposing the false biological theories of the 1930s should not be underestimated, nor the time it took to do so, but it was immediately apparent to Black intellectuals, like Oliver Cromwell Cox and Frantz Fanon, that the Boasian approach would fail to meet the challenges of the post-war world. In this paper I recall the contributions of Cox and Fanon, but above all I focus on how the Boasian school of anthropology came to understand racism as it did and without any thoroughgoing examination of structural racism: for the Boasians racism was not a system but a set of false scientific dogmas that could be corrected by education. I argue further that the Boasian model of racism, in addition to being unduly narrow, was based not on a study of racism at large but only on their limited understanding of a theoretical antisemitism that, while represented in one strand of Nazi racial biology, did not even extend to cover Nazi racism more broadly conceived. Finally, I make the case that until the limitations of this understanding of racism are fully acknowledged, the dominant antiracist discourse does more to protect the status quo than it serves to challenge it. About Prof. Bernasconi: Robert Bernasconi is Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of Philosophy and African American Studies at Pennsylvania State University. He is a co-editor of the journal Critical Philosophy of Race. Much of his recent work has been in the critical philosophy of race: he has written extensively on the racism of philosophers and on the history of the concept of race, but he also addresses current issues, such as police violence and the way race is perpetuated through its spatialisation. In addition he is a specialist on Hegel and continental philosophy more generally and he has written two books on Heidegger and one on Sartre. Among his current projects is a genealogy of the concept of racism. He is also engaged in a study of the ways in which most of those we consider the major philosophers of the eighteenth century addressed - or failed to address - the issues raised by the slave trade with a special concern for the implications of this knowledge for how the history of philosophy and ethics should be taught. All welcome, no registration required! Macquarie University Research Centre for Agency, Values and Ethics (CAVE) Department of Philosophy Macquarie University Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia CAVE website: mq.edu.au/cave www.facebook.com/MQCAVE -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From toby.solomon at anu.edu.au Wed Nov 9 12:15:17 2016 From: toby.solomon at anu.edu.au (Toby Solomon) Date: Wed, 9 Nov 2016 01:15:17 +0000 Subject: [SydPhil] 2nd Call for Tenders: APPC 2017 Message-ID: CALL FOR TENDERS TO HOST THE 2017 AUSTRALASIAN POSTGRADUATE PHILOSOPHY CONFERENCE: The Postgraduate Committee to the AAP is welcoming proposals from postgraduates from any institution in Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore with a postgraduate philosophy program to organise and host the 2017 Australasian Postgraduate Philosophy Conference (APPC). ABOUT THE APPC The APPC is usually a three-day conference and provides the opportunity for postgraduate students from Australasia to present their work, debate their ideas, receive feedback from peers and form collaborations across institutions. Hosting the conference provides the opportunity to gain valuable experience in conference organisation and committee management as well as promoting your university's philosophy program. For over two decades, APPCs have included discussions with other graduates, meetings with successful philosophers, career seminars and/or publishing workshops (e.g. with the editor of the Australasian Journal of Philosophy). Recent conferences have been held in Canberra, Adelaide, Sydney and Auckland. ABOUT BIDS A successful bid will justify their selection of the conference dates and will likely contain a budget with an indication of expected funding sources, a conference planning timeline, and brief details of local facilities (including accommodation options). Bidders are encouraged to be both realistic and creative with their bids. Our comprehensive APPC Hosting Guide can be sent upon request, and we are happy to assist organisers with any further questions that they might have. Bids for the 2017 APPC close December 31st. Bidders are not restricted to groups from a single university and it may be helpful in terms of funding sources and organising resources to link up with others from local institutions. CONTACTS If you are interested in hosting the 2017 APPC, or would like any further information about hosting an APPC, including the APPC Hosting Guide, please contact Toby Solomon (toby.solomon at anu.edu.au). Toby Solomon Ph.D Candidate School of Philosophy Rm 4106 Coombs Building ANU -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From arts.cave at mq.edu.au Wed Nov 9 14:18:36 2016 From: arts.cave at mq.edu.au (Centre for Agency, Values, and Ethics) Date: Wed, 9 Nov 2016 03:18:36 +0000 Subject: [SydPhil] CAVE Public Lecture: David Matas, "Policy and Law for Australia to Prevent Complicity in Foreign Transplant Abuse" (Nov 23, Macquarie) Message-ID: Hi all, You are invited to the annual Macquarie University Research Centre for Agency, Values, and Ethics (CAVE) public lecture. We are pleased to announce that this year's lecture will be given by international human rights lawyer David Matas on the issue of foreign organ transplant abuse. Because of a shortage of organs, patients in need of transplants wait long periods. Some become desperate enough to undertake transplant tourism involving unethically sourced organs. What are the professional ethical and legal standards that Australia could develop to prevent complicity in foreign transplant abuse? David will discuss national and international standards that minimise local complicity in organ transplant abuse, drawing on his expertise on Chinese sourcing of organs from executed prisoners of conscience. "Policy and Law for Australia to Prevent Complicity in Foreign Transplant Abuse" Date: Wednesday 23 November 2016 (2 weeks today!) Time: 18:00 - 20:00 Venue: W5A Theatre 2, Macquarie University (O14 on the campus map) All are welcome but please register for catering purposes. Register here: Link. Abstract: Various professional and international organizations have developed standards to avoid local complicity in foreign transplant abuse, such as receiving unethically sourced organs. This lecture will run through what those standards are. There is substantial evidence of transplant abuse in China. The standards will be applied, in the form of a case study, to indicate what can be done to avoid complicity in transplant abuse in China. I consider what professional, national and international institutions both have done and could do to reduce complicity. For professional institutions, the talk will address how the standards apply to The Transplantation Society and the World Medical Association. For international institutions, the talk will consider the standards in relation to the European Union, the World Health Organization, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the UN Office for Drugs and Crimes. For national institutions, the talk will consider standards in Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. About David: David Matas is an international human rights lawyer, author and researcher based in Winnipeg and currently acts as Senior Honorary Counsel for B?nai Brith Canada. He has served the government of Canada in numerous positions including as member of the Canadian delegation to the United Nations Conference on an International Criminal Court; the Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research; and the Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe Conferences on Antisemitism and Intolerance. He has also been involved in several different organizations, including the Canadian Helsinki Watch Group, Beyond Borders, Amnesty International, and the Canadian Council for Refugees. Mr Matas has received numerous awards and honors, including the Manitoba Bar Association Distinguished Service Award in 2008, the Order of Canada in 2009, the Canadian Bar Association National Citizenship and Immigration Section Achievement Award in 2009, and the International Society for Human Rights Swiss Section Human Rights Prize in 2010. In 2006, Mr Matas co-authored Bloody Harvest: Organ Harvesting of Falun Gong Practitioners in China alongside Hon. David Kilgour. Both Mr Matas and Mr Kilgour were nominated for the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize for this work. David Matas is a co-author of the 2016 investigative report An Update to Bloody Harvest and The Slaughter. The report meticulously examines the transplant programs of hundreds of hospitals in China, drawing on media reports, official propaganda, medical journals, hospital websites and a vast amount of deleted websites found in archives. His other works include Why Did You Do That? The Autobiography of a Human Rights Advocate; Justice Delayed: Nazi War Criminals in Canada with Susan Charendoff; Closing the Doors: The Failure of Refugee Protection with Ilana Simon; No More: The Battle Against Human Rights Violations; Bloody Words: Hate and Free Speech; and Aftershock: Antisemitism and Anti-Zionism. All welcome! Macquarie University Research Centre for Agency, Values and Ethics (CAVE) Department of Philosophy Macquarie University Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia CAVE website: mq.edu.au/cave www.facebook.com/MQCAVE -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From prp at unsw.edu.au Wed Nov 9 22:18:50 2016 