ACPA

2011 Annual Meeting (October 28th-30th) Hosted by St. Louis University From the President (Call for papers) Dear Colleagues and Members of the ACPA: It is my pleasure to invite you to the Eighty-fifth Annual Meeting of the ACPA in Saint Louis, Missouri, October, 27-30, 2011. I am grateful to Saint Louis University for hosting this meeting whose theme will be "Science, Reason and Religion." Broadly speaking, the question of the compatibility of faith and reason has always been central to Catholic thinking. Nevertheless, in the public square from the side of religion, at one extreme is a fundamentalist understanding of faith which simply rejects any science which conflicts with the assertions of a literal reading of faith's revelation. Recent creationist theories of the origins of life represent instances of such religious fundamentalism. At the other extreme is another kind of inverted "fundamentalism," - scientism, manifest in the "new atheism", which simply rejects as irrational any religious belief whatsoever and replaces it by an uncritical extension of particular scientific theories to comprehensive worldviews or metaphysics. Recent confrontations between such extremes call forth a fresh re-consideration of the question of faith and reason as appropriately articulated as the question of science and religion today. Accordingly, I have proposed the above theme to provide an occasion for re-thinking the question of faith and reason in light of the various scientific revolutions from the seventeenth century to today-in physics and cosmology, biology and evolution, in the social sciences, in logic and mathematics and in psychology and neuroscience. From the side of religion one might consider the developments in theology and what they portend for the question; and from a stance in-between science and religion-what might philosophy's "reasons" offer on the question of science and religion today. Finally, what might further considerations from the ethical, social, political, historical and technological dimensions of such re-thinking of faith and reason reveal to us as beings of reason and religion? I cordially invite everyone to send in a submission for this meeting. The program committee is especially interested in receiving papers that address issues related to the theme, but papers in any area of philosophy are most welcome. All submissions should be sent (in quintuplicate, accompanied by five copies of an abstract) to the following address: ACPA Paper Submissions American Catholic Philosophical Association National Office University of St. Thomas 3800 Montrose Blvd Houston, TX 77006 We look forward to receiving your submissions and to seeing you in St. Louis, Missouri, October 27-30, 2011. Sincerely yours, Dominic J. Balestra, President Elect, ACPA 2011 Professor of Philosophy Fordham University Guidelines for Submitting Papers 1) The theme of the 2011 meeting is "Science, Reason, and Religion"; however, papers on all topics are welcome. 2) Papers should be received no later than April 2, 2011, at the following address: ACPA Paper Submissions American Catholic Philosophical Association National Office University of St. Thomas 3800 Montrose Blvd Houston, TX 77006 3) Submissions must be received through the mail and not via facsimile; they must include FIVE copies of the paper and FIVE copies of a short abstract (no more than 150 words). Papers are not to exceed 15 typed, double-spaced pages (30 minutes reading time). 4) The format of the paper should be appropriate for blind reviewing, i.e., nothing in the paper itself should reveal the author's identity. The author's name, complete address, home, work, fax, telephone numbers, and e-mail address, as well as the title of the paper, should be included in a cover letter. 5) It is understood that, by submitting material for possible presentation at the 2011 Annual Meeting, authors agree to allow the ACPA to hold the copyright to such material, should it be accepted for presentation at the Annual Meeting and publication in the Annual Proceedings. If the paper is accepted, you will sign a publication agreement with us. 6) Those who wish to have their papers considered for the ACPA Young Scholar's Award (scholars 35 years of age or younger, regardless of academic position, are eligible) should indicate as much in their cover letters. 7) If you would like us to acknowledge that we have received your paper, please include with your submission a self-addressed, stamped postcard. 8) If you would like to comment on a paper or to chair a session, please let the ACPA Secretary know by sending e-mail (houser@stthom.edu) or by writing to the ACPA's National Office. Be sure to provide your e-mail address, as well as your fax, home, and work telephone numbers. Secretary's Letter: May 2010 May 2010 Enclosed you will find a dues notice for the upcoming year, along with the President-Elect's "Letter and Call for Papers" for the 2011 Annual Meeting (to be held in St. Louis, Missouri, and hosted by Saint Louis University). Please pay your dues on time, since the timely payment of your dues will eliminate the need for reminder notices and thereby help to reduce the ACPA's overall costs. Herewith I am also sending you a memo containing a number of announcements and reminders. Be Sure to Update Your Membership Information on the Dues Renewal Notice There are two ways to pay your dues: online by clicking on the link on the Dues Renewal Notice (above), or by sending in the notice to the Philosophy Documentation Center. All members are asked to update any membership information (including mailing address, institutional affiliation, e-mail address, etc.) that may have changed over the past year or two. Since we are moving over to sending notices by email, it is imperative that we have your current email address(es). Life members are also asked to update their membership information in the same manner, even though they do not pay dues. 2009 Proceedings The Proceedings from the ACPA's 2009 annual meeting (hosted by Loyola of New Orleans) are being edited and will be mailed out to members early in the fall. ACPA Meeting hosted by Loyola University of Maryland, Baltimore, 5 - 7 November 2010: "Philosophy and Language" Don't forget that the 2010 Annual Meeting of the ACPA will take place 5 - 7 November, in Baltimore, Maryland, at the Doubletree Inn at the Colonnade. As usual, the complete conference program, along with registration materials for the 2010 Annual Meeting, will be sent out to members in September of 2010. Earlier than that, you will be able to register for the conference and to inspect the conference program online, at the ACPA website. In order to whet your philosophical appetites, let me mention here that the plenary speakers for the 2010 Annual Meeting are: Therese-Anne Druart (The Catholic University of America): Ann Hartle (Emory University): Stephen Brown (Boston College): Daniel Dahlstrom (Boston University): At the 2010 Meeting, the Association's Aquinas Medal will be presented to Alasdair MacIntyre. Commentators and Chairs at the Baltimore meeting If you would like to be on the program of the 2010 Annual Meeting (either as a commentator or as a chair), please send your name and contact information (including phone number, FAX number, e-mail address, and regular mailing address) to me. Be sure to do so by 15 June 2010. If you are interested in serving as a commentator, be sure to indicate your area(s) of interest and/or expertise. Satellite Sessions at the Baltimore meeting There were twenty satellite sessions at New Orleans in 2009. We hope there will be even more this year. Satellite session organizers are reminded that final information regarding planned satellite sessions (session title, names of organizer, session chair, and speakers, and the titles of papers) should be received at the National Office no later than 1 July 2010. Election Results The complete results of this year's ACPA election (concluded April 1, 2010) are as follows: Vice-President/President-Elect: Richard C. Taylor (Marquette University) Executive Council Members: Carlson, John W. (Jack) (Creighton University) Foster, David (Seton Hall) Garcia, J. L. A. (Boston College) Kent, Bonnie (University of California, Irvine) Murray, Elizabeth A. (Loyola Marymount University) On behalf of the Association, the Secretary would like to congratulate our newly-elected Council members, and to thank all who were willing to stand for election. The new members will take office at the conclusion of the 2010 meeting and will be on the Executive Council through the 2013 meeting. 