Department News
 The Department of Philosophy and School of Science and Engineering Present:
Professor Colin Allen
Indiana University
History and Philosophy of Science, Cognitive Science
"Moral Machines: Teaching (Ro)Bots Right from Wrong"
WHERE: Building 4, room 305
WHEN: January 23, 12:00-1:00 p.m.
This talk is part of the SSE seminar series.
"Fish Cognition and Fish Consciousness"
WHERE: Building 4, room 102
WHEN: January 23, 4:00-5:15 p.m.
Jonathan Means, Philosophy department instructor will be participating in a panel discussion on Tolkien on Sunday, October 28, 2012 in the Commons, room 272, from 4:00-5:00 p.m.
Film Screening - the UWF Philosophy Department and the Baha'is of Pensacola will sponsor the viewing of the 30-minute documentary film, Education Under Fire, on Tuesday, Oct. 9. There will be viewings and discussions at both noon and 7 p.m. in the UWF Library, Room 123A. A discussion about education and human rights will follow each screening. There is no cost for admission and no reservations are necessary: however, seating is limited. Information: Lynne Marshall, 4737428, lmarshal@uwf.edu.
The Department of Philosophy Presents
Dr. Victoria Adamendo
UWF Department of Music
"The Category of Space in Music: Philosophical and Mythological Interpretations"
WHERE: Building 52, room 152A
WHEN: Monday, Oct. 15, 1:00-1:50 p.m
Alumnus Spotlight: Dathan Auerbach
Dathan Auerbach, UWF Philosophy Alumnus, M.A. in Applied Ethics, UNF, has published his first novel, Penpal. It is a work of great emotional courage and resonance, and a highly recommended read. Please support UWF Philosophy and our alumni by picking up a copy--once you do you'll find it hard to put down! Penpal is available in paperback and Kindle editions (and cheap too!). Use the Amazon badge on this page to link to Amazon and a portion of the proceeds will go back to the department to support students and faculty.
Annual Meeting of Florida Philosophical Association
The annual meeting for the Florida Philosophical Association will be Nov. 2-3 at the University of Central Florida. The department makes the trip every year, and encourages our majors to accompany us - we are usually able to take some student's along on the department's dime. There is a student essay competition as well, in which you are also encouraged to participate. Please talk to your advisor or any faculty member in the department about the competition.
UWF Philosophy Graduate Promoted!
Angela Lohr, graduate of UWF Philosophy, Master's Thesis directed by Dr. Sally Ferguson, has recently been promoted to Department Head, Department of Humanities, Clark College, Vancouver, Washington. Congratulations Angie! Way to go!
Philosophy Faculty to Visit Eastern Europe
On June 26th, Dr. Steven Brian Hood will be giving a talk at the Center for Social Sciences at Tbilisi State University in Tbilisi, Georgia. The topic of the talk will be conceptual and ethical problems associated with comorbid diagnoses of dimensional psychological disorders. He will also be doing preliminary research on the anti-Pavlovianism and lasting relevance of Ivan Beritashvili's (1885-1974) pioneering work in physiology during the early- to mid-20th century.
Guest Lecture by Leddington a Success!
 On April 16, Jason Leddington, an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Bucknell University, gave a lecture entitled "Philosophy and the Art of the Impossible." As an illusionist and philosopher, Dr. Leddington performed a number of magic effects and discussed the experience of magic performance from a philosophical perspective.
Alumnus wins Faculty Award at PSC!
John Holder, of PSC's Department of History, Languages, and Social Sciences, was named PSC's Outstanding New Faculty Member for 2011-2012. John holds an MA in Interdisciplinary Humanities out of the Philosophy department at UWF.
Additionally, he was recently promoted to Assistant Professor at PSC! Congratulations John!
Philosophy Partners with Amazon.com
You can now help support our Department by shopping on Amazon.com! See the Amazon badge on the left navigation menu. If you click it to access Amazon, our Department can receive up to 15% in referral fees from your purchase(s). See the Support Philosophy at UWF page for more information.
We're Connected!
Check out our new Department Facebook page by clicking on the badge located in the left navigation menu. If you are a Facebook user, "like" us and stay updated on departmental happenings!
Student Achievements
Inductions to Phi Sigma Tau
On April 26, eleven students were inducted into Phi Sigma Tau, the International Honor Society in Philosophy. Congratulations to Devin Acosta, Jesse Brace, Miranda Coley, Dillon Froom, Christopher Glass,Will Lomers, Lance Hargrove, Carter Johnson, Kayla Mattox, Susan McMinamin, Adam Richards, and David Willard! The purpose of Phi Sigma Tau is to further scholarship and achievement in the academic areas of their members, thereby providing a forum where interested and competent students may communicate and exchange ideas with faculty and students of similar interest on their own campus and throughout the world.
