Recap: American Philosophical Association Eastern Meeting 2016

This year’s APA Eastern meeting didn’t disappoint. From January 6-9th, philosophers flocked to chilly Washington, D.C. to actively further the study of philosophy in meetings, presentations, and receptions.

The Wiley Blackwell team was there to aid in that mission. We enjoyed meeting you and discussing anything and everything philosophy – from Hannah Arendt to dualism to how you can get published at Wiley. Thank you to those who came by to say hello!

We hope you were able to come by our booth to meet our editors, and to check out the latest in books and journals. If you weren’t able to make it – don’t worry! We’ll be at APA Pacific and look forward to seeing you there.

Until then, here’s our APA Eastern 2016 recap.

// Wednesday, Day 1

Our APA experience was kicked off with an afternoon APA Commmittee Session on “The Analytic Tradition and Chinese Philosophy”, co-chaired by Linyu Gu and Chung-Ying Cheng, both editors of the Journal of Chinese Philosophy. Six speakers were present to discuss questions such as, “Is philosophy culture-bound?” Heavy weights such as Gary Mar and Michael Beaney commentated.

The evening was chock-full of fascinating sessions, one of which was hosted by the International Society for Chinese Philosophy, the topic being “Unearthed Texts and Ancient Chinese Philosophy.” Again, esteemed editor Chung-ying Cheng served as chair. Eight speakers debated Zhuangzi, Laozi, Zisi, Mengzi, and more.

Just next door, the Society for Applied Philosophy hosted a session on “Current Ethical and Justice Issues in Higher Education”, chaired by Harry Brighouse. Speakers contemplated the place of the humanities in a liberal society, the future of philosophical research on higher education, and more, with Gina Schouten commentating. (For further reading on applied philosophy, please browse the Journal of Applied Philosophy.)

// Thursday, Day 2

Our second day at APA was all about Carol Gould, editor of the Journal of Social Philosophy. We hosted a “Meet the Editors” coffee and tea reception at our booth, where many stopped by to meet Carol, Josh Keton (also of the Journal of Social Philosophy), Marissa Koors (Wiley Blackwell books), and Fifile Nguyen (representing this very blog!). Philosophers from all career stages came by to chat about how to get published in our journals, books, and blog.

Then, Carol rushed off to be awarded the APA’s 2015 Gittler Prize at the prize reception for her book Interactive Democracy: The Social Roots of Global Justice. Huge congratulations to Carol on this achievement. She truly is one of the world’s best thought leaders on justice and human rights.

At the same time, Wiley’s Marissa Koors participated in a publishing workshop, speaking about the publishing process via a Q&A with other leading publishers such as Cambridge University Press, De Gruyter, Routledge, and more. If you missed it, here are her top three tips on getting published:

1.  It’s always a good idea to send a query to an editor before submitting your book proposal. The editor can often tell you directly if the book you’re writing is a good fit for their publishing program.
2. Do some research into each publisher’s backlist in philosophy, and be able to argue why they are the best fit for your book where possible. You will stand out.
3. High quality content will always speak for itself, regardless of the age or tenure status of its author.

The evening also featured a session by the International Society of Chinese Philosophy on “Confucianism and the Yijing”, again chaired by Chung-ying Cheng of the Journal of Chinese Philosophy. Nine speakers presented papers on sub-topics ranging from “Body and Sensation in Yijing Tradition” to comparing The Yijing to Ernst Cassirer’s Philosophy of Symbolic Forms.

// Friday, Day 3

Friday provided plenty of time for philosophers to roam the exhibit hall. Our booth featured key new books in philosophy from Wiley Blackwell, as well as our extensive philosophy journals portfolio. There was much interest around Bill Irwin’s latest book, The Free Market Existentialist: Capitalism without Consumerism:

 

And, as always, copies of the latest issues in Wiley Blackwell philosophy journals were available for free:

We also asked, “What you think is the future of philosophy?” We got some great entries – check them out in our next blog post!

That evening, the APA hosted a reception to fête its new blog, which will offer an inside look at the APA, job market advice, and more. Give it your support by reading it here.

// Saturday, Day 4

Our last day started off with a session hosted by the Society for Applied Philosophy on “Parental Rights and Responsibilities” chaired by Jake Earl and commentated by Colin Macleod. Three speakers discussed “regulating biological parenting”, “parents and dependent children”, and more.

We spent the last few hours of APA in the exhibit hall, selling books and giving away our last journal copies. Folks got their last chance to speak with our acquisitions editor, and then we closed up shop to make our way back to the Wiley office in Boston.

