Dr Aubrey Townsend
Phone: + 61 3 990 53207
Email: Aubrey.Townsend@arts.monash.edu.au
Academic Background
BA, Sydney, 1960
PhD, ANU, 1967
Career Highlights
Tutor, The University of Sydney, 1961-1962
Lecturer/Senior Lecturer, Monash University, 1966-2004
ANU Travelling Fellowship, 1969-70
College Head, Howitt Hall, 1986-99
Vice Chancellors Award for Distinguish Teaching (First Year), 1994
Teaching Interests
Aubrey teaches or is otherwise involved in
PHL1010 Introduction to Philosophy A, Contemporary Moral Issues unit.
PHL1070 Life, Death and Morality
PHL1020 Introduction to Philosophy B, Logic and Metaphysics units
PHL1080 Time, Self and Freedom
PHL2110 Res Cogitans : Descartes on Mind and Knowledge
PHL3880 Space, Time and Deity: themes from Leibniz and Hume
Research Interests
History of Philosophy, especially Descartes and Hume, Philosophical Logic, Metaphysics, Philosophical Pedagogy.
Recent Publications
'Survival in Cyberspace', Foundation, vol 29, no 78, Spring 2000, pp.25-34.
'Time Travel, Time Scapes, and Timescapes', New York Review of Science Fiction, vol 12 no 12, August 2000, p.1 and pp 8-15. Symposium with Russell Blackford, Sean McMullin, Alison Goodman, Damien Broderick and Gregory Benford.
Work in Progress
Aubrey has various papers under way on Descartes, hopefully aimed at a book around his termination date.
Personal
Aubrey and Thelma Townsend have a 20 acre property, Howitt's End, in the Strzelecki Ranges east of Melbourne, where they grow trees, specializing in Australian natives, rainforest trees and Japanese maples. Other interests are in music, particlularly opera, wine, and dogs. A growing tribe of grandchildren is another interest.