Postgraduate Symposium - Truth and Artifice.

The School of Humanities and Social Science at the University of Newcastle and the Division of Humanities at Macquarie University are organizing an annual postgraduate symposium for researchers in the Humanities. The aims of the symposium are to provide students with the opportunities to develop a wider audience for their research and to take part in an exchange of ideas and methodologies that will broaden the research culture of both universities and develop an understanding of the Humanities as a cohesive research community.
Call for abstracts

This year the symposium will be held at the University of Newcastle on Saturday, February 23, starting at 9:30am. Programme and registration details will be released soon.

The symposium theme will be 'Truth and Artifice', with a broad interpretation of the theme expected.

Abstract submissions are currently open. Abstracts are to be no longer than 200 words, and are due by November 16, 2007. Papers selected from abstracts will be presented to a general audience that may not specialise in particular fields, and will be expected to be a minimum of 15 minutes, but no longer than 20 minutes in length. All papers will be published on the online journal, Humanity. Please send abstracts and all enquiries to: newmacsymposium@gmail.com

Seminar: Ethics and professional practice in a world of fluid values

Ethics and professional practice in a world of fluid values
Speaker: Professor John Buckeridge (RMIT, Melbourne)
Date: Tuesday, 7 August, 2007
Time: 10.00-11.00 am (followed by in interactive discussion session 11.00-12.00 pm)
Location: Griffith Duncan Theatre, University of Newcastle

ABSTRACT: This seminar will use case studies in engineering and science wherein varying values have led to conflict. In these situations, both sides perceive that they hold the “high moral ground’. The presentation will explore how these issues may be resolved, using three key moral constructs: virtue ethics, utilitarianism and deontology. Participants will consider whether there is more than one ethical way in which a moral conundrum can be resolved. They will be challenged to make difficult decisions, and to defend their conclusions.

THE PRESENTER: John St James Stewart BUCKERIDGE, PhD, FAustIMM, CP(Env), FIEAust, FGS (Lond.) is Professor of Natural Resources Engineering and Head of the School of Civil, Environmental & Chemical Engineering at RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia. John is President of the International Union of Biological Sciences, (and chairs the IUBS Bioethics Committee), he is also President of the International Society of Zoological Sciences, a member of the Victoria Biotechnology Ethics Advisory Committee, a Councillor of the Royal Society of Victoria and has acted as consultant on environmental ethics to UNESCO’s COMEST (World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology). In 2004 he was appointed honorarprofessor at Wismar University, Germany, in recognition of his work in engineering ethics.

Politics at the Pub – Moral Panic

This month’s Politics at the Pub looks at moral panic and the exploitation of fear for political gain. This discussion is in conjunction with the Newcastle launch of Outrageous! Moral Panics in Australia, co-edited by George Morgan who, with Shane Homan (University of Newcastle), will be on the panel of speakers. Morgan's book looks at various moral panics in Australia.

Politics at the Pub will be at the Hamilton Station Hotel (Beaumont St, Hamilton), on Tuesday 17th, at 6.30.

Politics at the Pub – Cool Clear Water

This month’s Politics at the Pub considers the politics of water, with speakers Nat Jeffery (former weather presenter with NBN and candidate for Climate Change Coalition for NSW Upper House in coming State election) and Michael Osborne (Newcastle Councillor for NSW Greens, Green's candidate State Seat of Newcastle Author of "Talking Water: An Australian Guidebook For The 21st Century").

The March Politics at the Pub will be at the Hamilton Station Hotel (Beaumont St, Hamilton), on Tuesday 20th, at 6.30.

With the election being held several days later, it might be a good chance to meet two of the lesser known candidates.

Philosophy at the Melbourne Writers Festival

(Plagirised from Dirk Baltzly's a-phil list email on behalf of Graham Oppy)


Philosophy at the Melbourne Writers’ Festival

As part of the History of Australasian Philosophy Project, there are the following four public lectures as part of the Melbourne Writers’ Festival. These lectures are being recorded by the ABC, and will be re-broadcast on Radio National. They will be available as pod-casts for about one month after they are broadcast.



More Details:


Saturday, August 26

1:30 – 2:30 Barry Taylor (Melbourne University)
“David Lewis in Australia and New Zealand”
The Tower, CUB Malthouse
113 Sturt Street, Southbank

3.15 – 4:15 Val Plumwood (Australian National University)
“Nature in the Active Voice”
The Tower, CUB Malthouse
113 Sturt Street, Southbank

Saturday, September 2

1:30 – 2:30 John Bigelow (Monash University)
“Metaphysics in Australasia”
The Tower, CUB Malthouse
113 Sturt Street, Southbank

3:15 – 4:15 Tony Coady (Melbourne University)
“Philosophy in Melbourne”
The Tower, CUB Malthouse
113 Sturt Street, Southbank

The School of Philosophy and Bioethics at Monash University will also be hosting two sessions tailored for secondary school students on Monday, August 28. One session, run by Kim Little, will be on Bioethics; the other session, run by Yanna Rider, will be on Critical Thinking.

There will also be one further philosophy lecture associated with the Heart of Philosophy August Symposium Dinner (at The Golden Triangle):

Sunday, August 27

7:00 – 9:00 pm John Armstrong (Melbourne University)
“What is it we really want to know about a significant person’s
life, love and thoughts?”
(Price for this event is about $90, and includes cost of a copy of
John’s new book.)