NORTH AMERICAN KANT SOCIETY. BIENNIAL PROGRAM.

Dear David McDonald, I am pleased to announce that the Biennial program (revised for virtual conference format) is now complete and posted. Registration is available through the NAKS website, and is free for all NAKS members. Please consult the Biennial website for instructions about registering and to download the program: https://bnaks2020.weebly.com/ Please also join me in thanking Melissa Zinkin, who has worked tirelessly to organize the conference and now to reorganize it in a new format. We as a Society owe much gratitude to her for her efforts, particularly in this difficult time. Thanks also to Noam Hoffer, the NAKS technology consultant for his help with technical matters to make this possible. Please do not hesitate to contact me (by reply to this email) or Professor Zinkin (contact info on Biennial website) if you have questions. With best wishes, and hopes to see everyone next month Rachel Zuckert, President The "North American Kant Society" is a 501(3)(c) non-profit organization. 2809 Kenyon Circle, Boulder, CO 80305. http://northamericankantsociety.onefireplace.org/

AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL ASSOCIATION. Today is #GivingTuesdayNow. Please support the APA today.

Dear DAVID, The coronavirus pandemic has turned much of the world upside down, created and deepened anxieties, and thrown existing inequities into sharp relief—especially in academia. For so many of us, it has changed the way we teach, how we engage with our colleagues and students, and our personal and professional priorities. At this time of upheaval, all of us at the APA are working hard to continue to serve the needs of philosophers and the discipline of philosophy, and to find new and innovative ways to offer opportunities for scholarly exchange, professional development, and community. We have begun organizing webinars on topics of greater interest due to the pandemic, including one on online teaching and another on how department chairs can lead their programs through this crisis, with more to come. We are highlighting publicly engaged philosophy on our social media channels, promoting the ways APA members are participating in public conversations about the pandemic and demonstrating the broad value of philosophy. Together with other scholarly societies, we are advocating for college and university administrators to ensure their institutions’ policies and practices related to the pandemic are humane, flexible, and appropriate, and push back against threats to philosophy programs instigated by cost-cutting measures across institutions. And as you heard yesterday, we are developing contingency plans for our 2021 divisional meetings so that the rich and exciting programs we are now planning will come to fruition, whether or not we are able to meet in person. As we do this work, your support is more important than ever. The cancellation of the 2020 Pacific Division Meeting and other impacts of the pandemic have left the APA in a very difficult financial position, and so we’re writing today to ask you to make a financial contribution to the APA to help us weather this crisis. One of the best ways you can support the APA right now is to become a member or renew your existing membership. The more philosophers we count among our members, the greater our influence. If you’re already a member—thank you!—please consider giving the gift of APA membership to a colleague, student, or any philosopher in your life. And if you’re able, please consider participating in #GivingTuesdayNow and making a tax-deductible contribution to support the APA. Prior to this crisis, the APA was already operating on a very modest budget with a staff stretched to capacity. In order to continue the work described above and to expand to new and innovative programs and initiatives in service of philosophy and philosophers, we need your help. Please support the APA today, on #GivingTuesdayNow, if you’re in a position to do so. Your support—a donation of any size, a membership renewal, or a gift membership—makes it possible for the APA to continue working to support philosophers and philosophy at this difficult time. Whether or not you are able to make a financial contribution today, please know that all of us at the APA deeply value your support and your contributions to our discipline and our community. We hope you and your loved ones are safe and healthy, and we look forward to a time soon when we can once again do philosophy together in person. With gratitude, Cheshire Calhoun, chair of the board of officers Dominic McIver Lopes, chair-elect of the board of officers Rebecca Copenhaver, Pacific Division secretary-treasurer Jeffrey Dunn, Eastern Division secretary-treasurer Elyse Purcell, Central Division secretary-treasurer Amy Ferrer, executive director

The American Philosophical Association University of Delaware 31 Amstel Avenue, Newark, DE 19716

AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL ASSOCIATION- Plans for the 2021 APA divisional meetings.