From: prp at unsw.edu.au (Paul Patton) Date: Wed, 9 Nov 2016 11:18:50 +0000 Subject: [SydPhil] FW: [Ascp-news] Fw: UNSW So, What? Lecture - The Posthuman Condition with Prof Rosi Braidotti Message-ID: So, What? Lecture Series View this email in your browser [https://gallery.mailchimp.com/ce2b24ac496198804ce9e22c5/images/e160c5cc-4aed-46a9-981f-eec5e20a5623.jpg] The Posthuman Condition In this lecture Professor Rosi Bradotti from Utrecht University outlines the main features of the so-called 'post-human' turn in contemporary cultural theory. This theory focuses on three main concerns: firstly the fast-shifting perception of 'the human' at the intersection of advanced technologies, philosophies of the subject and the Life sciences. Secondly, the effects of economic globalization as a system that entails the capitalization of the informational codes of all that lives and that creates enormous economic and social disparities. Thirdly, the impact of wars, terrorism and conflicts in contemporary governmentality and the new forms of violence they engender on a planetary scale. Last but not least, the lecture examines the implications of this historical context for transformative, affirmative politics in general and cultural practice in particular. Wednesday, 23 November 2016 Tyree Room, John Niland Scientia Building UNSW Kensington (map ref G19) 6.00pm Registration and Cocktail Reception 6.30pm - 7.30pm Lecture and Q&A Q&A facilitated by Professor Vanessa Lemm from UNSW Arts & Social Sciences. Register [https://gallery.mailchimp.com/ce2b24ac496198804ce9e22c5/images/1a8c2ddf-4acf-45ee-bc78-64804d0c6deb.jpg] Rosi Braidotti is Distinguished University Professor at Utrecht University and founding Director of the Centre for the Humanities in Utrecht since 2007. Rosi Braidotti's research and writing engages feminist philosophy and cultural studies. She is especially interested in poststructuralism and critical theory as well as epistemology and Deleuze studies. Read More So, what? is our flagship public lecture series in UNSW Arts & Social Sciences. This progressive public lecture series showcases the work of leading UNSW researchers and research collaborators. The series aims to challenge and inform public debate and understanding by pushing the boundaries of academic discourse in areas of contemporary humanities and social sciences Find out more about our So, what? panel discussion series. [https://cdn-images.mailchimp.com/icons/social-block-v2/color-twitter-48.png] [https://cdn-images.mailchimp.com/icons/social-block-v2/color-facebook-48.png] [https://cdn-images.mailchimp.com/icons/social-block-v2/color-link-48.png] Copyright ? 2016 UNSW Arts and Social Sciences, All rights reserved. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From calendar-notification at google.com Thu Nov 10 13:00:02 2016 From: calendar-notification at google.com (Google Calendar) Date: Thu, 10 Nov 2016 02:00:02 +0000 Subject: [SydPhil] Notification: Paul Griffiths @ Wed 16 Nov 2016 13:00 - 14:30 (Seminars) Message-ID: <001a114d90504c3e010540e8bbc1@google.com> This is a notification for: Title: Paul Griffiths Comparing causes: an information-theoretic approach to specificity, proportionality and stability It would be useful if the interventionist account of causation, in addition to distinguishing causes from non-causes, could define various desirable properties of causal relationships. Amongst these properties are specificity, proportionality and stability. In earlier work we offered an information theoretic analysis of causal specificity, using an approach which parallels existing work in complex systems science. Here we extend this approach to proportionality and stability. First, we show that the interventionist criterion of causation, ?minimal invariance?, is formally equivalent to non-zero specificity. We then show that there are natural, information theoretic ways to explicate the distinction between potential and actual causal influence. With these foundations in place we show that there is a natural information-theoretic approach to describing causal variables that explicates the idea that causes should be proportional to their effects. Then we draw a clear distinction between two ideas in the existing literature, the range of invariance of a causal relationship and its stability. Range of invariance is simply specificity. Stability concerns the effect of additional variables on the relationship between some focal pair of cause and effect variables. We show that in an information theoretic framework there is an important distinction between the extent to which these additional variables influence the effect and the extent to which they influence the relationship between the focal cause and effect variable. We show how to measure the influence of additional variables in both these respects. The overall result of this work is to provide precise explications of a whole family of intuitive notions associated with the interactionist account of causation. In principle, these properties can now all be measured on a causal graph. When: Wed 16 Nov 2016 13:00 ? 