PHILOSOPHY NEWSLETTER
A Newsletter Published by the Philosophy Department of the State University of New York at Potsdam
www.potsdam.edu/academics/AAS/Phil
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 8
SUMMER 2013
Greetings from the Chair
By David C.K. Curry
The Department of Philosophy had a busy and productive
2012-13 academic year. Dr. Timothy Murphy joined the
department full-time; Dr. DiGiovanna applied for and
received a full year sabbatical for the 2013-14 academic
year; we conducted a nationwide search for a replacement
for Dr. DiGi, which resulted in our hiring Rachel Fedock of the
CUNY Graduate Center as a visiting professor, and Dr. Curry
applied for and received a promotion to full professor,
effective the first of September. We missed the presence and
many contributions of Dr. Little, who is enjoying her first year
of retirement, and of Dr. Huss, who is teaching full time at
York University in Toronto.
We graduated nine majors this spring (and five minors), the
final fruits of the few years from 2008-2010 when the
department was for the first time in twenty years adequately
staffed. The department faces a challenge in rebuilding those
numbers at the current number of full time faculty. We are
very optimistic that Dr. Murphy and Prof. Fedock will help us
recruit a new batch of philosophers. Many of our recent
graduates have plans for graduate work in a wide range of
disciplines, including, perhaps, philosophy after taking some
time off. Evan Freitag, one of two philosophy majors who also
graduated with an MA in Mathematics, will be pursuing
graduate work in Statistics at Virginia Commonwealth
University in Richmond.
It was another very active year for our Philosophy Forum (see
list of events), sponsoring weekly activities ranging from social
gatherings and movie discussions to presentations of papers
by faculty and visiting professors and trips to undergraduate
philosophy conferences. A particuar highlight of the year's
events was an Alumni Lecture Series in the Spring. Four of our
alumn's returned to campus, three of whom are currently
enrolled in graduate programs, one in philosophy, one in
political theory and one in divinity school. Matt Lavine, '08,
ABD, Philosophy, University of Buffalo, kicked off the series
with a paper on “Metaphysics and Ethics in the Analytic
Tradition”. The following day Matt LaVine and Matt Chick,
'08, met with current students to discuss applying to, preparing
for and surviving in grad school. The next evening Matt Chick,
ABD, Political Theory, Washington University, presented some
of his recent research on "Evidence for Deliberation" in the
electorate. The following week, Avatar Davis, '12, Harvard
Divinity School, presented his paper on “Augustine on Evil”
The Series culminated with a visit by Mr. James Berriman, Esq.,
CEO of Evidox Corporation, a leading provider of ediscovery
services including collection, preservation, processing, hosting,
and production of such materials. Mr.Berriman delivered an
extremely well-attended and well-received talk on the
practical value of a liberal arts education, and then met
informally with Forum students. Mr. Berriman's presentation
was videotaped by Career Services and is an eloquent pitch
for the value of a philosophical education regardless of your
career path (see more on this below).
We would love to be able to make this kind of lecture series
a tradition. So if you think you have something to say about
how your training in philosophy has served you in your life
and career or are enrolled in a graduate program, would like
to present some of your recent work, and would like to visit
Potsdam, let me know (currydc@potsdam.edu) for we would
very much enjoy arranging a visit from you.
On a different note, Sandy LaRock, our department secretary,
has overseen a complete renovation of the Philosophy
Common Room – new paint, new rug, new bookcases and
chairs, new curtains and many other nice touches (flourishing
plants!). Always a welcoming space, the Common Room is
now tastefully decorated and even more welcoming. It is a
wonderful space for hosting our smaller Forum events, the
occasional seminar and for students to study or just hang out
between classes.
The department is still left with an unacceptable expertise
gap in the central areas of ethics, social and political
philosophy and the less central but still important areas of
continental philosophy, philosophy and feminism, and nonwestern philosophy. Dr. Fedock will help fill that gap
temporarily, but we are optimistic that the administration will
allow us to close it permanently next year.
In short, the year was a productive and successful one for the
department in terms of teaching, scholarship, and in its
contributions to student life and to the intellectual and
administrative life of the college as a whole. Next year
promises to be even more exciting with two energetic young
faculty on board, as well as a distinguished NEH professor, Dr.
Jorge Secada, Professor of Philosophy at the University of
Virginia, visiting in the Spring.