 

In Memoriam: Claudia Card (1940-2015)

Our condolences go out to the surviving family and colleagues of noted Dr. Claudia Falconer Card, who passed away September 12, 2015.

Card was the Emma Goldman Professor of Philosophy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and her research interests included ethics and social philosophy, including normative ethical theory; feminist ethics; environmental ethics; theories of justice, of punishment, and of evil; and the ethics of Kant, Schopenhauer, and Nietzsche. Her work also deeply involved Women’s Studies, Jewish Studies, Environmental Studies, and LGBT Studies.

Dr. Card’s obituary is linked here.

Additionally, philosopher Kate Norlock, a former student of the professor, beautifully reflects on the life and work of Dr. Card here.

Instead of mourning her death per her own request, the University of Wisconsin-Madison will honor Dr. Card with A Celebration of Life, which will take place Sunday, Oct. 11 from 1:00pm-4:00pm at the Pyle Center Alumni Lounge.

We have joined in celebrating the life and career of Claudia Card by making free a special collection on her articles.

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Rape as a Weapon of War

Hypatia | Volume 11, Issue 4, November 1996

Against Marriage and Motherhood

Hypatia | Volume 11, Issue 3, August 1996

Gay Divorce: Thoughts on the Legal Regulation of Marriage

Hypatia | Volume 22, Issue 1, February 2007

Genocide and Social Death

Hypatia | Volume 18, Issue 1, February 2003

Selected Bibliography of Lesbian Philosophy and Related Works

Hypatia | Volume 7, Issue 4, November 1992

Removing Veils of Ignorance

Journal of Social Philosophy | Volume 22, Issue 1, March 1991

Review Essay: Sadomasochism And Sexual Preference

Journal of Social Philosophy | Volume 15, Issue 2, May 1984

The Road to Lake Wobegon

Journal of Social Philosophy | Volume 30, Issue 3, Winter 1999

What’s Wrong with Adult-Child Sex?

Journal of Social Philosophy | Volume 33, Issue 2, Summer 2002

Stoicism, Evil, and the Possibility of Morality

Metaphilosophy | Volume 29, Issue 4, October 1998

Women, Evil, and Grey Zones

Metaphilosophy | Volume 35, Issue 1, October 2000

The Paradox of Genocidal Rape Aimed at Enforced Pregnancy

The Southern Journal of Philosophy | Volume 46, Issue S1, Spring 2008

The American Philosophical Association Announces the 2015 Kavka Prize Winner

The Kavka Prize is awarded for the best paper in a refereed journal, book chapter, or essay in the field of political philosophy.  The American Philosophical Association announced the 2015 winner today was Carol Hay of the University of Massachusetts at Lowell for her paper in the Journal of Social Philosophy.  Hay’s article, entitled, The Obligation to Resist Oppression, defends the controversial claim that people have an obligation to resist their own oppression which is rooted in their obligation to protect themselves. Next year’s APA Pacific conference symposium with be centered around the article.  In honor of Ms. Hay’s success, Wiley is removing the paywall for the article until December 15th.

“After all, no one is oppressed in a social vacuum.” – Carol Hay, The Obligation to Resist

Organized in 6-parts, Hay’s article progresses from the Obligation to Resist through the Kantian theory that oppression harms ones Rational Nature, and further through which actions to take or not.  It seems as though Hay has accomplished a full-spectrum review of the theory.  Regardless if you agree, it’s certainly worth taking a look at.

If you would like to read an additional article by Carol Hay, she has also authored with Hypatia on the article, Whether to Ignore Them and Spin: Moral Obligations to Resist Sexual Harassment.

Gender, Implicit Bias, and Philosophical Methodology: Announcing A Special Issue from Journal of Social Philosophy

Gender, Implicit Bias, and Philosophical Methodology
Edited by Margaret A. Crouch and Lisa H. Schwartzman

Journal of Social Philosophy’s latest special issue brings work on women in philosophy together with recent scholarship on subtle forms of discrimination, especially implicit bias.  The articles address the ways that implicit bias might explain the low numbers of women in the profession, as well as the possible implications of implicit bias for philosophical methodology.

Questions are raised about the possibility of gendered “intuitions” in experimental philosophy, and about the socio-political effects of certain styles of philosophical argumentation.  Focusing on implicit bias and other subtle forms of sexism, several authors examine the profession of philosophy, including the systems of ranking and evaluating one another’s work, and the roles that philosophy plays within increasingly corporatized universities.  Questions about possible routes for change and about moral responsibility for implicit bias are also discussed.

Read the full introduction to Gender, Implicit Bias, and Philosophical Methodology; it’s free until December 31st.