NEH Summer Seminar
Metaphysics and Mind
Washington University in St Louis
8 June - 17 July 2009

Colleagues:

Let me briefly sketch the rationale for Metaphysics and Mind, say a few words about my own work, about Washington University and its setting, and conclude with an overview of the structure of the seminar.

Rationale

Philosophy of mind is many things to many people. My colleagues here at Washington University are especially interested in questions arising at the interface between philosophy, neuroscience, and psychology. The Philosophy Department houses a thriving PNP (Philosophy, Neuroscience, and Psychology) Program in which I am an active participant. Metaphysics and Mind has a different purpose. The seminar will address fundamental metaphysical issues that underlie debates within the philosophy of mind.

Some years ago, in the midst of an ill-starred attempt to come to grips with the problem of mental causation, it began to dawn on me that much of the philosophy of mind should be seen as applied metaphysics. As a philosopher of mind, I needed to understand something about the nature of properties if I was to have a clear conception of mental properties, and something of the nature of causation if I was to understand mental causation. In particular it struck me that philosophers of mind had a disturbing tendency to finesse metaphysical questions, picking and choosing among conceptions of causation, or properties, or events so as to achieve an outcome that exhibited a favored hypothesis in the best possible light. In some cases, substantive metaphysical theses were embraced in the guise of innocent background assumptions requiring no defense.

The aim of Metaphysics and Mind is not to promote some one metaphysical view, but to provide an opportunity for philosophers, and perhaps philosophically-minded non-philosophers, to look carefully and critically at metaphysical theses that have particular bearing on issues in the philosophy of mind. Chief among these are the nature of causation, of properties, of relations and events; the prospects for ‘physicalism’ (reductive or non-reductive); and the nature of reduction. Other topics addressed will depend on suggestions offered by the seminar’s participants. (The seminar’s rationale is addressed in more detail here.)

Structure of the Seminar and its Setting

The seminar will be held between 8th June and 17th July, here at Washington University in St Louis, kicking off with a reception at the director’s home on 7th June. In preparation for the seminar, participants will be asked to read and digest Keith Campbell’s Metaphysics: An Introduction (Belmont, CA: Dickenson Publishing Co., 1976), which will be made available by the director.

You can get a feel for the seminar by looking over the tentative schedule and partial bibliography from which seminar readings will be drawn. Once selected, participants will be asked to assist the director in establishing a definitive reading list that will include items from the bibliography, items suggested by individual participants, and items provided by three seminar visitors. These will be assembled and made available to participants.

The seminar will meet three mornings a week (Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays) for three hours, allowing ample time for participants to pursue individual research projects. Fridays will be set aside for presentation and discussion of work in progress by participants.

As the tentative schedule indicates, the seminar will host three visitors, Jaegwon Kim, E. J. Lowe, and Phil Dowe, who will discuss their work, field questions, and be available for consultation. The director will be readily available throughout the seminar. Interested participants will be encouraged to make contact with members of the Washington University Philosophy and PNP programs. The director will endeavor to facilitate such contacts.

Participants will be accorded ‘Visiting Scholar’ status at Washington University. This will entitle them to full faculty-level access to university facilities: libraries, computer resources, athletic facilities, and assorted campus activities. Carrels will be available for those preferring to work in one of the libraries. The University Housing Office has reserved a block of suites in the Millbrook Square Apartments (approximately $1,500 for six weeks). Suites include a varying number of bedrooms, a full kitchen and dining area and a living area. Although most suites are four-bedroom units designed for four or more students, the expectation is that each suite would house two participants. Millbrook Square is conveniently located on campus with ready access to campus facilities and to the Loop, a lively off-campus neighborhood of restaurants and shops.

Off-campus housing is available, but past experience makes clear that participants who elect to plunge into the monastic life for six intense weeks of philosophy (think: philosophy boot camp) are likely to benefit most from the seminar. Seminars work best when participants have active and on-going out-of-seminar contacts. With this in mind, participants are strongly encouraged to live in the Millbrook seminar community. The hope is that the seminar will prove to be a philosophically transforming experience.

St Louis is an up-beat and attractive metropolitan community. The University is located near Forest Park, which houses the St Louis Art Museum, the History Museum, the Science Museum, and the terrific St Louis Zoo. These attractions are all free. Although not free, the City Museum is uniquely entertaining, especially for children. St Louis is home of the Cardinals, who will be hosting the 2009 All Star Game on 14th July. Busch Stadium is easily reached via the Metro, which connects the campus with downtown St Louis, shopping centers, and Lambert Airport.

The Director

This is the director’s third summer seminar. The first two, an eight-week affair held at Cornell in 1996 and a six-week successor in 2006 here at Washington University, were on the same topic and proved fruitful for all concerned. Click here for a representative list of publications by participants in the 1996 and 2006 seminars.

All of the director’s recent work has been on issues directly related to the seminar theme. He is a strong believer in the Australian virtue of ontological candor. This includes a commitment to the idea that metaphysics is to be distinguished from the philosophy of language and from epistemology, and the thought that honest ontology requires a willingness to put your cards on the table--and to refrain from reliance on purely technical maneuvers. His model has been Locke. A more detailed account of the director’s approach to the seminar topic is provided here, and a list of the director’s publications is available here.

Stipends

Seminar participants will receive stipends of $4,400 to help cover travel and living expenses. Half of the stipend will be available at the start of the seminar; the remainder will be paid out after the seminar’s third week.

Application Procedure and Deadline.

Before you apply, make certain you satisfy NEH eligibility requirements. Consider as well application information for the seminar. Your application should be submitted to the project director and must be postmarked (if mailed) or dispatched (if submitted electronically) no later than 2nd March 2009. Please see application information for submission details.

NEH Seminar
Department of Philosophy
Campus Box 1073
Washington University
One Brookings Drive
St Louis, MO 63130

The most important component of the application is the essay. This should include pertinent personal and academic information; your reasons for applying to the seminar; your interest, intellectual and personal, in the topic; your qualifications to do the work of the seminar and contribute to it; what you hope to accomplish by participation, including contemplated research and writing projects; and, where applicable, the relation of the study to your teaching.

The Seminar website provides links to various University and community sites that might be of interest.

If you have questions, please feel free to contact us at neh09@wustl.edu.

Collegially,

John Heil