Western Washington University

Department of Philosophy

Newsletter 2005

A note from the Chair,

It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the first annual newsletter from the Department of Philosophy at Western Washington University. It has been an exciting year for us, with new faculty, new office space and new philosophical projects. Details on all these events and more can be found below. So read on and enjoy.

Sincerely,

Hud Hudson

Faculty Changes

2005 saw the official retirement of Phil Montague, who has taught at Western for nearly four decades and who has served as our department chair for many years. Fortunately for us, Phil will continue to maintain a presence in the department and will be able teach the occasional course.

2005 also saw the addition of Ryan Wasserman (Rutgers) at the rank of assistant professor. Ryan specializes in metaphysics, language and ethics. He is also a proud Western alumnus.

Finally, the department was again fortunate to host Rob Epperson as a visiting lecturer for both the 2004-5 and 2005-6 academic years.

Department News

2005 was an eventful year for our department.

In May, we hosted the 3^rd annual Northwest Student Philosophy Conference. The three-day conference – completely organized by Western undergraduates – brought together students from all around the country. It featured eight student presentations and a keynote address from Elizabeth Harman (NYU) and Sarah McGrath (Brandeis). Further details on the conference are available on-line. (link)

In August, we hosted the 6^th annual Bellingham Summer Philosophy Conference. The conference – organized this year by Hud Hudson – was a terrific success, with participants from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Scotland, Sweden and all over the United States. Proceedings from the conference will appear in a forthcoming issue of Philosophical Studies. Further details on the conference are available on-line. (link)

In December, we said goodbye to the Humanities building, which has housed our department for many years. We are now settling into the newly renovated Bond Hall, where we neighbor with the history department. The new space includes a faculty lounge, a seminar room and a larger, more functional office area for our academic department manager.

The BSPC Party.

Ned (with Ted Sider) at the BSPC.

Hud in the old office.

Hud in the new office.

Department Awards

The 2004-2005 Outstanding Graduating Major Award went to Shieva Kleinschmidt. The 2005-2006 Paul J. and Rebecca Ann Olscamp Philosophy Scholarship was awarded to Lindsay Mahony. 2005-2006 Departmental Tuition Waiver Scholarships were awarded to Matthew Paxton and Brenna Phinney. Congratulations to all!

Faculty and Staff News

Daniel Howard-Snyder In January, I presented an invited paper at Lewis and Clark College entitled “What’s wrong with skepticism about arguments from evil?” Over the summer, I wrote an article on divine hiddenness for the second edition of the Encyclopedia of Philosophy (MacMillan 2006). "On a 'Fatal Dilemma' for Moderate Foundationalism," co-authored with Christian Lee (class of ‘04) was published in Journal of Philosophical Research “Three Arguments Against Foundationalism: Arbitrariness, Epistemic Regress, and Existential Support,” co-authored with E.J. Coffman of the University of Notre Dame, was accepted for publication by the Canadian Journal of Philosophy. Many thanks to my epistemology students for kicking around some of the ideas with me in Phil 410! The highlight of my year was when Peter and William started kindergarten in September, where William is second on the chess ladder and Peter is reading at a second-grade level. I coached their soccer team this fall, and I’m slated to coach their YMCA basketball team with current major Jesse Davis. In August, I hiked the Pacific Crest Trail from Snoqualmie to White Pass (102.5 miles) in six days; that’s the segment that features Mount Rainier to the west. Next August, I intend to hike from White Pass through the Goat Rocks Wilderness, over the Columbia River, and then on to Barlow Pass, south of Mount Hood. Graduates and majors who are in shape are invited! (It’s a little under 200 miles.)

Frances Howard-Snyder This year I published several papers: “’Cannot’ implies ‘Not ought’” in Philosophical Studies, “It is the Thought that Counts,” in Utilitas, and “On these Hang all the Law and the Prophets,” in Faith and Philosophy. I have also been working on papers about promising and the ethical issues concerning future generations. The latter was helped considerably by discussion with excellent students in my seminar this fall. The biggest highlight of my year, however, was when my sons, Peter and William, started Kindergarten at St. Paul’s Episcopal School. Other highlights included a chess tournament where William won three games and qualified for the state tournament, a trip to Venice with my parents, and a visit from my extended family in August (the first time all ten of us had been together-ever!)

Hud Hudson The 2004-2005 academic year was a busy one for me. My book - The Metaphysics of Hyperspace - was accepted for publication by Oxford (and will be out in January of 2006). My little math paper, "Four Colors do not Suffice," was translated into Spanish and published in La Gaceta de la Real Sociedad Matemática Española Vol. 8, No. 2, (2005): 1-8. Frances, Ned, and I edited another special issue of Philosophical Studies with selected papers from the 2003 Bellingham Summer Philosophy Conference Vol. 123, No. 1-2, (2005). And I was fortunate enough to travel a bit - giving papers at the University of Geneva in Switzerland, the Northwest Philosophy Conference, the University of Leuven in Belgium, the University of Notre Dame, and the Inland Northwest Philosophy Conference. My boys are healthy and happy. Aris is now 15 and a sophomore at Bellingham High School, and Eli is 10 and enjoying his fifth-grade year at Columbia Elementary.

Ned Markosian I was on leave during the Winter and Spring Quarters of 2005, and spent most of my time working on a book called Things and Stuff. (It’s about the metaphysics of physical objects and the matter that constitutes them.) But I also got to do some traveling, and gave talks at Wake Forest University; Davidson College; North Carolina State University; the Pacific Division Meeting of the APA, in San Francisco; the Inland Northwest Philosophy Conference, in Moscow, ID; the Australian National University; the University of Melbourne; Monash University; the University of Sydney; Macquarie University; the Centre for Time at the University of Sydney; the University of Durham; the University of Leeds; St. Andrews University; and the University of Rochester. All of the traveling was a lot of fun, especially the trips to Australia and the U.K. In the world of print, I published a paper titled “Against Ontological Fundamentalism” in Facta Philosophica; I had a paper titled “Identifying the Problem of Personal Identity” accepted for publication in Joseph Campbell and Michael O’Rourke (eds.), Topics in Contemporary Philosophy, Volume 6: Time and Identity (MIT Press); and I had a paper titled “Restricted Composition” accepted for publication in John Hawthorne, Theodore Sider, and Dean Zimmerman (eds.), Contemporary Debates in Metaphysics (Basil Blackwell).

Ryan Wasserman This Spring I gave talks at Davidson College, the University of Rochester, the University of Colorado, the University of Massachusetts, and the University of St. Andrews. In May I completed my dissertation, The Problem of Change. That month my wife Christine also had our first baby, Benjamin Read Wasserman. In August we moved to Bellingham. In October my paper "Humean Supervenience and Personal Identity" appeared in Philosophical Quarterly. This Fall I wrote a survey paper on the problem of change for Philosophy Compass.

DeeDee Lombard 2005 included lots of planning and anticipation for our department move to Bond Hall, which was scheduled to happen (and DID) between Fall and Winter Quarter. Coordinating the move was quite exciting (and time consuming) for everyone involved. But after 13 years in the department I actually have my own office space with a view of Red Square and windows that open to the outside and not just into a hallway! Also in 2005 my daughter, Taylor, completed her 2-year accounting degree, my son, Coop, graduated from Bellingham High School, and I officially became an “old-timer”, getting my 20 year pin at WWU!

Alumni News

Shieva Kleinschmidt ('05) is in her first year in the philosophy program at Rutgers. Shieva has also presented at several conferences this year. More information is available on Shieva's homepage. (link)

Justin Klockseim ('99) is currently in the philosophy program at the University of Massachusetts, having completed his MA at Arizona State.

Brent Leonhard ('93), is the Assistant City Attorney for the City of Walla Walla. In January Brent and his wife had their first baby, Zoe. In February he assisted in oral arguments before the state Supreme Court, with the court ruling in his favor.

Kris McDaniel ('98) is now an assistant professor in philosophy at Syracuse University, having completed his PhD at the University of Massachusetts. Kris has published several papers this year and presented at various conferences. In May, Kris married his longtime girlfriend, Nina Stoeckel. More information is available on Kris's homepage. (link)

David Reed ('72) formed a national medical malpractice insurance company for physicians and staff who conduct clinical trials for FDA approval of new medicines. He is now the chief operating officer of that company.

Alicia Shafer ('00) returned to Seattle from San Francisco this Fall after finishing her Master of Divinity at Fuller Seminary. She will be a chaplain at Swedish hospital in Seattle beginning in January.

Joshua Spencer ('03) is in his third year in the philosophy program at the University of Rochester. He has presented at several conferences this year and has had a paper accepted for publication. More information is available on Joshua's homepage. (link)

Neal A. Tognazzini ('03) is in his third year in the philosophy program at University of California, Riverside, where he is starting work on his dissertation. He has presented at several conferences this year and has had two papers accepted for publication. More information is available on Neal's homepage. (link)