Dr. Curry, Dr. Murphy and Scott Krupp (w/ Dan Gross, Evan Freitag and Justin Raimondi's ear)
Meet the Faculty
Rachel Fedock is a PhD candidate at City University of New
York Graduate Center. She specializes in ethics, feminist ethics,
and moral psychology with additional interests in
environmental ethics, philosophy of language, and philosophy
of mind. The phenomenon of care is of particular interest to
Fedock. Currently, she is investigating the emotions involved
when caring, the cognition of one caring, and in what the
caring self consists, paying special mind to the role of
autonomy. Fedock is also interested in issues surrounding selfknowledge. Presently, her research in this domain focuses on
the epistemic status of avowals. Fedock wrote her dissertation
under Sibyl Schwarzenbach with Jesse Prinz, Carol Gould,
and Virginia Held rounding out her committee. She has
experience teaching both upper and lower division philosophy
courses for five years, primarily at the City College of New
York, CUNY.
Philosophers’ Corner
The Problem of the Light Switch
Tim Murphy received his PhD from the University of
Minnesota after completing a dissertation on the relationship
between mathematical truth and the natural world. His
dissertation is representative of his broad interest in
philosophical questions concerning what sorts of things exist,
particularly as such questions arise in logic, mathematics and
the empirical sciences. Prior to coming to Potsdam, Tim worked
for several years in Kansas at Fort Hays State University. He
enjoys teaching a wide variety of classes and appreciates the
opportunity to work with the enthusiastic and dedicated
students at SUNY Potsdam. He and his family have enjoyed
their first year in New York and look forward to further
exploring the North Country.
I have an ordinary light switch connected to a light. When the
switch is closed, the light is on. When the switch is open, the
light is off. At two minutes to noon, the light is on. At one
minute to noon I flip the switch, turning the light off. At half a
minute to noon I flip it again, turning the light on. At a quarter
of a minute before noon I flip it again, turning the light off. I
continue in this way, cutting the time between flippings of the
switch in half each time. Now this will be an infinite series of
flips. The switch flippings will occur closer and closer to noon,
but will all be completed before noon. Will the switch be on
or off at noon?
Send
your
answers,
currydc@potsdam.edu.
with
explanations,
to
not a sane doctor). So the speaker was a sane patient, and his
belief that he was not a sane doctor was correct.
Solutions to last newsletter’s puzzle:
The Puzzles:
Here are a few puzzles shamelessly borrowed from Raymond
Smullyan’s The Lady or The Tiger?, 1982.
Inspector Craig of Scotland Yard was called over to France to
investigate eleven insane asylums where it was suspected that
something was wrong. In each of these asylums, the only
inhabitants were patients and doctors -- the doctors
constituted the entire staff. Each inhabitant of each asylum,
patient or doctor, was either sane or insane. Moreover, the
sane ones were totally sane and a hundred percent accurate
in all their beliefs; all true propositions they knew to be true
and all false propositions they knew to be false. The insane
ones were totally inaccurate in their beliefs; all true
propositions they believed to be false and all false
propositions they believed to be true. It is to be assumed also
that all the inhabitants were always honest -- whatever they
said, they really believed.
2) One statement which would work is: "I am an insane
patient." A sane patient could not hold the false belief that he
is an insane patient. An insane patient could not hold the true
belief that he is an insane patient. Therefore, the speaker was
not a patient; he was a doctor. A sane doctor could never
believe that he is an insane patient. So the speaker was an
insane doctor, who held the false belief that he was an insane
patient.
3) The speaker believes that he was a patient. If he is sane,
then he really is a patient; hence he is a sane patient and
shouldn't be in the asylum. If he is insane, his belief is wrong,
which means that he is not a patient but a doctor; hence he is
an insane doctor and shouldn't be on the staff. It is not
possible to tell whether he is a sane patient or an insane
doctor, but in neither case should he be in this asylum.
During his investigation Inspector Craig visited the following
asylums:
1) In this asylum, one of the inhabitants made a statement
from which the inspector could deduce that the speaker must
be a sane patient, hence did not belong there. Craig then
took steps to have him released.
Can you supply such a statement?
2) In the next asylum, an inhabitant made a statement from
which Craig could deduce that the speaker was an insane
doctor. Can you supply such a statement?
3) In the next asylum, Craig asked one of the inhabitants, "Are
you a patient?" He replied, "Yes."
Is there anything necessarily wrong with this asylum?