2011 ACPA Meeting in St. Louis, Missouri (hosted by St. Louis University): "Science, Reason, and Religion" The Executive Committee of the ACPA has determined that the theme of the 2011 conference (to be held in the fall of 2011 and to be hosted by St. Louis University will be "Science, Reason, and Religion." For further details about the meeting, please see the enclosed letter from President-Elect Dominic Balestra. Hosts for 2012 and 2013 We are looking for volunteers to host the 2012 meeting, and are still open to applications for hosting the 2013 meeting. If you are interested, please contact the National Secretary at houser@stthom.edu. Call for Nominations for the Office of ACPA Secretary: Nominations due 1 October 2010. The current term of the Secretary of the ACPA will end after the Annual Meeting in 2010. The next term will commence at the end of the Annual Meeting in 2010 and finish at the end of the Annual Meeting in 2013. Nominations for the office of Secretary (2010-2013 term) are hereby solicited. Nominating materials should include a full curriculum vitae of the nominee, along with a statement of the nominee's relevant qualifications. These nominating materials should be received at the National Office no later than 1 October 2010. Respectfully submitted, R. E. Houser, Interim ACPA Secretary Secretary's Letter: May 2011 Enclosed you will find a dues notice for the upcoming year, the President-Elect's "Letter and Call for Papers" for the 2012 Annual Meeting (to be held in Los Angeles, California, and hosted by Loyola Marymount University), and "Guidelines for Submitting Papers" for 2012. Please pay your dues on time, since the timely payment of your dues will eliminate the need for reminder notices and thereby help to reduce the ACPA's overall costs. Herewith I am also sending you a memo containing a number of announcements and reminders. For the 2011 Meeting: 1. Be Sure to Update Your Membership Information on the Dues Renewal Notice There are two ways to pay your dues: online by clicking on the link on the Dues Renewal Notice, or by sending in the notice to the Philosophy Documentation Center. All members are asked to update any membership information (including mailing address, institutional affiliation, e-mail address, etc.) that may have changed over the past year or two. Since we now send this notice by email, it is imperative that we have your current email address(es). Life members are also asked to update their membership information in the same manner, even though they do not pay dues. 2. 2010 Proceedings The Proceedings from the ACPA's 2010 annual meeting (hosted by Loyola of Maryland) have been edited, sent off to the publisher, and they should be mailed out to members early in the fall. 3. ACPA Meeting hosted by St. Louis University, St. Louis, 28 - 30 October 2011: "Science, Reason, and Religion" Don't forget that the 2011 Annual Meeting of the ACPA will take place 28 - 30 October 2011, in St. Louis, Missouri, at the Chase Park Plaza Hotel, St. Louis, which is not far from St. Louis University. As usual, the complete conference program, along with registration materials for the 2011 Annual Meeting, will be sent out to members in September of 2011. By June you will be able to register for the conference at the ACPA website, and by September you will be able to inspect the conference program online. In order to whet your philosophical appetites, let me mention here that the plenary speakers for the 2010 Annual Meeting are: John Cottingham, Professor Emeritus, University of Reading, Professorial Research Fellow, Heythrop College, University of London. "Confronting the Cosmos: Scientific Rationality and Human Understanding." Michael Ruse, Florida State University, "Making Room for Faith: Does Science Have Limits?" John F. Haught, Georgetown University "Darwin, Faith and Critical Intelligence." Dominic J. Balestra, Fordham University, "Galileo's Legacy: Getting the Relationship In-Between Scientism and Literalism Right" At the 2011 Meeting, the Association's Aquinas Medal will be presented to J.L.A. Gracia. 4. Commentators and Chairs at the St. Louis meeting If you would like to be on the program of the 2011 Annual Meeting (either as a commentator or as a chair), please send your name and contact information (including phone number, FAX number, e-mail address, and regular mailing address) to me (email addresses below). Be sure to do so by 15 June 2011. If you are interested in serving as a commentator, be sure to indicate your area(s) of interest or expertise. 5. Satellite Sessions at the St. Louis meeting There were twenty satellite sessions at New Orleans in 2009 and nineteen in Baltimore, the maximum capacity of the hotel each year. Judging from the large number of submissions for the "contributed papers," we hope there will be even more this year. Satellite session organizers are reminded that final information regarding planned satellite sessions (session title, names of organizer, session chair, and speakers, and the titles of papers) should be received at the National Office no later than 1 July 2011. For the 2012 Meeting: 1. Election Results: The complete results of this year's ACPA election (concluded April 2, 2011) are as follows: Vice-President/President-Elect: John O'Callaghan (Notre Dame University) Executive Council Members: Arthur Madigan, SJ (Boston College) Janet Smith (Sacred Heart Major Seminary) Mary C. Sommers (University of St. Thomas, Houston) Alice Ramos (St. John's University) Joshua Hochschild (Mt. St. Mary's University) On behalf of the Association, the Secretary would like to congratulate our newly-elected Council members, and to thank all who were willing to stand for election. The new members will take office at the conclusion of the 2011 meeting and will be on the Executive Council through the 2014 meeting: 2. 2012 ACPA Meeting in Los Angeles, California (hosted by Loyola Marymount) The Executive Committee of the ACPA has determined that the theme of the 2012 conference (to be held in the fall of 2012 and to be hosted by Loyola Marymount University) will be Philosophy in the Abrahamic Traditions. For further details about the meeting, please see the enclosed letter from President-Elect Richard C. Taylor. For the 2013 Meeting 1. Hosts for 2013 and 2014 We are looking for volunteers to host the 2013 and 2014 meetings. If you are interested, please contact the National Secretary. Respectfully submitted, R. E. Houser, ACPA National Secretary houser@stthom.edu acpa@stthom.edu ACPA National Office Center for Thomistic Studies, University of St. Thomas 3800 Montrose Blvd., Houston, TX 77006 Phone: (713) 525-3596 Fax: (713) 942-3483 E-mail: houser@stthom.edu, acpa@stthom.edu Web: www.acpaweb.org ACPA Subscription and Membership Services Philosophy Documentation Center P.O. Box 7147, Charlottesville, VA 22906-7147 Phone: (800) 444-2419 E-mail: order@pdcnet.org Web: www.pdcnet.org Vice President's Letter: May 2011 May 2011 Dear Colleagues and Members of the ACPA: I am delighted to have the pleasure of inviting you to the Eighty-sixth Annual Meeting of the ACPA in Los Angeles, California, to take place in the Fall of 2012 (late October or early November). This meeting is generously hosted by Loyola Marymount University. Our theme will be Philosophy in the Abrahamic Traditions. Classical and Post-Classical Philosophy in the Greek tradition played powerful roles in the formation of philosophical, scientific and theological thought produced in the religious and cultural milieux of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The scriptures, theologies and fundamental concerns of these Abrahamic religious traditions have reciprocally enriched the development of both religious thought and secular philosophy and science, by prompting ethical, metaphysical and epistemological questions that have continued to challenge philosophers from the time of Philo up to the present day. While political conflicts of the 20th and 21st centuries have led to a public emphasis on distinctions and differences among these faiths, the history of philosophy shows over the centuries that thinkers of each tradition share in the common purpose of seeking to reconcile the principles and insights of their beliefs with the truths of secular natural reason. Through argument and counter argument philosophers and theologians have engaged their peers and predecessors inside and outside their own faith traditions, in order to advance to more and more sophisticated and penetrating analyses of faith principles, philosophy, and truth. For our 2012 meeting I propose that we take the occasion to enter into the same sorts of engagements within and across specific historical and religious boundaries, without topical restriction, so that we may come to better understand the richness of our own tradition and the commonalities of thinkers of the religions of the Abrahamic traditions. Everyone is cordially invited to make a submission for this meeting. While the Program Committee is particularly interested in submissions addressing issues of the theme, papers in any area of philosophy are most welcome. All submissions should be sent via email attachment to the following address: ACPA Paper Submissions acpa@stthom.edu or houser@stthom.edu We look forward to receiving your submissions and to seeing you in Los Angeles. Yours sincerely, Richard C. Taylor