14:30 Eastern Time - Melbourne, Sydney Where: Sydney Uni, Muniment Room Calendar: Seminars Who: * Sam Shpall- creator Event details: https://www.google.com/calendar/event?action=VIEW&eid=djk0bWNqMjE4YnIwbHUybXF0aWZsMTl2YzAgMm1lN2M3ZnIzb21wbDRyaHZrcG1sYTUzNjhAZw Invitation from Google Calendar: https://www.google.com/calendar/ You are receiving this email at the account sydphil at arts.usyd.edu.au because you are subscribed for notifications on calendar Seminars. To stop receiving these emails, please log in to https://www.google.com/calendar/ and change your notification settings for this calendar. Forwarding this invitation could allow any recipient to modify your RSVP response. Learn more at https://support.google.com/calendar/answer/37135#forwarding -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From alex.lefebvre at sydney.edu.au Fri Nov 11 10:41:28 2016 From: alex.lefebvre at sydney.edu.au (Alexandre Lefebvre) Date: Thu, 10 Nov 2016 23:41:28 +0000 Subject: [SydPhil] FW: Messianic Politics and Sacred Violence - Conference & Workshop, UNSW Nov 18-24 In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <8EFDAA2A-6A2C-4DD0-9B98-BE00DD74AA3A@sydney.edu.au> Apologies for cross-posting. From: SOPHI Research > Date: Friday, 11 November 2016 10:38 am Cc: "Robert.Buch at unsw.edu.au" > Subject: Messianic Politics and Sacred Violence - Conference & Workshop, UNSW Nov 18-24 To: FASS Academic Staff and HDR Students On behalf of: Dr Robert Buch, School of Humanities & Languages, UNSW Flyer also attached, more info here - https://hal.arts.unsw.edu.au/events/conference-and-workshop-cycle-messianic-politics-and-sacred-violence-critical-paradigms-of-the-present-/ [cid:image003.png at 01D23C07.CCBBC0E0] -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image003.png Type: image/png Size: 336124 bytes Desc: image003.png URL: From philosophy at westernsydney.edu.au Fri Nov 11 14:36:09 2016 From: philosophy at westernsydney.edu.au (PhilosophyatWesternSydney) Date: Fri, 11 Nov 2016 03:36:09 +0000 Subject: [SydPhil] Philosophy at Western Sydney's College of Fellows Inaugural Conference Message-ID: The Philosophy Research Initiative at Western Sydney University is pleased to announce the College of Fellows Inaugural Conference. The College of Fellows is a group of internationally recognized scholars in Continental Philosophy with formal ties to the Philosophy Research Initiative at Western Sydney University. The College of Fellows Inaugural Conference will take place at the Female Orphan School at the Parramatta Campus of Western Sydney University on Thursday 24 and Friday 25 November 2016. All Welcome. COLLEGE OF FELLOWS INAUGURAL CONERENCE FEMALE ORPHAN SCHOOL, WESTERN SYDNEY UNIVERSITY Room EZ.G.23, PARRAMATTA CAMPUS THURSDAY, 24 NOVEMBER 2016: 9:45am Introduction: Dennis J. Schmidt, Professor & Chair, Philosophy Research Initiative, Western Sydney University 10:00am-11:15 am Alex Ling, Western Sydney University, Chair Walter Brogan, Villanova University ?Ipseity, Homesickness, and Fear of the Other: Derrida on Heidegger on Animality? Response: Chris Peterson, Western Sydney University 11:30am-1:00pm Kristi Sweet, Texas A&M, Chair Ewa Ziarek, University of Buffalo "Toward Narrative Bios: Arendt on the Politics of Storytelling? Response: Dimitris Vardoulakis, Western Sydney University Lunch 1:00pm-2:00pm 2:00pm-3:30pm Michael Olson, Macquarie University, Chair Andrew Mitchell, Emory University "The Politics of Artistic Mastery: Fichte and Schiller" Response: Jennifer Mensch, Western Sydney University 3:30pm-5:00pm Peter Banki, WSU, Chair Matthias Fritsch, Concordia University, Canada ?Deconstructive Normativity? Response: Mark Kelly, Western Sydney University 5:00pm Welcome and some remarks about the College of Fellows Professor Peter Hutchings, Dean of Humanities and Communication Arts, Western Sydney University Open Reception: 5:30pm-7:30pm (Boilerhouse Restaurant on campus) FRIDAY, 25 NOVEMBER 2016: 10:00am-11:15 am Krzysztof Ziarek, University of Buffalo, Chair Gregg Lambert, Syracuse University ?Friend-Enemy Couple?: Derrida and Schmitt? Response: Jess Whyte, Western Sydney University 11:30am-1:00pm Amanda Third, Western Sydney University, Chair Peg Birmingham, DePaul University "Recovering the Sensus Communis: Hannah Arendt and Political Affectivity" Response: Charles Barbour, Western Sydney University Lunch 1:00pm-2:00pm 2:00pm-3:30pm Anna Yeatman, Western Sydney University, Chair Stephen Palmquist, Hong Kong Baptist University "Hugo on Kant? Jean Valjean?s Atonement as an Example of the Kantian Archetype of Perfect Humanity" Response: Paul Alberts-Dezeeuw, Western Sydney University 3:30pm-5:00pm Anthony Uhlmann, Western Sydney University, Chair Ted George, Texas A&M University ?Halting Conversation? Response: Diego Bubbio, Western Sydney University PLEASE NOTE: COFFEE/TEA/JUICES/PASTRIES/COOKIES WILL BE PROVIDED STARTING AT 9:30 EACH DAY AND AVAILABLE DURING THE CONFERENCE. LUNCH WILL BE A BUFFET LUNCH IN THE CONFERENCE ROOM. THERE WILL BE MANY VEGETARIAN OPTIONS AVAILABLE. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From m.valaris at unsw.edu.au Fri Nov 11 15:07:08 2016 From: m.valaris at unsw.edu.au (Markos Valaris) Date: Fri, 11 Nov 2016 04:07:08 +0000 Subject: [SydPhil] Franziska Felder @ UNSW, Tu 15 Nov Message-ID: You are all welcome to an event at the Philosophy seminar series at UNSW. Speaker: Franziska Felder (University of Zurich) Title: Being a part: the normative foundations of inclusive education Venue: MB 209 Date and Time: 15 November 2016, 12:30 Abstract: Inclusion is arguably one of the most important values in education today. It has even been given legally binding force in states that have ratified the UN Convention for the Rights of People with Disabilities. The Convention requires an inclusive educational system at all levels. However, there is still much confusion about what inclusion means and why it is important from a moral point of view. I will argue that recognition theory can help us a long way in reconstructing and evaluating the task of inclusion. Markos Valaris Senior Lecturer in Philosophy Associate Editor, Australasian Journal of Philosophy University of New South Wales Phone: +(61) 2 9385 2760 (office) Personal webpage: markosvalaris.net -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From michael.david.kirchhoff at gmail.com Sun Nov 13 11:21:46 2016 From: michael.david.kirchhoff at gmail.com (michael kirchhoff) Date: Sun, 13 Nov 2016 11:21:46 +1100 Subject: [SydPhil] UOW Workshop on "The Origins of the Symbolic Mind" Message-ID: *Workshop on the origins of the symbolic mind * Wednesday 16th November 2016 Northfield?s Campus, University of Wollongong 14:00-16:00, Research Hub (19.2072), Building 19 Dates for the first appearances of crucial technological innovations and symbolic material culture are continually being pushed back in time. This trend contradicts the theory that a mutation related to brain function caused a sudden and relatively recent cognitive revolution in our lineage. However, the alternative theory of gradual biological evolution may not fit the archaeological record, either. Traditions within populations are discontinuous in time and space, while independent populations can converge on common practices. Accordingly, there is a growing consensus that changes in the archaeological record of human behavior are better explained by changes in local conditions, such as ecology, demography, and culture. What does this consensus tell us about the origins of symbolic cognition? Given increasingly older dates for key innovations and the shift in explanatory focus from internal biology to external factors, the mainstream argument is that cognitive modernity must be much older than previously thought. The workshop will critically evaluate the assumed identification of biological continuity with cognitive continuity. It will also consider to what extent cognitive capacities are innate and context independent, and will explore the tensions between such a nativist theory of cognition and recent developments in cognitive science, which emphasize that cognition is scaffolded, extended, and even constituted by behavioral practices. Contributions to this workshop will consider possible explanations of distinctive features of symbolic minds ? explanations that may depend not only or mainly on having the right kind of biological capacities but more pivotally on transforming them via interaction with the appropriate culturally created local conditions. This workshop brings together archaeologists and philosophers working at the University of Wollongong (UOW) to explore the implications of these developments for cognitive archaeology and for cognitive science more generally. Speakers: *Alex Mackay*, Senior Lecturer, ARC DECRA Fellow, Centre for Archaeological Science, UOW *Sam Lin*, Lecturer, Centre for Archaeological Science, UOW *Zenobia Jacobs (TBC)*, Professor, ARC QEII Research Fellow, Centre for Archaeological Science, UOW *Tom Froese*, Vice Chancellor?s International Scholar, School of Humanities and Social Inquiry, UOW *Daniel D. Hutto*, Professor of Philosophical Psychology, School of Humanities and Social Inquiry, UOW All welcome. Best, Michael *Dr. Michael D. Kirchhoff * Lecturer in Philosophy School of Humanities and Social Enquiry Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts University of Wollongong NSW 2522 Australia -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: