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APA CONNECT- General Discussion Digest for Sunday January 20, 2019

General Discussion      Jan 20, 2019 started yesterday, Alex Blum (3 replies) Formal Logic    1.  In response to John's note, I think it would be... Alex Blum 2.  It seems to me that John Corcoran has answered... Miles Rind started 7 days ago, Natalie Fletcher (6 replies) The value of philosophy    3.  This is a good question.  I don't mean to be... Jeremy Bendik-Keymer   1. Re: Formal Logic Jan 20, 2019 3:42 AM Alex Blum In response to John's note, I think it would be hard to understand no less appreciate, say Quine, "to be is to be the value of a variable", or Davidson on causality and events, the slingshot, or Kripke on the necessity of identity, or on the necessity of some a posteriori  truths, without at least a solid knowledge of a text such as Quine's Methods, or the first half of Copi's Symbolic Logic. Furthermore, elementary reasoning such as if p implies q then the necessity of the former implies the necessity of the latter, or simply modus tollens, it seems to me, may not be at a philosopher's fingertips without a solid grounding in formal logic. I was wondering how much?    ------Original Message------ Most philosophers need very little formal logic.I would say very few need any symbolic logic. I would add that almost none need to know the basics of mathematical logic: soundness and completeness of first-order logic.And none need to be indoctrinated into the latest fashions and jargon.  But regard these words as a tentative opening of a dialogue. ------------------------------ John Corcoran Bradenton FL ------------------------------ 2. Re: Formal Logic Jan 20, 2019 3:43 PM Miles Rind It seems to me that John Corcoran has answered the question "How much formal logic is essential for a philosopher to master?" while Alex Blum's reply to John's answer assumes that the question was "How much formal logic is essential for a philosopher with a concentration in a central area of analytic philosophy to master?" For a philosopher who specializes in a historical figure or period from before the 20th century, outside of the areas of logic and the philosophy of mathematics, I would say that a basic knowledge of syllogistic is essential while a mastery of modern predicate logic is not. ------------------------------ Miles Rind Adjunct Boston College Philosophy Department Cambridge MA ------------------------------   ------------------------------------------- Original Message: Sent: 01-20-2019 03:41 From: Alex Blum Subject: Formal Logic In response to John's note, I think it would be hard to understand no less appreciate, say Quine, "to be is to be the value of a variable", or Davidson on causality and events, the slingshot, or Kripke on the necessity of identity, or on the necessity of some a posteriori  truths, without at least a solid knowledge of a text such as Quine's Methods, or the first half of Copi's Symbolic Logic. Furthermore, elementary reasoning such as if p implies q then the necessity of the former implies the necessity of the latter, or simply modus tollens, it seems to me, may not be at a philosopher's fingertips without a solid grounding in formal logic. I was wondering how much? Original Message------ Most philosophers need very little formal logic.I would say very few need any symbolic logic. I would add that almost none need to know the basics of mathematical logic: soundness and completeness of first-order logic.And none need to be indoctrinated into the latest fashions and jargon.  But regard these words as a tentative opening of a dialogue. ------------------------------ John Corcoran Bradenton FL ------------------------------   3. Re: The value of philosophy Jan 20, 2019 5:14 PM Jeremy Bendik-Keymer This is a good question.  I don't mean to be glib by saying that the best answer is, I think, to find ways for people who have never done philosophy to do philosophy.  The more sophisticated answer is that we find ways to do philosophy wherever and with whomever we are, when our intention is to engage these others in philosophy.  This involves, I think, some aesthetic and educational imagination.  Children can do philosophy.  And an op-ed can be philosophical.  At the same time, people can propound philosophy unphilosophically.  Many of the popularizations of philosophy fall afoul of this problem; but so do many technical academic works that purport to be philosophical.  The key, I think, is the adverbial relation -- engaging "philosophically."  What is that relation? As a starter, I think one thing to say is that engaging philosophically must be formed and constrained by the pursuit of wisdom.  Ironically, however, wisdom is an under-analyzed concept in contemporary academic philosophy, and it is not central to academic philosophical training.  My view is that the main problem that surrounds the power of your question comes from that irony.  How can a discipline devoted to the love of wisdom be so far removed from critically and explicitly exploring what wisdom is and how we can develop it?  There may be many aesthetic and pedagogical changes called for if we were to actually pursue wisdom.  I gesture to some of these issues in a Blog of the APA post and also in a brief essay on a community-based discussion group. ------------------------------ Jeremy Bendik-Keymer Beamer-Schneider Professor in Ethics Case Western Reserve University Cleveland OH ------------------------------ ------------------------------------------- Original Message: Sent: 01-13-2019 16:52 From: Natalie Fletcher Subject: The value of philosophy How can we help non-philosophically trained people understand and appreciate the value of philosophy both in the academy and in the world at large? ------------------------------ Natalie Fletcher Concordia University Montreal QC ------------------------------

Trump's shutdown must end. VIRGINIA ATTORNEY GENERAL MARK HERRING.

David, it’s absolutely unacceptable that Trump and his GOP cronies in D.C. haven’t stepped up to end this shutdown.

The longer this drags on, the more everyday Americans feel the consequences. Tens of thousands of federal workers in Virginia are missing the paychecks they count on to pay the bills. TSA agents, Coast Guard sailors and others are forced to work without pay. Critical benefits like those offered by SNAP are at risk, and families counting on tax returns are facing delays of who knows how long.

It has to stop, period. This shutdown is impacting all of us, and I want to make sure that Virginians’ voices are heard in this debate. Will you take just a minute to complete a quick survey?

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Thanks for speaking out against Trump’s shutdown.

Mark

APA- Seminar in Philosophy of Statistics: July 28-August 11, 2019.

Today’s statistical crisis of replication is causing much introspection among practitioners, and serious changes in evidence policies are being debated. The issues cry out for philosophical illumination. We will offer a 2-week immersive seminar on Philosophy of Statistics (PhilStat) for faculty and post-docs in philosophy who wish to acquire or strengthen their background in PhilStat as it relates to philosophical problems of evidence and inference, to today’s statistical crisis of replication, and associated evidence-policy debates. We also invite social scientists and methodology researchers interested in strengthening their philosophical scholarship in this arena. Up to two advanced Ph.D students working on a dissertation directly in this area may be considered. Approximately 12–15 applicants will be selected. Goals for participants: Gain the necessary background in statistical methodology to integrate PhilStat into their research and/or teaching. Study current debates between frequentist, Bayesian, likelihoodist and other methods, as they interrelate to (i) philosophical problems of evidence and inference, and to (ii) today’s data and statistical policy debates. All accepted participants will receive housing and a stipend. Place: Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA Dates: July 28-August 11, 2019 Directors: Deborah Mayo (Philosophy) and Aris Spanos (Economics) For more information, see our website: SummerSeminarPhilStat.com Application deadline March 20, 2019: Application Instructions We would be very grateful if you shared this information with colleagues and departments, including those outside philosophy (e.g., statistics, psychology, economics, STS). Thank you so much!

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