Autumn 2012 Newsletter

One of the best moments of the academic year is graduation. Parents are beaming with pride as they see their children graduate. Students are full of satisfaction for having completed their studies and are excited about moving on to new projects and prospects. It is a chance for faculty to reflect with satisfaction on the year's work. Even in the midst of the worst recession in years, we can be thankful for the students who take our classes, read difficult books, and enthusiastically engage with… Read more
On May 23rd we celebrated Professor Ken Clatterbaugh's retirement. Ken is teaching his last class this autumn quarter. It is an honors seminar called, "Philosophy over Lunch," and it covers the long and somewhat antagonistic history of philosophy and religion. To recognize Ken, and the legacy he leaves behind, the Philosophy Advisory Board has created the Ken Clatterbaugh Endowed Scholarship fund. This fund supports scholarships for undergraduate philosophy majors. We are very close to our… Read more
Bob Richman will be remembered for his big heart, his modesty, his wit, and his intelligence. Bob died on July 30, 2011, at the age of 88. He never expected to live so long. Since the males in his family had always died young, he was surprised that he lived into his sixties and astonished that he almost reached 90. His longevity was due in part to his love of hiking. He would regularly drive to Mount Rainier for a day hike. When he had a class he would often walk from his house in Madrona to… Read more
Professor Arthur Fine's contributions to the field of Philosophy of Science were celebrated at this year's meeting of the Pacific Division of the American Philosophical Association. Colleagues, students, and former students of Arthur gathered to celebrate his work with a symposium and reception, which honored the 25th anniversary of his book, The Shaky Game: Einstein Realism and the Quantum Theory. University of Washington Professor John Manchak, who specializes in Philosophy of… Read more
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The Northwest Center for Philosophy for Children had another year of expansion, with the help of a three-year grant from the Squire Family Foundation. Some of the highlights of the year include: Sending UW students and Center staff into five different primary and secondary schools where they facilitated classes that reached over 300 young people. Monthly sessions with teachers at John Muir Elementary School in Seattle, as well as other workshops for teachers and graduate students exploring how… Read more
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The 4th annual Rabinowitz Symposium in medical ethics was a huge success! It was titled, "Disordering Personalities? Psychiatric Diagnosis and Moral Responsibility." The first talk, by philosopher Nancy Potter (University of Louisville), focused on oppositional defiant disorder, with discussion of radicalized attributions of defiance in the school system, concerns about motivations for diagnosis and treatment, and the possibility of a virtue of defiance. Next, medical anthropologist Rebecca… Read more
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Our Advisory Board advises the department chair, supports the department's community and public relations activities, and assists in implementing the department's fund development and outreach efforts. For the fourth year, the board funded the department's Outreach Coordinator, Kate Goldyn, and worked with her to organize and carry out fund-raising and outreach initiatives. The board also collectively donated one of the lead gifts ($51,500) for the Ken Clatterbaugh Endowed Fund, which honors… Read more
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Faculty Michael Blake was promoted to full professor. Stephen Gardiner was on sabbatical leave this year as a visiting fellow at the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study (Fall 2011), as a H.L.A. Hart Fellow at the Oxford Centre for Ethics and Philosophy of Law at Oxford University (Winter 2012), and as a Visiting Fellow at the Smith School for Enterprise and the Environment at Oxford University (Spring 2012). Arthur Fine's contributions to the field of Philosophy of Science were celebrated… Read more
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Hypatia has been hosted by UW for four eventful years. Over this time, four philosophy graduate students have kept the journal on the rails; Asia Ferrin will continue as Managing Editor for this final year, joined by Elizabeth Scarbrough who replaced Rachel Fredericks as Editorial Assistant. Alison Wylie, the senior editor for this five-year editorial term, is especially proud of two special features that appeared inHypatia this past year: A new Hypatia Virtual Issue… Read more
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Caroline Simon, Ph.D., 1986 Simon, Professor and Interim Dean for the Social Sciences at Hope College, MI, received a "2012 Distinguished Woman Leader Award" from the Michigan American Council on Education (ACE) Network for Women Leaders in Higher Education. Dr. Simon has been a Hope College faculty member since 1988. Along with teaching, she has also served in a variety of administrative capacities. She specializes in ethics with an emphasis on the use of literature in moral reflection.… Read more
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Thank you for your support! Gifts to the department are crucial to our success in enhancing educational opportunities for our students. Undergraduate student awards, scholarships, and resources for graduate fellowships would not be possible without the support of our donors. We also depend upon donated funds to develop and promote new programs, such as philosophy of science, philosophy of the environment, professional ethics, and to introduce philosophy to children. We thank the following… Read more
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