Here's a snap of Interim President Devin Acosta administering the rites!
Carter Johnson will be heading to the University of Florida this fall where he will begin the graduate program in Philosophy with initial plans to study Blaise Pascal. Carter has not only been the department logic tutor since last summer, but he also won the 2011-2012 Outstanding Undergraduate Student award for Philosophy and was recently inducted into the philosophy honors society, Phi Sigma Tau. We will miss Carter’s positive presence in the department, but are sure he will accomplish great things in his future!
Devin Acosta, a current Philosophy major, recently spoke on the intrinsic value of forests at UWF's Earth Day 2012 on April 17. Also representing the Philosophy Department were Jonathan Means and Dr. Sally Ferguson who spoke on "Tolkien's Land Ethic" and "Fake Art and Fake Nature," respectively.
Michael DeMaria, B.A. Philosophy, 1982, has been nominated for a second consecutive Grammy. His album "Ocean" is nominated for a Grammy in the Best New Age Album of the Year category. Last year he was nominated for the album "Siyotanka," a collection of Native American-inspired music.
Ashlee Anne Palmer, a recent Philosophy graduate, has opened her own Public Relations firm with business partner Scott Greenberg. The firm is located here in Pensacola, and is already building a strong client base. Well done, Ashlee Anne!
Faculty and Staff News
Dr. Jack Giddens, Adjunct Instructor of Religious Studies, represented the Philosophy department at this year's To Write Love On Her Arms Suicide Prevention and Awareness Conference. Dr. Giddens gave a lecture entitled "Coping with Depression and the Abrahamic Religions." In addition, the Philosophy Department sponsored FSU doctoral candidate Ben Miller who spoke on the philosophy of suicide.
Dr. Brian Hood's article, "Realism and Operationalism in Psychiatric Diagnosis" appears in the latest issue of Philosophical Psychology. The article was co-authored by Dr. Ben Lovett of Elmire College.
Ms. June Watkins won the Mary F. Rogers Women’s Studies Faculty Award and gave the keynote address at the UWF Women’s Studies Conference on March 28, 2011. Congratulations, June!
Adjunct Instructor Jonathan Means was recognized by the Delphi program, which is a gathering of 288 first-time college students of Martin Hall, and the UWF Department of Housing and Residence Life and the Department of Student Transition Programs as a “favorite professor”. Well done, Mr. Means!
Professor Wilson Maina presented his paper titled "The Recent Revival of the Moral Principle of Cooperation in Healthcare Ethics," at the 2011 conference for the Southeast Region of the American Academy of Religion in Louisville, Kentucky this March.
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In the Spotlight
Meet Jonathan Means, Adjunct Instructor
Where are you from originally?
I was born in the South (that is, the south wing of Boston General Hospital) on the 24th of June in 1952—a most auspicious date!
Current research interests?
I’m a total Tolkien Geek, and use much of my spare time listening to The Lord of the Rings and reading as much Tolkien scholarship as possible. It’s not an interest; it’s an obsession, almost. I’m also reading social and political philosophy, and my feet are wet in the works of Merleau-Ponty. What a life!
How long have you been with UWF?
I began teaching here in the spring of 2009, and hope to continue doing so until they find out…
Why did you choose to study Philosophy?
In the first semester of my second tour of duty at UWF, my advisor, Terry Prewitt, urged me to enroll in his course, Anthropology of the Bible, and in Dr. Howe’s graduate seminar, the Philosophy of Comparative Religions. Both courses and both Professors were a wonder and a marvel to me. As the semester progressed, I began to realize I was finally doing the things I’d been longing to do for years. So, there it is. I’m now a shamanistic philosopher-Tolkienist, and as happy as I can ever remember being.
One memorable experience from your undergraduate years?
That was several incarnations ago; let me think…Ah, yes! I was a double-major (Music Composition and Studio Art) and did an honors project—an exhibition of the paintings I did as a junior and senior. Some of my work was done using a camera oscura, essentially a large, simple camera with a lens and a mirror and no film (similar devices were used by a few Italian and Dutch masters). The paintings turned out pretty well and the show was a success, but, because I’m such a procrastinator, some of the paintings were still wet (but none of them were stolen)!
One piece of advice for your students?
Do not study to get a degree! Study to find out who you are and can be. Study to prepare yourself for your true vocation—your calling. Aristotle and Maslow were right; We won’t find ultimate self-fulfillment until we become as whole as we can be—emotionally, intellectually, spiritually. |
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