TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Dr. Ted Sider, professor of philosophy at New York University, will be the next speaker in the “Philosophy Today” series of public lectures at The University of Alabama.
Sider’s lecture, “The State of Metaphysics,” will be Feb. 5 at 7:30 p.m. in room 38 Lloyd Hall on the UA campus.
Sider, who has spoken to university audiences throughout the United States for more than a decade, will discuss his research in metaphysics—specifically problems involving metametaphysics (the study of the nature of metaphysics), modality, natural kinds, ontology, persistence, and time. He also studies the controversial area of supervenience, which suggests that for any mental state there is an underlying physical cause.
Sider is the author of an upcoming logic text, “Logic for Philosophy,” and the co author of an introductory metaphysics textbook, “Riddles of Existence.” He is also co editor of an upcoming anthology, “Contemporary Debates in Metaphysics.” Sider is best known for his work about the nature of identity and time, “Four-Dimensionalism,” for which he received the 2003 American Philosophical Association Book Prize.
The “Philosophy Today” series features six experts lecturing on several key areas of philosophy during the 2007-2008 academic year. These non-technical lectures are geared toward a general audience and should be of interest to those in any profession or academic discipline.
The series is sponsored by UA’s College of Arts and Sciences, the department of philosophy, and alumni and friends of the department of philosophy.
“These luminaries put our students, our faculty, and the community at large in touch with the problems and the cutting edge work of today’s philosophers,” said Dr. Scott Hestevold, chairman of the philosophy department in UA’s College of Arts and Sciences.
Parking will be available in the lot on Shelby Drive (formerly Hackberry Lane), behind Nott and Gallalee halls, and in the parking deck at the intersection of Shelby Drive and Campus Drive.
Other speakers in the 2007-2008 series are:
Feb. 26, 2008
Dr. Jonathan L. Kvanvig
“The State of Philosophy of Religion”
Jonathan L. Kvanvig, distinguished professor of philosophy at Baylor University, will speak about his research in epistemology and metaphysics as well as the philosophy of religion. He is the author of six books, including “The Value of Knowledge and the Pursuit of Understanding”
(2003), “The Problem of Hell” (1993), “The Knowability Paradox” (2006), and “The Possibility of an All-Knowing God” (1986). He has written more than 100 articles and reviews, and he is the editor of “Oxford Studies in the Philosophy of Religion,” the introductory volume that will be available in 2008. Kvanvig’s lecture marks the first Annual Philosophy Alumni Lecture sponsored by alumni of the department of philosophy. While on campus, he will also discuss his recent work with students in the advanced Philosophy of Religion seminar.
April 29, 2008
Dr. Ernest Sosa
“The State of Epistemology”
After several decades at Brown University, Ernest Sosa, professor of philosophy at Rutgers University, will discuss his research in epistemology and his leadership in the revitalization of virtue epistemology. He was president of the American Philosophical Association (eastern division) and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Sosa is editor of two leading philosophical journals, Philosophy and Phenomenological Research and Noûs. His John Locke Lectures at Oxford University have just been published in “A Virtue Epistemology.”
For more information, contact Dr. H. Scott Hestevold, chairman of the UA department of philosophy, 205/348 1912.
Contact
Sarah Colwell, College of Arts and Sciences, 205/348-8539, sccolwell@as.ua.edu