Colin MacIver , Evan Freitag, Dan Gross, Jesse Rutty, Justin Raimondi & Sean Kenny – Graduation 2013
Answers: (also Smullyan’s)
1) Many solutions are possible. The simplest I can think of is
that the inhabitant said, "I am not a sane doctor." We prove
that the speaker must be a sane patient as follows: An insane
doctor could not hold the true belief that he is not a sane
doctor. A sane doctor could not hold the false belief that he is
not a sane doctor. An insane patient could not hold the true
belief that he is not a sane doctor (an insane patient is in fact
Thanks to All Alumni Contributors!
Philosophy faculty would like to publicly express our sincere gratitude to the many former students who have so generously
donated amounts ranging from $20 to $3000 over the past years to the SUNY Potsdam Philosophy Department Foundation Account.
Your support overwhelms us and greatly contributes to our efforts. Thank you.
Don't forget to tell us all of your news by submitting the Report of Alumni Form information on page 3 to currydc@potsdam.edu.
Let us know where you are, what you are doing, and anything particularly memorable about your time here at Potsdam with the
department and its faculty.
Philosophy Forum Activities 2012-13
Fall 2012:
September 6 - Planning meeting
September 13 – Guest Speaker - Dr. Tartaglia, "A Radical but Reasonable Empiricism"
September 20 - Mixer
September 27 – Guest Speaker – Dr. Timothy Murphy, “Why Study Philosophy?”
October 4 – Student Led Discussion - Scott Krupp, “Philosophical Puzzles in the Legend of Zelda”
October 11 – Guest Speaker - Dr. DiGiovanna, Acupressure Workshop
October 18 – Guest Speaker - Dr. Jeffrey Maynes, Visiting Assistant Professor of Philosophy at SLU, "Can
Experiments Destroy Knowledge (about Thick Concepts)?"
November 15 – Student Presentation – Dan Gross, "Social Objectivity: Helen Longino's Philosophy of Science"
November 29 – Guest Speaker – Dr. Timothy Gordinier, “Citizen's United”
Spring 2013:
January 24 – Planning Meeting
January 31 – Informal Discussion – David Chalmers on the Nature of Consciousness
February 7 – Informal Discussion – Why are the Scientists hating on the Philosophers?
February 14 – Informal Discussion – Stuck Spelunkers and Desire-less Happiness Seekers
February 21 – Guest Speaker - Dr. Timothy Murphy w/ Evan Freitag, “Orders of Infinity”
February 28 – Guest Speaker – Doyle Dean, “The Utility Project”
March 7 – Student Presentation – Dan Gross, “A Brief History of New York State and the Corporation”
March 12 – Alumni Lecture Series I – Matt Lavine, ABD, Philosophy, University of Buffalo, “Metaphysics and
Ethics in the Analytic Tradition”
March 13 – Informal Discussion led by Matt LaVine and Matt Chick – Everything you Always Wanted to Know
About Graduate School
March 14 – Alumni Lecture Series II – Matt Chick, ABD, Political Theory, Washington University, "Evidence for
Deliberation"
March 21 – Alumni Lecture Series III – Avatar Davis, Harvard Divinity School, “Augustine on Evil”
April 4 – Alumni Lecture Series IV- James Berriman, CEO Evidox Corporation,
Public Lecture: “The Value of the Liberal Arts for your Career”
Informal Discussion w/ Students
April 12-14 – Oneonta Undergraduate Philosophy Conference – 10 students attended, one (Tim Clark)
commented
April 17 – Meet the Candidate – Teaching Demonstration and Informal Discussion w/ Professor Rachel Fedock,
CUNY
April 22 – Meet the Candidate – Teaching Demonstration and Informal Discussion w/ Professor Thorian Harris,
University of Hawaii
April 25 - Meet the Candidate – Teaching Demonstration and Informal Discussion w/ Professor Megan Altman,
University of South Florida
May 2 – Informal Discussion - “What Distinguishes Analytic Philosophy from Continental and Eastern Philosophy?