Professor of Philosophy Marquette University, Visiting Research Professor 2010-11 DeWulf-Mansion Centre for Ancient, Medieval and Renaissance Philosophy, Hoger Instituut voor Wijsbegeerte, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium ACPA National Office Center for Thomistic Studies, University of St. Thomas 3800 Montrose Blvd., Houston, TX 77006 Phone: (713) 525-3596 Fax: (713) 942-3483 E-mail: houser@stthom.edu, acpa@stthom.edu Web: www.acpaweb.org ACPA Subscription and Membership Services Philosophy Documentation Center P.O. Box 7147, Charlottesville, VA 22906-7147 Phone: (800) 444-2419 E-mail: order@pdcnet.org Web: www.pdcnet.org Program Friday, October 28, 2011 7:30 am – Holy Mass Waterman 9:40-10:00 am – Executive Committee Meeting Westminster 10:00 am-1:00pm – Executive Council Meeting Westminster 2:00-8:30 pm – Registration Conference Center Pre-Function Room 2:00-4:00 pm – Satellite Sessions: 1. International Society for MacIntyrean Enquiry Westminster 2. Société Internationale pour l’Étude de Philosophie Médiévale I Kingsbury 3. Society for Catholicism and Analytical Philosophy I Maryland 4. Gabriel Marcel Society Plaza 5. Society for the Study of Cardinal Newman Forsyth 6. The Institute for Saint Anselm Studies Waterman 7. ACPA Committee on Priestly Formation Portland 4:30-6:30 pm – Satellite Sessions: 8. Philosophers in Jesuit Education Westminster 9. Society of Thomistic Personalism I Portland 10. Conférence Mondiale des Institutions Catholiques de Philosophie Maryland 11. Société Internationale pour l’Étude de Philosophie Médiévale II Kingsbury 12. Lonergan Philosophical Society Waterman 13. Society for Continental Philosophy and Theology Plaza 14. Society for Thomistic Natural Philosophy Forsyth 5:00-8:00 pm – Book Exhibit Lenox 8:00-10:00pm – ACPA Contributed Papers Session I: The Beginning of the World Westminster [Abstracts] Chair: Samuel Condic, University of Mary, Bismarck, North Dakota Speaker: Travis Dumsday, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill “Why Thomistic Philosophy of Nature Implies (Something Like) Big-Bang Cosmology” Commentator: Tom McLaughlin, St. John Vianney Theological Seminary, Denver Speaker: Logan Paul Gage, Baylor University Robert C. Koons, University of Texas at Austin “St. Thomas on Intelligent Design” Commentator: Robert Delfino, St. John’s University, New York Session II: Sensation and the Neural System Kingsbury [Abstracts] Chair: Elizabeth Murray, Loyola Marymount University Speaker: Daniel D. DeHaan, University of St. Thomas, Houston “Thomistic Hylomorphism, Self-Determination, and Neuroplasticity: The Case of Addiction” Commentator: Bernard Prusak, Villanova University Speaker: Robert E. Wood, University of Dallas “What is Seeing? A Phenomenological Approach to Neuro-Psychology” Commentator: Therese Scarpelli Cory, Seattle University Session III: Lessons from the History of Philosophy Maryland [Abstracts] Chair: Lorelle Lamascus, Mexican American Catholic College, San Antonio Speaker: Erin Stackle, Loyola Marymount University “‘Fifthly, or Rather First’: Why Aristotle Takes Public Religious Worship to be Crucial to the Activity of Science” Commentator: Ben Smith, Aquinas College, Nashville Speaker: Karen Zwier, University of Pittsburgh “The Status of Laws of Nature in the Philosophy of Leibniz” Commentator: James Madden, Benedictine College, Atchison, KS Session IV: Contemporary Philosophy and Two Classical Doctrines Forsyth [Abstracts] Chair: João J. Vila-Chã, SJ, Gregorian University Speaker: Andrew Jaeger, University of Nebraska, Lincoln “Mental Causation as Teleological Causation” Commentator: Fr. James Brent, OP, Catholic University of America Speaker: William Jaworski, Fordham University “Hylomorphism: What It Is and What It Isn't” Commentator: Michael Tkacz, Gonzaga University 10:00pm-12 midnight – Reception hosted by St. Louis University Zodiac Saturday, October 29, 2011 7:30 am – Holy Mass Empire (7:15 Mass is also available at St. Francis Xavier College Church, St. Louis University, 3638 Lindell Blvd., a one mile walk down Lindell Blvd. from the Hotel) 8:30 am-6:00 pm – Registration Conference Center Pre-Function Room 8:30 am-6:00 pm – Book Exhibit Lenox 9:00 am-11:15 am – Plenary Session Empire Chair: Dominic J. Balestra, Fordham University Speaker: John Cottingham, Professor Emeritus, University of Reading, Professorial Research Fellow, Heythrop College, University of London “Confronting the Cosmos: Scientific Rationality and Human Understanding” Speaker: Michael Ruse, Florida State University “Making Room for Faith: Does Science Have Limits?” 11:30am-11:45am – Business Meeting Empire 12:00pm-1:00pm – Women’s Luncheon Plaza (Reservation Required) 1:00-3:00pm – Satellite Sessions: 15. Society for Medieval Logic and Metaphysics Westminster 16. The Enduring Relevance of Hegel’s Thought Kingsbury 17. Society of Christian Philosophers Maryland 18. Honest Dialogue: Honoring the Work of Fr. Ernan McMullin at the Intersection of Christian Theology and Natural Science Empire 19. Society of Thomistic Personalism II Forsyth 20. The Institute for Saint Anselm Studies Portland 21. Society for Catholicism and Analytic Philosophy II Waterman 3:30-5:30 pm – ACPA Contributed Papers Session V: The Logic of Science Westminster [Abstracts] Chair: Julian Davies, OFM, Siena College Speaker: Christopher Brown, University of Tennessee, Martin “Some Logical Problems for Scientism” Commentator: Craig Condella, Salve Regina University Speaker: Michael Krom, St. Vincent College “Modeling the Dialogue between Science, Philosophy, and Religion: Aquinas on the Origins and Development of the Universe” Commentator: Steven Snyder, Christendom College Session VI: Replies to Two Contemporary Arguments Kingsbury [Abstracts] Chair: Br. William Rehg, SJ, St. Louis University Speaker: Alexander R. Pruss, Baylor University “A New Way to Reconcile Creation with Current Biological Science” Commentator: Marie George, St. John’s University, NY Speaker: T. Ryan Byerly, Baylor University “Intentions, Intentionally Permitting, and the Problem of Evil” Commentator: Alexander Eodice, Iona College Session VII: Science: Modern and Ancient Maryland [Abstracts] Chair: Mary Catherine Sommers, Center for Thomistic Studies, University of St. Thomas, Houston Speaker: Paul Symington, Franciscan University of Steubenville “Thomas Aquinas, Perceptual Resemblance, Categories, and the Reality of Secondary Qualities” Commentator: Stephen Striby, Marian University Speaker: Michael Storck, Ohio Dominican University “Cogs, Dogs, and Robot Frogs: Aquinas’s Presence by Power and the Unity of Living Things” Commentator: Anthony Crifasi, Benedictine College, Atchison, KS Session VIII: A Living Thomism Forsyth [Abstracts] Chair: Jack Carlson, Creighton University Speaker: R. Mary Hayden Lemmons, University of St. Thomas, Minnesota “Indeterminacy and the Normativity of Practical Reason” Commentator: Daniel Thero, College of St. Rose Speaker: Vincent J. DeVendra, Boston College “A Science With No Scientists?: Faith and the First Principles of Aquinas' Sacra Doctrina” Commentator: R.E. Houser, Center for Thomistic Studies, University of St. Thomas, Houston 6:00-7:00pm – Holy Mass Empire 7:00-7:30pm – Reception hosted by St. Louis University Zodiac 7:30-9:30pm – ACPA Banquet Starlight Ballroom Presentation of the ACPA Young Scholar’s Award: Travis Dumsday University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Introduction of the Aquinas Medalist: Eleonore Stump, St. Louis University Aquinas Medalist: Jorge J.E. Gracia, State University of New York, Buffalo Medalist’s Address: "Does Philosophy Have a Role to Play in Contemporary Society? The Challenges of Science and Culture". Sunday, October 30, 2011 7:30am – Holy Mass Empire 8:30am-12:30am – Book Exhibit Lenox 9:30-11:30am – Plenary Session Empire Chair: Richard C. Taylor, Marquette University Speaker: John F. Haught, Georgetown University “Darwin, Faith and Critical Intelligence.” Speaker: Dominic J. Balestra, Fordham University “Galileo’s Legacy: Getting the Relationship In-Between Scientism and Literalism Right” Abstracts of Contributed Papers Session I: The Beginning of the World “Why Thomistic Philosophy of Nature Implies (Something Like) Big-Bang Cosmology” Travis Dumsday, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill I argue that the combination of two commitments present in Thomistic philosophy of nature, namely hylomorphism and a relationist ontology of space, entail that there must have been a first material entity; that is, a material entity which was temporally preceded by no other entities, coexisted with no others, and temporally preceded all subsequent material entities. This is also a core component of big-bang cosmology. In addition I explore some implications for natural theology. “St. Thomas on Intelligent Design” Logan Paul Gage, Baylor University Robert C. Koons, University of Texas at Austin The ‘intelligent design’ (ID) movement—which includes figures such as