Dear DAVID, We hope you are doing well during this uncertain and challenging time. While there are many unknowns, APA leadership is continually looking toward the future of the association and the discipline. In particular, we are carefully considering plans for the 2021 APA divisional meetings. In order to prepare for situations that may affect future APA meetings, we have convened a working group composed of association and division leadership and staff. A major priority of this group is to provide APA members and meeting participants with up-to-date information on plans for future APA meetings. Currently, all three APA divisions are planning to hold in-person meetings in 2021. Paper submissions for the 2021 Eastern Division meeting in New York City are currently being reviewed. Submissions for the Central Division meeting in New Orleans opened on May 1, and submissions for the Pacific Division meeting in Portland will open August 1. While it is our goal to hold in-person meetings in 2021, we are also considering alternative formats, such as virtual meetings, as contingencies in the case that our usual meeting format becomes impossible. Though external forces like the ongoing pandemic affect and inform our plans, your participation is the most critical input for planning any meeting. We encourage you to submit a paper to the division of your choice when submissions open, or to sign up to comment or chair at an upcoming meeting. Regardless of meeting format, the APA is committed to providing the opportunities for intellectual engagement, scholarly collaboration, and professional development that our divisional meetings offer. We will keep you informed as the situation develops and new information becomes available. In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to reach out if there are ways we at the APA can support you, your colleagues, and your students through this crisis. Most importantly, we hope that you and your loved ones remain safe and healthy. All the best, Amy Ferrer, Executive Director Rebecca Copenhaver, Pacific Division Secretary-Treasurer Jeff Dunn, Eastern Division Secretary-Treasurer Elyse Purcell, Central Division Secretary-Treasurer P.S. APA Connect provides a space for you to share and discuss your thoughts, concerns, and ideas about teaching, scholarship, current events, or whatever is on your mind. If you have something you’d like APA member feedback on, we recommend starting there.

The American Philosophical Association University of Delaware 31 Amstel Avenue, Newark, DE 19716

REMEMBERING THE 2018 MID-TERM ELECTIONS: MORE TRUMP DELUSIONS, MORE DEMOCRATIC APATHY.

THE DAY AND DATE- Thursday, November 8, 2018

As of today, with the Florida recount finished, the following

is a recap of Senatorial Contests that have been concluded:

DEMOCRATS- 22 VICTORIES.

REPUBLICANS- 10 VICTORIES.

INDEPENDENTS- 2 VICTORIES.

1 UNDECIDED.

HOWEVER, SINCE THIS IS NOT A FINAL EVALUATION, 

I WILL ONLY PROVIDE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION:

VOTE TOTALS SO FAR:

DEMOCRATS- 50,404,363 votes (58.5%)

REPUBLICANS- 34,446,263 votes (40.0%)

SOURCE- NEW YORK TIMES.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

AS WE SEE FROM THE ABOVE STATISTICS, DEMOCRATIC

VOTERS SHOWED UP AT THE POLLS, AND THEY SHOULD 

BE PROUD, CONSIDERING:

In 2016 I watched the Media, and the Democratic Party, ignore bogus returns in 6 States that allowed Donald Trump to enter the White House. Well, it's 2018 and they are still finding ways to keep him happy, by ignoring the obvious.

As you probably know by now, the 2018 Mid-Term elections have ended, and the Democratic Party has taken control of the U.S. House of Representatives. (As of right now, the count is 224-197, Source New York Times.)

However, Trump and the Media are emphasizing the fact that the Republicans still control the Senate, as if it is a major accomplishment. The Democrats don't seem to be questioning this assessment.
(As of right now, they have 51 seats, which is the same number held prior to the mid-term elections. Yes, they could add 2-3 seats to this total, with 3 races still not called; Source New York Times.)

Now, this is a victory, but how big is it really?

The 2018 Mid- Term elections had 35 Senate Seats to be contested.
These seats broke down the following way, according to which party occupied the office.

24 Democrats, 9 Republicans, 2 Independent.
                                                    (Caucus with the Democrats, and                                                                                                    are usually grouped with them.)

That meant that 65 seats could not change hands. What was the make up of the seats not contested?
Republican- 42    Democrat- 23.

The Republicans had a 19 seat advantage before a single vote was cast. These numbers were the result of previous elections, and were not a reflection of Donald Trumps time in office. Now if we assume the Republicans end up with the total of 54 seats, it would mean the following:

THE TOTALS WOULD BE- DEMOCRATS- 21 WINS, REPUBLICANS- 12 WINS, INDEPENDENTS- 2 WINS.

What does this mean?

At the start of election day, The Republicans had a 19 seat advantage. In the end, it was 8 seats.

To keep majority control of the Senate, the Republicans needed to 
win 9 of the 35 seats.

To gain majority control of the Senate, the Democrats needed to win 28 of the 35 seats.

With these numbers, exactly who was predicting a Democratic take over of the Senate?

In the end, the Democrats essentially won TWO-THIRDS OF THE SENATE SEATS CONTESTED ON NOVEMBER 6TH. 

THIS IS A VICTORY FOR THE REPUBLICANS?

WELL DEMOCRATS, HOPE FOR MANY MORE REPUBLICAN "VICTORIES" LIKE THIS.