The WSU Philosophy Department will host its inaugural, two-day Philosophy Summer Camp.
This day camp for high school juniors and seniors features activity-centered sessions
led by members of the Philosophy Department, spanning a variety of exciting topics.
WSU Philosophy majors, minors, and friends are encouraged to join for an afternoon
bowling party with philosophy faculty at Shocker Lanes in the basement of the Rhatigan
Student Center (RSC).
Saturday, April 13
KPS41: 41st Annual Meeting of the Kansas Philosophical Society
WSU Philosophy majors, minors, and friends are encouraged to join for an afternoon
bowling party with philosophy faculty at Shocker Lanes in the basement of the Rhatigan
Student Center (RSC).
Saturday, April 13
KPS41: 41st Annual Meeting of the Kansas Philosophical Society
Drs. David and Deborah Soles, Professors Emeritus, Wichita State University
Philosophy Colloquium
"Considerations on Loyalty" Abstract: At the moment allusions to loyalty figure prominently in both the media
and informal conversations. Almost daily one encounters headlines about Trump’s refusal
to take the RNC Loyalty Oath, numerous news stories discuss Pence’s assertion that
his loyalty to the Constitution outweighed his loyalty to Trump and several Jan. 6
defendants claim to have been motivated by loyalty to Trump. Unfortunately, much of
what is said reveals serious misunderstandings about loyalty. This paper attempts
to address some of the confusion by considering the nature, duties and constraints
of loyalty.
Dr. Sarah Robins, Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies, University
of Kansas
Distinguished Lectures in Philosophy of Psychology
"The Memory Trace in Philosophy and Neuroscience" Academic lecture, open to the public. April 7, 2022 Abstract: Memory traces are a persistent yet puzzling feature of our thinking about
memory. They have been a part of theorizing about memory for as long as there has
been theorizing about memory. But they’re also mysterious. The primary way of ‘making
sense’ of them is via metaphors—traces are likened birds in aviaries, impressions
in wax, items in a warehouse, or grooves in a record. As philosophy of memory has
grown recently into an active subfield, many working in this area consider traces
an unnecessary and outdated idea. Meanwhile, memory researchers in neurobiology proclaim
that we are in the midst of “engram renaissance” (Josselyn, Köhler, & Frankland, 2017).
Engram is a new word for an old idea, the current scientific term for the memory trace.
New tools like optogenetics have produced a number of discoveries, exciting not only
for what they reveal about the basic mechanisms of memory, but for the opportunities
they provide to connect with broader areas of memory science. What are memory traces,
and do we need them? The memory trace (or engram) remains woefully undertheorized—a
neglect that persists even as the philosophy of memory expands. In this talk, I sketch
a way to address this, developing a theory of the engram/trace that captures work
in contemporary neurobiology and conveys its significance for our theorizing about
memory more broadly. The account also serves to appropriately situate the neurobiology
of memory as a central contributor in the interdisciplinary inquiry into memory, and
as an area of memory science worth the attention of philosophers of memory.
"Moral Motivation and Behavior" Special discussion for students only. Friday, April 8, 2022
"Why Philosophy Matters for the Mind-Brain Sciences" Public lecture for general audience. Friday, April 8, 2022
LCDR Joseph M. Hatfield, Assistant Professor, Department of Cyber Science, United
States Naval Academy
Special Guest Speaker
"The Economic and Philosophical Significance of Cryptocurrencies" Oct. 27, 2021 Overview: In this talk I will explain what cryptocurrencies are, such as Bitcoin and
Ethereum, how they work, and examine their economic, entrepreneurial, and philosophical
significance. Philosophically, I will discuss how independently executed programs
on a blockchain, also called "smart-contracts," have ushered in the return of classical
Aristotelian notions about teleology, which presents economic and legal challenges
as these technologies become adopted. Ethically, cryptocurrencies give rise to both
challenges and promises which will be discussed as well. No prior knowledge of any
technology will be assumed.
"Intelligence under Democracy and Authoritarianism: A Philosophical Analysis" >Oct.
28, 2021 Overview: A proper philosophical analysis of the differences between secret state
intelligence activities operating within political communities of dissimilar type
reveals enough heterogeneity to undermine the assumption that these are the same activities
at all. Comparing intelligence endeavors under democracies and dictatorships, this
talk discusses philosophical ramifications that justify this heterodox conclusion.
As different activities, they do not always share the same characteristics, processes,
or purposes. Much follows from this recognition. For example, while analytical objectivity
is traditionally considered the goal of all intelligence analysis, I argue that in
authoritarian systems objectivity both isn’t and should not be the goal. Using poststructuralist
critical theory, particularly the work of Michel Foucault, I further show that some
traditional Western evaluations of authoritarian intelligence sometimes suffer from
conceptual assumptions that treat the latter as merely a degenerate form of Western
activities. I also introduce the fallacy of the omniscient customer as a critique
against conventional evaluative models of the intelligence cycle that assume universalist
assumptions.
Dr. Erik Curiel, Assistant Professor, Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy; Senior
Research Fellow, Black Hole Initiative, Harvard University; Research Fellow, Smithsonian
Astrophysical Laboratory
Nov. 7, 2019 - Lawyer Christopher McHugh, spoke about a legal case involving Apollo
lunar samples.
Nov. 10-15, 2019 - WSU hosted a major, NASA-funded interstellar research conference:
The Sixth Interstellar Symposium and Interstellar Propulsion Workshop featuring cutting-edge
research on advanced propulsion concepts, interdisciplinary discussions of interstellar
travel, and a science fiction author panel. Visit the conference website for more information
Through Nov. 17, 2019 - WSU hosted the Lowell Nesbitt: Apollo 1969 art exhibit in the John Bardo Center. This installation was made possible by the Ulrich Museum
of Art.