Phillip E. Johnson, William A. Dembski, and Michael Behe—has challenged the claim of many in the scientific establishment that nature gives no empirical signs of having been deliberately designed. In particular, ID arguments in biology dispute the notion that neo-Darwinian evolution is the only viable scientific explanation of the origin of biological novelty, arguing that there are telltale signs of the activity of intelligence which can be recognized and studied empirically. In recent years, a number of Catholic philosophers, theologians, and scientists have expressed opposition to ID. Some of these critics claim that there is a conflict between the philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas and that of the ID movement, and even an affinity between Aquinas’s ideas and theistic Darwinism. We consider five such criticisms and find each wanting. [Return to Program] Session II: Sensation and the Neural System “Thomistic Hylomorphism, Self-Determination, and Neuroplasticity: The Case of Addiction” Daniel D. DeHaan, University of St. Thomas – Houston In this paper I will suggest that neuroplasticity and other forms of physiological alterations are often the result of the rational decisions formed by human action. Through acting we become, in a certain respect, what we do. I will argue that the self-determination involved in human action commits Thomists to the position that, in acting, we not only become psychically inclined to good or evil activities, but that we also become somatically and physiologically ordered to these activities. I will contend that the somatic manifestations of self-determination, along with the hylomorphic ontology it presupposes, are verified, and indeed offer the best interpretation of such phenomena as neural plasticity. I will be using addiction as a paradigmatic instance of neural plasticity, which reveals what happens to the nervous system and psychological faculties of a hylomorphic entity who partakes in acts deprived of moral goodness. “What is Seeing? A Phenomenological Approach to Neuro-Psychology” Robert E. Wood, University of Dallas With a myriad of others, Francis Crick has sought the nature of the soul in the observable functioning of the nervous system, beginning with seeing. In contrast, this paper explores the nature of the soul through the grounding of the act of seeing in the power of seeing as its “soul” and folds in the kinds of attention we pay through seeing. We begin with the eidetic characteristics of the visual field. We then explore three theoretical positions on where what is seen presents itself: within the brain, on things, or between awareness and things. What makes possible the appearance of things is the self-presence of the seer revealed in the nature of touch which suffuses the functional, self-directive body. Objectifying the eyes by the ophthalmologist abstracts from their essential expressivity and from the speech that can explain that expression. In the situation of encounter, focus upon the empirical features breaks the character of the encounter where we live “outside” ourselves and within the space of common meaning expressed in language. Even in the empirical focus, the ophthalmologist recognizes, through her seeing, deviations from normality of functioning and uses techniques that follow from her having intellectually mastered the field of practice. As a native power, seeing is a universal orientation towards all instances of the colored kind, cutting through the problem of universals by finding them in powers and correlative kinds. Recognition of this is made possible by the functioning of the notion of Being that grounds both intellectual and volitional activities. A concluding section explores several tasks for neuro-psychological research and expands into the grounds of a general cosmology centered upon the free and intelligent commitment of neuro-psychologists. [Return to Program] Session III: Lessons from the History of Philosophy “‘Fifthly, or Rather First’: Why Aristotle Takes Public Religious Worship to be Crucial to the Activity of Science” Erin Stackle, Loyola Marymount University In his Politics, Aristotle identifies the public worship of the gods as the most important element of the city, but then immediately follows this claim with the claim that justice is the most important element of the city. I first consider the various possible ways of interpreting this claim on the basis of Aristotle’s metaphysical commitments. I then consider what Aristotle actually says about religious worship. The things Aristotle says when elaborating public worship in the city indicated that the importance of this public worship to the city is in establishing leisure necessary for, and turning the citizens toward, contemplation. This contemplation, the activity of science, is, as Aristotle elaborates in the Nicomachean Ethics, the most divine activity in which we can engage. Public religious worship, then, is essential to the activity of science in a city. “The Status of Laws of Nature in the Philosophy of Leibniz” Karen R. Zwier, University of Pittsburgh Is it possible to take the enterprise of physics seriously while also holding the belief that the world contains an order beyond the reach of that physics? Is it possible to simultaneously believe in objective laws of nature and in miracles? Is it possible to search for the truths of physics while also acknowledging the limitations of that search as it is carried out by limited human knowers? As a philosopher, as a Christian, and as a participant in the physics of his day, Leibniz had an interesting view that bears on all of these questions. This paper examines the status of laws of nature in Leibniz’s philosophy and how the status of these laws fits into his larger philosophical picture of the limits of human knowledge and the wise and omniscient God who created the actual world. [Return to Program] Session IV: Contemporary Philosophy and Two Classical Doctrines “Mental Causation as Teleological Causation” Andrew Jaeger, University of Nebraska – Lincoln I argue that the Causal Closure Argument (CCA) and the Explanatory Exclusion Argument (EEA) fail to show that mental causes must either be reduced to physical causes or that mental causes are epiphenomenal. I begin by granting the soundness of CCA and EEA and go on to argue that they only rule out irreducible mental efficient causes/explanations. A proponent of irreducible mental causation can, therefore, grant the soundness of CCA and EEA, provided she holds mental causation/explanation to be teleological. I then go on to argue that, in light of these two objections, such an account of mental causation is possible and should be taken seriously. I conclude by giving a cursory sketch of how such a picture of mental causation as teleological causation would look. The upshot being that this general approach to mental causation, as non-reductive and non-epiphenomenal, cannot be undermined by the CCA and EEA. “Hylomorphism: What It Is and What It Isn't” William Jaworski, Fordham University ‘Hylomorphism’ has recently become a buzzword in metaphysics. Kit Fine, Kathryn Koslicki, and Mark Johnston, among others, have argued that hylomorphism provides an account of parthood and material constitution that has certain advantages over its competitors. But what exactly is it, and what are its implications for an account of what we are? Hylomorphism, I argue, is fundamentally a claim about structure. It says that structure is a basic ontological and explanatory principle. I argue that hylomorphism is compatible with physicalism, and also with substance dualism, and epiphenomenalism. The most interesting kinds of hylomorphism nevertheless reject these views. I describe one such hylomorphic theory. It is an empirically well-warranted theory, I argue, one based on work in biology and biological subdisciplines such as neuroscience. [Return to Program] Session V: The Logic of Science “Some Logical Problems for Scientism” Christopher Brown, University of Tennessee at Martin This paper focuses on a way of criticizing scientism to which a potential advocate of the position should be particularly sensitive. By looking at nine different ways of defining scientism, I show that potential definitions of scientism conform to a general pattern: a description of scientism either is self-defeating or else it can’t really count as a construal of scientism in the first place. Advocates for the experimental sciences would therefore be better off accepting a middle position—one might say a broadly Thomistic approach to science—between the extremes of scientism on the one hand and a religious fundamentalism that ignores the important contribution of the experimental sciences on the other. Such a middle position recognizes both the intellectual significance and inherent limitations of the scientific method employed within the experimental sciences. “Modeling the Dialogue between Science, Philosophy, and Religion: Aquinas on