May 9 – Guest Speaker - Carrie Bates, "The Virtue of Justice in the First Century CE: Jews, Greeks, Romans and
the Apostle Paul"
May 18 – Annual Department Picnic
Dr. Murphy, Merredith Young, Sean McKeon & Dr. Curry
Philosophy Graduates May, 2013
Philosophy Majors
Philosophy Department Student Awards for the
Academic Year 2012-2013
School of Arts & Sciences Honors
Kelly Bedsole (and Psychology major)
Canfield Scholarship
Timothy Clark (and Economics major)
Mark Lyon
Christophe Follette (and Linguistics minor)
Departmental Scholars
Evan Freitag (and BA/MA Mathematics)
Daniel Gross (and Politics major)
Scott Krupp (and Sociology major and Human Services minor)
Tim Clark
Outstanding Freshmen in Philosophy
Sean McKeon (and History major)
Veronica Lavia
Eric Cassidy
Justin Raimondi (and BA/MA Mathematics)
2012 Distinguished Service Award
Jesse Rutty
Dan Gross
Scott Krupp
Philosophy Minors
College Wide Honors
Lauren Belanger (and Psychology major and Human Services
minor)
2012 Excellence in Philosophy Award
Nicolas Cotton-Baez (and Sociology major and Political
Science minor)
Justin Raimondi
Evan Freitag
Sean McKeon
Scott Krupp
Jordan Funk (and Theatre major
and Acting minor)
Sean Kenny (and Psychology major and Business
Administration minor)
Classical Studies Signum Laudis Award for Excellence in Classical
Studies
Katelyn Hritcko
Merredith Young (and Criminal Justice Studies major)
Philosophy Students Need Your Help!
Please consider supporting our students' philosophical activities by making a contribution to the SUNY Philosophy Department
Foundation Account. You can send a check with a note stating that your donation is for the Philosophy Department to SUNY Potsdam
College Foundation, Attn: Lisa A. Murphy, 44 Pierrepont Avenue, Potsdam, NY 13676-2294, or complete the College Foundation's
Online Giving Form on the SUNY Potsdam website at https://secure.potsdam.edu/giving. You may even indicate the specific
purpose your gift is to serve; for example, students' undergraduate conference trip expenses, book purchases, or small scholarships.
No amount is too small and all contributions will be greatly appreciated by our students and professors.
Philosophy Department Faculty
David C. K. Curry
Chair and Professor: History of Philosophy, Existentialism
Office: Morey Hall 204
Office Phone: (315) 267-2021
Email: currydc@potsdam.edu
Joseph J. Di Giovanna
Distinguished Teaching Professor: Philosophy of Language, Aesthetics
Office: Morey Hall 205
Office Phone: (315) 267-2022
Email: digiovjj@potsdam.edu
Rachel Fedock
Visiting Assistant Professor: Ethics, Feminist Ethics, Moral Psychology
Office: Morey Hall 201
Office Phone: (315) 267-2019
Email: fedockr@potsdam.edu
Judith A. Little
Professor Emeritus: Theoretical & Applied Ethics, Social & Political Philosophy
Email: littleja@potsdam.edu
Sandra LaRock
Departmental Secretary
Office: Carson Hall 215
Office Phone: (315) 267-2792
Email: larocksg@potsdam.edu
Matt LaVine
Adjunct Instructor: 20th Century Analytic, Philosophy of Language
Office: Carson Hall 217B
Office Phone: (315) 267-2462
Email: lavinemj@potsdam.edu
Mark Munroe
Adjunct Instructor: Philosophy of Mind, Applied Ethics
Office: Carson Hall 217B
Office Phone: (315) 267-2462
Email: munroem@potsdam.edu
Timothy Murphy
Assistant Professor: Philosophy of Mathematics, Metaphysics, Epistemology, Philosophy of Science
Office: Morey Hall 207
Office Phone: (315) 267-3342
Email: murphytg@potsdam.edu
Galen K. Pletcher
Professor Emeritus, Emeritus Dean of Arts and Sciences: Philosophy of Religion
Email: pletchgk@potsdam.edu
Philip Tartaglia
Professor: Logic, Philosophy of Language, Ethics
Office: Morey Hall 203
Office Phone: (315) 267-2022
Email: tartagpo@potsdam.edu
REPORT OF ALUMNI
NAME
MAILING ADDRESS
E-MAIL ADDRESS
YEAR GRADUATED ________
DEGREE(S) EARNED
EMPLOYMENT
COMMENTS
Please complete this form and return to Dr. David C. K. Curry, SUNY Potsdam, 44 Pierrepont Avenue, Potsdam, NY 13676; or fax to
315/267-2656; or e-mail to currydc@potsdam.edu
Thanks!
630073
Department of Philosophy
SUNY College at Potsdam
44 Pierrepont Avenue
Potsdam, NY 13676-2294
NON-PROFIT
ORGANIZATION
US POSTAGE PAID
POTSDAM, NY
PERMIT NO. 12