A History of Australasian Philosophy
3. Approach and Methodology
3.1 Conceptual Framework
The spotlight in the present project will predominantly be on individuals working in, and schools of thought arising out of, the philosophy departments of Australasia. Although philosophers whose work is continuous with the so-called "analytic tradition' (that is to say, the tradition that originates with the work of Frege, Moore, Russell and Wittengenstein, and takes clarity, analysis and logical rigour to be central to philosophy) exert a greater influence than any other group within the professional philosophical community in Australasia, there is also much interest amongst Australasian philosophers in traditions other than analytic philosophy. For example, there is innovative and pioneering work being done in both feminist philosophy (the best exponent of which is Genevieve Lloyd's The Man of Reason, 1984) and environmental philosophy (e.g., Matthews 1991, Sylvan & Bennett 1994). In addition,"Continental philosophers' (i.e., philosophers who draw upon the work of recent European philosophers such as Heidegger, Foucault and Derrida) are now a significant minority in Australasia, as is evidenced by the formation of the Australasian Association for Continental Philosophy in 1995. There is, furthermore, a push emerging in Australasian philosophy to overcome the Continental-analytic divide this is particularly evident in the work of Jeff Malpas (1992, 2002), which regularly engages with the writings of both camps. Despite, therefore, the concentration on analytic philosophy in Australasia, it is important that other aspects of Australasian philosophy, such as the foregoing, are not overlooked in the publications we intend to produce.
3.2 Proposed Publications
The project will consist of four inter-related sub-projects, each culminating in a separate publication.
3.2.1 A Companion to Philosophy in Australia and New Zealand
The structure of this work will be modelled on the Blackwell series of "Companions to Philosophy', where each volume is dedicated to a particular segment of philosophy (such as epistemology [Dancy 1993], the philosophy of education [Curren 2003], or African philosophy [Wiredu 2003]) and provides a lucid and engaging coverage of the key figures, terms, topics, and problems in that area. In like fashion, our projected Companion to Philosophy in Australia and New Zealand will consist of a wide range of encyclopedia-like entries, covering such areas as:
- the life and thought of the most important Australasian philosophers of the past and present, including John Anderson, J.J.C. Smart, Peter Singer, David Armstrong, and Frank Jackson;
- the major philosophical movements, schools of thought, and research programs that have flourished in Australia and New Zealand (such as Andersonianism, Australian materialism, and Melbourne Wittgensteinianism), and the doctrines that are central to these schools of thought (such as scientific realism and the identity theory of mind); and
- the institutions and organisations that have played a pivotal role in the development of Australasian philosophy, including the Australasian Association of Philosophy and the influential Philosophy division of the Research School of Social Sciences at ANU.
The entries in the Companion will be contributed by a diverse group of leading historians and philosophers, who will be instructed to provide articles that satisfy the highest standards of historical scholarship while also being accessible to students and the educated public. We envisage a total of approximately 100 entries ranging in size from 500 to 3,000 words. Furthermore, all entries will be fully cross-referenced.
Following in the footsteps of the highly successful Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy, we hope that our projected Companion will be made available in both print and electronic formats. An electronic version has the benefit of being fully searchable, and it can also be regularly revised and updated, thus making it a dynamic resource that grows with the discipline itself.
3.2.2 Interviews with Contemporary Australasian Philosophers
Books consisting solely of interviews with leading contemporary philosophers have become an increasingly popular way of introducing the views and doctrines of these thinkers to audiences not familiar with their work witness, for example, the recent flurry in published collections of interviews, including:The American Philosopher: Conversations with Quine, Davidson, Putnam, Nozick, Danto, Rorty, Cavell, MacIntyre, and Kuhn (Borradori 1994), Key Philosophers in Conversation: The "Cogito' Interviews (ed. Pyle 1999),New British Philosophy: The Interviews (ed. Baggini & Stangroom 2002), and What Philosophers Think (ed. Baggini & Stangroom 2003). The interview has clearly become an effective method for disseminating philosophy to the wider community, and we intend to appropriate this strategy by conducting a series of interviews with a select group of prominent Australasian philosophers. These interviews, to be published as The Antipodean Philosopher: Interviews with Contemporary Australian and New Zealand Philosophers, will consist of (edited) discussions with up to twenty philosophers, who will be asked to reflect on their life, influences, and body of work.