the Origins and Development of the Universe” Michael P. Krom, Saint Vincent College, Latrobe, PA St. Thomas Aquinas is an acknowledged model for anyone who wants to understand the dynamics of faith and reason as compatible and collaborative partners in the search for Truth. Further, his extensive reflections over the course of his intellectual development on the theme of Creation make him a fruitful source for understanding the contemporary science and religion dialogue on the origins and development of the universe. What follows is a discussion of Aquinas’ views on Creation with an eye toward contemporary scientific theory. It would be wrong-headed to attempt to ‘discover’ that Aquinas was “the first Evolutionist/Big Bang Theorist” (as Lord Acton found him the “First Whig”), and yet we might be surprised to find how open his philosophical speculations are in this regard. And hopefully the lovers of Truth who wrongly reject Christianity as a result of this love are willing to be surprised by his perennial philosophy. [Return to Program] Session VI: Replies to Two Contemporary Arguments “A New Way to Reconcile Creation with Current Biological Science” Alexander R. Pruss, Baylor University I shall argue for the counterintuitive claim that current biological science can be reconciled with the claim that God miraculously intervened in the development of the human species. “Intentions, Intentionally Permitting, and the Problem of Evil” T. Ryan Byerly, Baylor University Some of the most persuasive contemporary statements of the problem of evil rely on premises concerning God’s intentionally permitting certain things to occur and premises concerning the moral wrongness of intentionally permitting such things. In this paper, I want to pose a dilemma for the defender of such arguments from evil. Either intentionally permitting p implies intending p or it doesn’t. If it does, then the theist may plausibly resist these arguments from evil by insisting that the key claims in them concerning God’s intentionally permitting things are false. But, if intentionally permitting p does not imply intending p, then the theist may plausibly resist these arguments by contesting the premises in them which make claims concerning the moral wrongness of intentionally permitting certain things. Either way, the theist will have a response to these versions of the problem of evil. [Return to Program] Session VII: Science: Modern and Ancient “Thomas Aquinas, Perceptual Resemblance, Categories, and the Reality of Secondary Qualities” Paul Symington, Franciscan University of Steubenville Arguably one of the most fundamental phase shifts that occurred in the intellectual history of Western culture involved the ontological reduction of secondary qualities to primary qualities. To say the least, this reduction worked to undermine the foundations undergirding Aristotelian thought in support of a scientific view of the world based strictly on an examination of the real—primary—qualities of things. In this essay, I identify the so-called “Causal Argument” for a reductive view of secondary qualities and seek to deflect this challenge by deriving some plausible consequences that support a non-reductive view of secondary qualities from an Aristotelian view (via the philosophical commentary of Thomas Aquinas). Specifically, my argument has two facets. First, I show that Aristotle’s view both implies recognition of the extramental existence of secondary qualities and is a prima facia natural view to take regarding the ontology of secondary qualities. Second, I show that the Causal Argument, which is thought to undermine a natural view of secondary qualities as real things, loses its bite when one examines perception in light the ontological relationship among the categories of quality, quantity and substance. “Cogs, Dogs, and Robot Frogs: Aquinas's Presence by Power and the Unity of Living Things” Michael Storck, Ohio Dominican University In this paper, I investigate the nature of complex bodies, especially living things. I argue that a living thing's complexity is fundamentally different from that of a machine, so that living things are substances, while machines are not. I further argue that the best way to understand the unity and complexity of a living thing is to follow Aquinas in holding that the elements and other parts are present in wholes by their powers, rather than as substances. I show that presence by power is not refuted by the discoveries of modern physics, and that it can help us understand the relations between parts and wholes in a more universal way which includes both living and non-living things. [Return to Program] Session VIII: A Living Thomism “Indeterminacy and the Normativity of Practical Reason” R. Mary Hayden Lemmons, University of St. Thomas – Minnesota This paper argues against the indeterminacy thesis that attempts to defeat natural law by asserting that specific moral norms cannot be based on human nature. As put by Jean Porter (Nature as Reason 2005, 338): “the intelligibilities of human nature underdetermine their forms of expression, and that is why this theory does not yield a comprehensive set of determinate moral norms, compelling to all rational persons.” However, if this were so, one could adopt any morality with impunity from nature’s sanctions. But I argue that nature punishes violators of the natural law in various ways. In addition, I argue that the indeterminacy thesis cannot be supported by appealing to the diversity of moral norms across the globe. Such diversity is required, for instance, both by the reliance of Thomistic natural law on the practical syllogism and by its reliance on practical reason’s ability to prescribe for the sake of the person in highly unique situations as required by Wojtyla’s Personalistic Norm and Aquinas’s norm of neighborly love. “A Science With No Scientists?: Faith and the First Principles of Aquinas' Sacra Doctrina” Vincent J. DeVendra, Boston College The first question of Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologiae makes the argument that sacred doctrine is an Aristotelian science, and furthermore, the most certain of sciences. According to Aristotle, this means that the first principles of sacred science must be certain. The normal modes of grasping the certainty of principles are either by demonstrating them by a higher science or by a direct grasp of them by the natural light of the agent intellect, and yet both of these avenues are closed to sacred science. It would seem, then, that if sacred doctrine is a science, it can have no scientists in the wayfaring state. Aquinas unties this knot by proposing a third way of grasping the certainty of the first principles, namely, faith. Only through the supernatural and graced assent of faith can the articles of faith be known as certain and allow sacred doctrine to fit the mold of an Aristotelian science. [Return to Program] Satellite Sessions Friday, October 28, 2011 - 2:00 - 4:00 pm 1. International Society for MacIntyrean Enquiry Westminster Organizer: Jeffery Nicholas, Mount Angel Seminary Topic: MacIntyre on Reason, Faith, and Error Chair: Greg Beabout, St. Louis University Speaker: Bruce Ballard, Lincoln University “MacIntyre on Moral Error as a Source of Intellectual Error” Commentator: Michael O'Neill, Providence College Speaker: Christopher Lutz, St. Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology “Faith and Reason in MacIntyrean Enquiry” Commentator: Bryan Cross, St. Louis University 2. Société Internationale pour l’Étude de Philosophie Médiévale (SIEPM) I Kingsbury Organizer: Richard C. Taylor, Marquette University Topic: Philosophy in the Abrahamic Traditions 1. Chair: Jörg Tellkamp, Universidad Antónoma Metropolitana, Mexico City Speaker: Daniel DeHaan, University of St. Thomas, Houston. “Where does Avicena Demonstrate the Existence of God?” Commentator: E. M. Macierowski, Benedictine College Speaker: Emma Gannagé, Georgetown University “Medicine as a subordinate science” Commentator: Therese-Anne Druart, The Catholic University of America 3. Society for Catholicism and Analytical Philosophy I Maryland Organizer: Gavin Colvert, Assumption College Topic: Author Meets Critics: Alexander Pruss's Actuality, Possibility and Worlds Chair: Patrick Toner, Wake Forest University Speaker: David Robb, Davidson College Speaker: Jonathan Jacobs, St. Louis University Speaker: Joshua Rasmussen, University of Notre Dame Respondent: Alexander Pruss, Baylor University 4. Gabriel Marcel Society Plaza Organizer and Chair: Brendan Sweetman, Rockhurst University Speaker: David Rodick, Xavier University “Gabriel Marcel and American Philosophy” Speaker: Jill Graper Hernandez, University of Texas, San Antonio “The ‘Death of God’ as the birth of Marcelian Ethics” 5. Society for the Study of Cardinal Newman Forsyth Organizer and Chair: Michael Baur, Fordham University Topic: Newman and Development Speaker: Kenneth L. Parker, Saint Louis University “Newman, Development, and Historical Consciousness” Speaker: C. Michael Shea, Saint Louis University “Sinning Through an Excess of Faith: Newman's 1845 Essay on Development in Light of the Philosophy of Louis Bautain” Speaker: Michael Baur, Fordham University “Newman, Development, and Evolution” 6. The Metaphysical Society of America Waterman Organizer and Chair: Vincent Colapietro, Penn State University Speaker: Phillip Stambovsky, Fairfield University “The Science of Cause—Modern vs. Medieval—in Philosophy of Religion” Speaker: James Earley, Department of Chemistry, Georgetown University “Darwin’s ‘Gift to Religion’ Calls for a Whiteheadian Response” Speaker: Nicholas Cohen, Urshan Graduate School of Theology “Truth and Necessity in Anselmian Human Redemption” 7. ACPA Committee on Priestly Formation Portland Chair: David Ruel Foster, Athenaeum of Ohio Speaker: Jack Carlson, Creighton University “The Importance of Precision in Philosophy and Theology” Speaker: Patricia Pintado, Pontifical College Josephinum “Guidelines for Seminary Studies in Philosophy: History and Content of the New Decree.” Friday, 28 October 2011 – 4:30 - 6:30 pm 8. Philosophers in Jesuit Education Westminster Organizer: Joseph Godfrey, SJ,, St. Joseph’s University Topic: Medical Ethics Chair: William Rehg, SJ, Saint Louis University Speaker: John Kavanaugh, SJ, Saint Louis University “Are There Some Human Beings Who Are Not Persons? A Looming Controversy in Medical Ethics: A Discussion” 9. Society of Thomistic Personalism I Portland Organizer and Chair: R.M. Lemmons, University of St. Thomas, Minnesota Speaker: Joseph Koterski, SJ, Fordham University “W. Norris Clarke on the Soul: The Significance of Ethics for Metaphysics” Speaker: Eleonore Stump, St. Louis University “Suffering and Personal Growth in Aquinas” 10. COMIUCAP - Conférence Mondiale des Institutions Catholiques de Philosophie Maryland Organizer and Chair: João J. Vila-Chã, SJ, Gregorian University Topic: The Role of Philosophy in the Contemporary Catholic Context Speaker: Oliva Blanchette, Boston College "Maurice Blondel and the Catholic Need for Philosophy" Response: Dominic Balestra, Fordham University "Where is Catholic Philosophy Today?" Speaker: Arthur Madigan, SJ, Boston College "Philosophy and Catholic Modernity" Response: João Vila-Chã, SJ, Gregorian University "The Networking of Catholic Philosophy" 11. Société Internationale pour l’Étude de Philosophie Médiévale (SIEPM) II Kingsbury Organizer: Richard C. Taylor, Marquette University, Milwaukee Topic: Philosophy in the Abrahamic Traditions 2. Chair: Speaker: Sarah Pessin, University of Denver. “Hylomorphism and Philosophy of Religion? Matter, Metaphysics and Theology in Muslim Philosophy” Commentator: David Twetten, Marquette University Speaker: Richard C. Taylor, Marquette University “Albert the Great and the Development of Thomas Aquinas’s Natural Epistemology” Commentator: Jörg Tellkamp, Universidad Antónoma Metropolitana, Mexico City 12. Lonergan Philosophical Society Waterman Organizer: Elizabeth Murray, Loyola Marymount University Topic: Dimensions of Lonergan's Thought Chair: Michael Sharkey, University of Wisconsin—Platteville Speaker: Randy Rosenberg, Fontbonne University, St. Louis “Walker Percy on Faith and Reason: An Examination in Light of Lonergan” Commentator: Gretchen Gusich, Loyola Marymount University Speaker: Paul St. Amour, St. Joseph's University “Lonergan's Economics and Cosmopolis” Commentator: Thomas Cappelli, Loyola Marymount University 14. Society for Continental Philosophy and Theology Plaza Organizer and Chair: Jeffrey Hanson, Australian Catholic University Topic: Celebrating the Fiftieth Anniversary of Totality and Infinity Speaker: Jeffrey Bloechl, Boston College “Totality and Infinity as Philosophy of Religion” Speaker: Jeffrey Hanson, Australian Catholic University “Being at Home with Totality and Infinity” Adriaan T. Peperzak, Loyola University, Chicago “What I’ve Learned from Reading Totality and Infinity” 14. Society for Thomistic Natural Philosophy Forsyth Organizer and Chair: Michael Tkacz, Gonzaga University Speaker: Steven E. Baldner, St. Francis Xavier University “Creation, Time and Causality: Albertus Magnus and Thomas Aquinas” Commentary: Michael W. Tkacz, Gonzaga University “Albertus Magnus, Cosmogony and the Error Platonis” Saturday, October 29, 2011 – 1:00-3:00pm 15. Society for Medieval Logic and Metaphysics Westminster Organizer: Gyula Klima, Fordham University Topic: Efficient Causality Chair: Michael Rota, University of St. Thomas, Minnesota Speaker: Edward Feser, Pasadena City College “The Medieval Principle of Motion and the Modern Principle of Inertia” Speaker: Gyula Klima, Fordham University “Whatever Happened to Efficient Causes?” 16. The Enduring Relevance of Hegel's Thought Kingsbury Organizer and Chair: Robert Wood, University of Dallas Topic: Hegel's Political Thought Speaker: Adriaan Peperzak, Loyola University of Chicago “Hegel's Faith and his Conception of the Relations between the Practice of Right and the Supremacy of Theory” Speaker: Jeffery Kinlaw, McMurry University “Hegel’s Theory of Action: Agent-relativity and Agent-neutrality.” Commentator: Michael Baur, Fordham University 17. Society of Christian Philosophers Maryland Organizer and Chair: Stephen R. Grimm, Fordham University Speaker: Eleonore Stump, St. Louis University “The Nature of Love and the Anselmian Theory of Atonement” Speaker: Charity Anderson, St. Louis University “Fallibilism and the Flexibility of Epistemic Modals” 18. Honest Dialogue: Honoring the Work of Fr. Ernan McMullin at the Intersection of Christian Theology and Natural Science Empire Organizer: Patrick McDonald, Seattle Pacific University. Chair: Teresa I. Reed, Quincy University Speaker: Paul Allen, Concordia University, Montreal “McMullin's Augustinian Settlement: The Consonance between Faith and Science” Speaker: Rob Deltete, Seattle University “McMullin on Anthropic Explanation in Cosmology” Speaker: Patrick McDonald, Seattle Pacific University “Evolutionary Biology and a Theology of the Human” Speaker: Brendan Sweetman, Rockhurst University “The Dispute between Plantinga and McMullin over Evolution” 19. Society of Thomistic Personalism II Forsyth Organizer and Chair: R.M. Lemmons, University of St. Thomas, Minnesota Speaker: Alice Ramos, St. John's University “The Affections and the Life of the Mind” Speaker: Mirela Oliva, University of St. Thomas, Houston “Beauty in Gadamer and Aquinas” 20. The Institute for Saint Anselm Studies Portland Organizer and Chair: Montague Brown, St. Anselm College Topic: Philosophical Implications of Anselm's Prayers and Meditations. Speaker: Katherin Rogers, University of Delaware “Anselm on Self-reflection in Theory and Practice” Speaker: Eileen Sweeney, Boston College “Anselmian Meditation: Imagination, Argument and Aporia.” Speaker: Nicholas Cohen, Urshan Graduate School of Theology “Truth and Necessity in Anselmian Human Redemption” 21. Society for Catholicism and Analytical Philosophy II Waterman Organizer and Chair: Patrick Toner, Wake Forest University Topic: Providence Speaker: Thomas Flint, University of Notre Dame “Freedom, Foreknowledge, and Keeping Dialectically Kosher” Speaker: Neal Judisch, University of Oklahoma “Meticulous Providence and Gratuitous Evil” Commentator: W. Matthews Grant, University of St. Thomas, Minnesota ACPA 2011-2012 Nominees for Office Here are short biographies for the candidates for office. Those members whose dues are currently paid up will receive their paper ballot in the “September mailing.” You should receive your ballot by regular mail around 15 September. You will have from the date you receive your ballot until 2 April 2012 to vote. Instructions for voting will be included with your ballot, as well as an envelope you can use to return your completed ballot. As usual, you will be asked to vote for one person for VP/President-Elect and for at most five persons for the Executive Council. For VP/ President-Elect Daniel O. Dahlstrom (Ph.D., St. Louis University) is a Professor in the Department of Philosophy, Boston University, where he served as chair from 2007 to 2011. A former president of the Metaphysical Society of America (2009-10), he has also served as secretary of the ACPA (1980-1987) and on the ACPA's annual program committees and on various committees of the APA and SPEP. He is the author of numerous articles and three books, most recently, Philosophical Legacies (CUA Press, 2008). In addition to translating works of Mendelssohn, Schiller, Hegel, Feuerbach, Husserl, and Heidegger, he has edited several editions, including most recently Interpreting Heidegger: Critical Essays (Cambridge, 2011). Elizabeth A. Murray (Loyola Marymount University). Since 2010, she has held the Robert H. Taylor Chair in Philosophy at Loyola Marymount University. She is a Professor of Philosophy at Loyola Marymount University, and former Chair of the Philosophy Department (2006-2010). She received her Ph.D. in Philosophy at the University