The list of interviewees currently stands as follows (an asterisk indicates those who have already agreed to be interviewed; also listed is each philosopher's current institutional affiliation and areas of specialisation):
(1) * J.J.C. Smart: Monash University metaphysics, philosophy of science, ethics
(2) * Graham Priest: University of Melbourne logic, philosophy of logic
(3) * Brian Ellis: La Trobe University metaphysics, philosophy of science
(4) * Frank Jackson: Australian National University metaphysics, epistemology, meta-ethics
(5) * Elizabeth Grosz: Rutgers University feminist critiques of philosophy
(6) * David Chalmers: Australian National University philosophy of mind
(7) * David Armstrong: University of Sydney metaphysics, philosophy of science
(8) * Philip Pettit: Princeton University political philosophy
(9) * Michael Smith: Princeton University ethics, moral psychology, philosophy of mind
(10) * Huw Price: University of Sydney philosophy of time
(11) * Genevieve Lloyd: Macquarie University feminist philosophy
(12) * Michael Bradley: University of Adelaide metaphysics
(13) * Michael Levine: University of Western Australia philosophy of religion
(14) Christine Swanton: University of Auckland virtue ethics
(15) * Jack Copeland: University of Canterbury artificial intelligence
(16) * Alan Musgrave: University of Otago epistemology, history and philosophy of science
(17) * Peter Singer: Princeton University bioethics
(18) Jeff Malpas: University of Tasmania topology, Heidegger, Davidson
(19) Janna Thompson: La Trobe University environmental ethics, political philosophy.
3.2.3 Collection of Public Lectures on Australasian Philosophy
A series of public lectures addressing various facets of philosophy in Australasia will also be convened. In order to attract the interest of the wider public, these lectures will be incorporated into a number of larger conferences and literary events, such as the Melbourne and Sydney Writers Festivals. At the conclusion of the public lecture program, the lectures will be edited and collected into a single volume for publication.
The following is a preliminary list of topics and invited speakers (an asterisk indicates those who have already agreed to participate):
2006
Melbourne Writers Festival (August)
1. * John Bigelow (Monash University): metaphysics in Australasia
2. * Tony Coady (University of Melbourne): philosophy in Melbourne
3. * Barry Taylor (University of Melbourne): David Lewis in Australasia
4. * Val Plumwood (ANU): environmental philosophy in Australasia
2007
(i) Monash Arts Festival (June, Caulfied campus)
1. Catriona Mackenzie (Macquarie University): feminist philosophy in Australasia
2. * Greg Restall (University of Melbourne): logic and philosophy in Australasia
(ii) Brisbane Festival (September - October)
1. Peter Forrest (University of New England): philosophy of religion in Australasia
2. * Gary Malinas (University of Queensland): philosophy in Brisbane
2008
(i) Adelaide Festival (February - March)
1. Chris Mortensen (University of Adelaide): philosophy in Adelaide
2. * Raimond Gaita (Australian Catholic University & King's College London): ethics in Australasia
3. Karen Green (Monash University): history of women in Australasian philosophy
4. * Hugh Mellor (Cambridge University): Australasian contributions to philosophy.
(ii) New Zealand International Arts Festival
1. Charles Pigden (University of Otago): philosophy in New Zealand
2. Rosalind Hursthouse (University of Auckland): philosophy in New Zealand II
2009
Sydney Writers Festival (May)
1. * James Franklin (University of NSW): philosophy in Sydney
2. Moira Gatens (University of Sydney): philosophy in Sydney II
3. David Armstrong (University of Sydney): philosophy of mind in Australasia
4. David Braddon-Mitchell (University of Sydney): philosophy in Canberra
3.2.4 A History of Philosophy in Australia and New Zealand
The project will also include the publication of a comprehensive account of the historical development of philosophy in Australia and New Zealand, from the establishment of the first Philosophy Chair in Australasia in 1886 at the University of Melbourne to the current burgeoning of Australasian philosophy. We envisage that this work will consist of chapters contributed by various philosophers, who will be asked to detail the development of a specific field (such as metaphysics or feminism) in Australasia. This is intended as a highly original contribution informed by an extensive pool of (published and non-published) literature, much of which will be gathered from the research conducted for the interviews and the Companion during the early phases of the project.
< Index