of Toronto in 1981. She specializes in the philosophy of Bernard Lonergan, S.J., and in existential phenomenology. Her current thematic interests include fundamental moods, rational self-consciousness, and modes of conversion. Her publications include The Lonergan Reader, co-edited with Mark Morelli (University of Toronto Press, 1997); Bernard Lonergan, SJ, Understanding and Being: The Halifax Lectures on Insight, transcribed and co-edited with Mark Morelli (Edwin Mellen Press, 1980), re-edited with Morelli, Crowe, Doran, and Daly and published as Volume 5 of Collected Works of Bernard Lonergan (University of Toronto Press, 1990); Anxiety: The Affectivity of Moral Consciousness (UPA, 1986); and many articles and book chapters on Lonergan, and on other thinkers including Sartre, Freud, Kierkegaard, and Nietzsche. She teaches graduate level courses in Lonergan and Kierkegaard, and undergraduate courses in Ancient Greek Philosophy, Existentialism, and Phenomenology. She was a founder and served on the editorial board of the Method: Journal of Lonergan Studies (1983 – 1991). She founded the Lonergan Philosophical Society in 1993, and is its current President. From 1992-2006, she served as the LMU faculty representative to the Lilly Fellows Program in Humanities and the Arts, and she was elected to its National Network Board (1995-99). In 1993, she co-founded with Tom Buckley, SJ, ‘Western Conversations,’ which involves faculty of the six Jesuit universities of the western U.S. in semi-annual conferences. She was elected to the National Seminar on Jesuit Higher Education and served as a member of the editorial board of Conversations (2001-04). She currently serves on the ACPA Executive Council. For Executive Council Michael Baur is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Adjunct Professor of Law at Fordham University. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Toronto (1991), and a J.D. from Harvard Law School (1998). A Life Member of the ACPA, he has served two terms as National Secretary, and two years as Interim Secretary, of the Association. In addition to presenting papers at past meetings of the ACPA, he has published articles in the ACPQ and has organized ACPA satellite sessions of the Society for the Study of Cardinal Newman. He is currently Secretary of the Hegel Society of America, and Vice-President/President-elect of Philosophers in Jesuit Education. His main areas of research include German Idealism, the philosophy of law, and contemporary continental thought. Recent scholarly work includes: The Blackwell Companion to Hegel (2011; co-edited with Stephen Houlgate); Person, Being, and History: Essays in Honor of Kenneth L. Schmitz (CUA Press, 2011; co-edited with Robert E. Wood); and the “Natural Law” chapter in the Oxford Handbook of Aquinas (forthcoming 2011). Craig A. Condella (Salve Regina University). Condella received his Ph.D. from Fordham University where he was awarded a Senior Teaching Fellowship, an Alumni Dissertation Fellowship, and a Post-Doctoral Teaching Fellowship. In 2006, he was hired as an Assistant Professor at Salve Regina University where he currently teaches on both a graduate and undergraduate level. He has published in the area of the philosophy of technology and has more recently been focusing on the connection between environmental ethics and aesthetics. He recently founded the Rhode Island Beta chapter of Phi Sigma Tau and has twice organized satellite sessions at the ACPA annual meeting. Jean De Groot (Catholic University of America) is associate professor in the School of Philosophy at the Catholic University of America, where she has taught full time since 1994. She received her Ph.D. from Harvard University in History of Science (1980). She works in ancient Greek philosophy, philosophy of nature, and history and philosophy of science. At Catholic University, she was associate dean in charge of the undergraduate program in the School of Philosophy from 2000-2008. She designed the School of Philosophy’s successful four-part discussion series for undergraduates at CUA, Exploring Faith and Forming Intellect (2003). She served on the President’s Task Force on Faculty Salaries, gave presentations on Catholic mission to the Division of Student Life at the request of the Vice-President for Student Life, and served as president of the local chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for four years. Her graduate courses focus on texts of Aristotle–Categories, Physics, and Posterior Analytics–as well as 20th century philosophy of science and Wittgenstein. She has published articles in journals such as Phronesis, Journal of the History of Philosophy, and Studies in History and Philosophy of Science, as well as many book chapters. She has published two books, Aristotle and Philoponus on Light, and Nature in American Philosophy (ed.). She is presently writing a book, Aristotle’s Empiricism: Experience and Mechanics in the 4th Century B.C. Alexander Eodice (Iona College). He holds a Ph.D. (1987) from Fordham University and is a Professor of Philosophy at Iona, where he has served as Chair of the Philosophy Department, Director of the Honors Program and, from 2001-2008, as Dean of the School of Arts and Science. During the Hilary term 2009, he was visiting scholar at Blackfriars Hall, Oxford University where he conducted research and delivered a lecture on “Legal Obligation and Coercion”. He regularly teaches courses in moral philosophy, philosophy of law, and philosophy of mind and has published articles in various journals including Vera Lex: International Journal of Natural Law and Right, Philosophy Today, and Proceedings of the ACPA; recent publications include “Keeping Time in Mind: Saint Augustine’s Proposed Solution to a Perplexing Problem” in Augustine and Philosophy (Lexington Books, 2010). He was a member of the ACPA Program Committee 2011. John Greco received his AB from Georgetown University in 1983 and his Ph.D. from Brown University in 1989. He holds the Leonard and Elizabeth Eslick Chair in Philosophy at Saint Louis University. He taught at Fordham University from 1989 to 2006. He has previously served on the Executive Council of ACPA and on the Executive Committee of the SCP, and has chaired or served on various program committees for the ACPA, SCP and APA. He also served on the Committee on Lectures, Publications and Research for the APA, and on the Advisory Board for the APA Eastern Division. He is currently on the Editorial Boards of APQ and International Journal for the Study of Skepticism, and was recently a guest editor for The Modern Schoolman. His areas of research are epistemology, metaphysics, and philosophy of religion. Publications include Achieving Knowledge: A Virtue-theoretic Account of Epistemic Normativity (Cambridge, 2010); Putting Skeptics in Their Place: The Nature of Skeptical Arguments and Their Role in Philosophical Inquiry (Cambridge 2000); The Blackwell Guide to Epistemology, co-ed. (Blackwell 1999); The Oxford Handbook of Skepticism, ed. (Oxford 2007); and Rationality and the Good, co-ed. (Oxford, 2007). Paulette Kidder (Seattle University). Paulette Kidder received her PhD in Philosophy from Boston College in 1990. She has been a member of the Philosophy Department at Seattle University since 1989. From 1999 to 2008, she served as Associate Dean of Faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences at Seattle University and she was Interim Dean of the College from 2008-2009. Dr. Kidder’s publications have focused on the work of Bernard Lonergan, SJ, with an emphasis on the dialogue between Lonergan’s work and contemporary movements in feminism, liberalism, and post-modernism. She has taught a range of courses in Seattle University’s Core program as well as its University Honors Program and Philosophy major. Her most recent teaching interest is in Bioethics. Tanya Loughead (Canisius College). Loughead is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Canisius College, a Jesuit liberal arts college in Buffalo, New York. She also taught for a number of years at Creighton University. She completed her Masters and PhD degrees at the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium. At Canisius, Loughead co-founded and runs programs on Ethics and Justice and is working to establish an Institute for Ethics & Justice. She specializes in the area of Contemporary Continental Philosophy and is interested in scholarship and teaching on justice. Loughead has published articles on the works of Maurice Blanchot, Emmanuel Levinas, Simone Weil, Jacques Derrida and Jean-Luc Marion, amongst others. In 2008, she presented a paper on Derrida and friendship at the national ACPA meeting and she has presented papers at her regional ACPA meetings. At Canisius, Loughead has been the Chair of the Fulbright Committee and is an elected member of the Core Curriculum Committee. She recently won a 'professor of the year' award from the Women Studies Program. Loughead has been on the board of the Radical Philosophy Association, has served on the RPA Program Committee and is hosting their 2012 conference in Buffalo. Julie McDonald (Saint Joseph’s University, Philadelphia). McDonald received her Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame. Prior to joining the SJU faculty, she taught at St. Norbert College and Villanova University. She is an Assistant Professor and Chair of the Philosophy Department at SJU. She has published articles on moral theory, and edited an anthology, Contemporary Moral Problems in a Diverse Society (Wadsworth 1998). Her most recent work is in the area of disability studies. She is also preparing an anthology on food and justice. Constance Mui (Loyola University, New Orleans) received her Ph.D. from Brown University. She is Professor of Philosophy and holds the Rev. Scott Youree Watson, S.J., Distinguished Professorship in Philosophy. She has published articles on Husserl, Sartre, Marcel, de Beauvoir, Strawson, and feminist theory, and is co-editor of Gender Struggles: Practical Approaches to Contemporary Feminism (2002). She has attended and presented at numerous AJCU conferences and workshops on Jesuit pedagogy and on the role of philosophy in Jesuit liberal education. At Loyola, she has served as Director of the University Honors Program and as Department Chair. She has also served as President of the North American Sartre Society (2004-07), and was a member of the Diversity Committee of the Society of Phenomenology and Existential Philosophy (SPEP, 2001-05). She is currently President of the Central Division Sartre Circle, and reviews editor of Sartre Studies International. Theresa W. Tobin (Marquette University). She is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Marquette University (since 2005). Her research is in contemporary ethics, with an emphasis on global ethics and feminist ethics. Published articles on these topics include: “On Their Own Ground: Strategies of Resistance for Sunni Muslim Women” (Hypatia, 2007), “Using Rights to Counter ‘Gender-Specific’ Wrongs” (Human Rights Review, 2008), and “The Relevance of Trust for Moral Justification” (forthcoming in Social Theory and Practice fall 2011). She has additional scholarly interest in thinkers from the Catholic intellectual tradition, especially Gabriel Marcel. Publications in this area include, “Taming Augustine’s Monstrosity: Aquinas’s Notion of ‘Use’ in the Struggle for Moral Growth,” (Journal of Philosophical Research, 2009) and “Toward an Epistemology of Mysticism: Knowing God as Mystery” (International Philosophical Quarterly, 2010). Her current research project is a co-authored book on methodology in ethics. She is passionate about teaching, and has a forthcoming essay on pedagogy entitled “Transformative Education in a Broken World: Feminist and Jesuit Pedagogy on the Importance of Context,” (forthcoming in Jesuit and Feminist Education: Intersections in Teaching and Learning for the Twenty-First Century, Fordham University Press, 2011). Secretary's Letter: September 2011 20 August 2011 Dear Members of the ACPA, On behalf of the ACPA, I am pleased to invite all ACPA members to attend this year’s Annual Conference, on “Science, Reason, and Religion,” to be held in St. Louis, Missouri, from 27 to 30 October 2011. I would also like to invite all constituent members to vote in this year’s election. 1. Annual Meeting on “Science, Reason, and Religion” to be held at the Chase Park Plaza Hotel, St. Louis, 27 – 30 October 2011. On behalf of the Association, I would like to thank St. Louis University for very generously hosting the event. I would also like to thank all those who submitted papers for the meeting, and especially the members of the Program Committee: Catherine Deavel, Alex Eodice, and Glen Statile. The topic this year produced a very large number of submissions with the result that our acceptance rate had to be very low. The 2011 Conference will be held at the Chase Park Plaza Hotel, a beautiful old hotel near St. Louis University (http://www.chaseparkplaza.com/index.cfm). The reduced rate for ACPA members is $120.00 per night for single or double occupancy, plus applicable local taxes. In order to reserve your room, please phone the hotel reservations desk directly (1-877-587-2427 or 1-314-633-3000); and be sure to identify yourself as attending the ACPA Conference. In order to register for the conference, please click on “Register for the Conference,” which takes you to our ACPA page on the Philosophy Documentation Center Website. There you will be able to register for the Conference, buy tickets to the Banquet and to the Women’s Luncheon, and pay your dues. Early registration prices are good through 13 October 2011. These prices are as follows: Conference Registration is $60.00, Student R egistration is $15.00, Banquet price is $55.00 (which includes drinks and gratuity), and the Women’s Luncheon price is $ 25.00. After 13 October, all prices increase by $ 5.00. 2. Program for the Annual Conference The Program for the Annual Conference is posted here on the ACPA website. We will also distribute the traditional paper Program at the Conference. At the Conference, you will receive your Program at the Registration Table. And here let me thank Pam Swope of the Philosophy Documentation Center, who does such a marvelous job in helping to set up the Conference. 3. Election of ACPA Officers Members whose dues are paid up will receive their election ballot by regular mail in September. 4. Future ACPA Meetings The 2012 meeting will be hosted by Loyola Marymount University of Los Angeles. The topic will be “Philosophy in the Abrahamic Traditions” and our President will be Prof. Richard Taylor, Marquette University. For submission guidelines and more details, visit the ACPA’s web-site. 5. Reminder If you have not done so, please be sure to pay your ACPA dues (dues notices were emailed to all members in May of this year). The timely payment of your dues will eliminate the need for reminder notices and thereby help to reduce the ACPA’s overall costs. For more information, please go to the ACPA website or our page on the Philosophy Documentation Center website. 6. Hosts for 2013 and 2014 We are looking for volunteers to host the 2013 and 2014 meetings. If you are interested, please contact me at acpa@stthom.edu or houser@stthom.edu. 7. Necrology If you know of a member who has died during these past two years, then please send relevant details to me or to Pam Swope at the Philosophy Documentation Center. Yours, R. E. Houser ACPA Secretary [Return to top]	2011 Meeting Call for Papers Guidelines Secretary's Letter: May 2010 Secretary's Letter: May 2011 Vice President's Letter: May 2011 Register for Conference 2011 Conference Program Program Abstracts of Contributed Papers Satellite Session Schedules Book Publishers September 2011: Electronic Mailing The September mailing that will come through regular mail will also include your election ballot Secretary's Letter: September 2011 Ballot Bios
	Past Meetings Philosophy and Language - 2010 Reason in Context - 2009 2008 2007 Archive
	Other Meetings of Interest The 2012 Annual Aquinas Philosophy Workshop: Thomas Aquinas & The Mind/Body Problem (Mount Saint Mary College, Newburgh, NY, June 21st-June 24th 2012) The 2012 St. Thomas Summer Seminar in Philosophy of Religion and Philosophical Theology (St. Paul, Minnesota, June 17th-July 6th 2012) Ancient and Medieval Interpretations of Aristotle’s Categories (Franciscan University of Steubenville, 12-14 April 2012) Inaugural Philosophy Workshop: Aquinas and Contemporary Philosophy (Mount Saint Mary College, Newburgh, New York, June 23-26, 2011) CALL FOR PAPERS – “In Search of the Good in the World:Scholarly Perspectives in Conversation”; 2011 Catholic Studies Conference (St. Thomas More College, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, March 11-12, 2011) The 2011 St. Thomas Summer Seminar in Philosophy of Religion and Philosophical Theology CALL FOR PAPERS – 46th INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF MEDIEVAL STUDIES (Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan, May 12-15, 2011) CALL FOR PAPERS – “Minds, Bodies, and Souls”; Society of Christian Philosophers 2011 Eastern Regional Conference (Fordham University, New York, NY March 18-19, 2011) Montaigne and the Origins of Modern Philosophy (IHP 2010 Seminar at Emory University, June 8th-17th, 2010) Seven Deadly Sins (Capital Vices) in the Christian Tradition (June 21 – July 2, 2010, Calvin College, Grand Rapids, MI) CALL FOR PAPERS – “Metaphysics: Old & New”; Society of Christian Philosophers 2010 Eastern Regional Conference (Wake Forest University, NC, March 12th-13th, 2010) Conference in honor of the late Edward P. Mahoney, 6 and 7 November 2009, at Duke University Aquinas and the Arabs Research Seminar Conference (Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin October 11th -12th, 2008)

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