Austin & Hempel Speaker Series

Dr. David Braybrooke

The Austin & Hemple Visiting Speakers Series was originally conceived and (anonymously) funded by the late David Braybrooke.  He chose to name the fund after two very influential mid-20th-century philosophers, Carl Hempel (1905-1997) and J.L. Austin (1911-1960)(1924-2013), In Memorium: Dr. David Braybrooke

 Dr. Braybrooke's many accomplishments.
Academic Biography
[PDF - 40KB]
Publications [PDF - 39 KB]
Extended Biography

About the Austin & Hempel Lectures:

Austin, who taught as a professor at the University of Oxford after WWII, was famous for refining "Ordinary Language Philosophy", and for witty papers on ethics and philosophy of language.

Hempel was a German philosopher and adjunct member of the Vienna Circle before WWII, who later taught in the USA. He was famous for practicing "Analytical Philosophy" (or "logical empiricism", as he called it), especially in the philosophy of science and philosophy of language.

Together they represented for Braybrooke, the best of the new work in "Anglo-Austrian" (sometimes also labelled "Anglo-American") philosophy that distinguished contemporary philosophy from philosophy done in the spirit of the nineteeth and earlier centuries.

The original mandate of the Austin and Hempel series was to support four visiting speakers annually, preferably including one with interests in Feminist Philosophy and one with interests in Political Philosophy. Many distinguished guests have lectured at Dalhousie since the inauguration of the series in 1990; and it continues to be a highlight of the Philosophy Department calendar.

2019 Lectures

Dr. Maggie Little Georgetown University
Public Lecture: Thursday, March 7th 2019  "Pregnant Women: The moral imperative for medical research".
Departmental Lecture: Friday, March 8th 2019  "Ethics & Epistemology in the Digintal Revolution"

Dr. Cheshire Calhoun Arizona State University
Public Lecture: Wednesday, June 14th "Contentment with Imperfection"
Departmental Lecture: Thursday, June 15th  "Motivating Practical Hope"

2016 Lectures

Dr. Sally Haslanger, Ford Professor of Philosophy and Women's & Gender Studies Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Public Lecture: Thursday, March 17, 2016, "Racial Ideology and Racist Practices: Moving Beyond Critique?"
Departmental Lecture: Friday, March 18, 2016, " Social Practices and Epistemic Critique?

2012 Lecture

Dr. Tom Regan, Emeritus Professor of Philosophy Department of Philosophy and Religion, North Carolina State University
Public Lecture: Thursday, November 29, 2012 "'Empty Cages': An introduction to animal rights"
Departmental Lecture: Friday, November 30, 2012 "G.E. Moore: the Myth and the Man"

2011 Lectures

Dr. John Cottingham University of Reading
Public Lecture:Thursday, October 20, 2011 "Integrity and Human Flourishing"
Departmental Lecture: Friday, October 21, 2011 "Descartes and "consciousness"; human thoughts and animal passions

Dr. Jan Zwicky University of Victoria
Public Lecture: Thursday, March 10, 2011 "Auden as Philosopher: How Poets Think"
Departmental Lecture: Friday, March 11, 2011 "Why is Diotima a Woman?"

2009 Lectures

Dr. Susan James Birkbeck University of London
Public Lecture:
Thursday, Nov. 12, 2009 "Narrative as the Means to Freedom, Cultivating a Co-operative Way of Life"
Departmental Lecture: Friday, Nov 13, 2009 "When does Truth Matter: The Politics of Spinoza's Philosophy"

Dr. Elizabeth Anderson University of Michigan
Public Lecture: Sept 17, 2009 "What is Egalitarianism?"
Departmental Lecture: Sept 18, 2009 "Expanding the Egalitarian Toolbox" 

Dr. David Copp Department of Philosophy, University of Florida
Public Lecture: Feb 12, 2009 "The Politics of Reasonable Disagreement: Rawls' Defense of Liberalism"
Departmental Lecture: Feb 13, 2009 "Toward a Teleological Theory of Normativity"

2008 Lectures

Dr. Alan Hájek Research School of the Social Sciences, Australian National University
Public Lecture: April 3, 2008 "Most Counterfactuals are False" 
Deparmental Lecture: April 4, 2008 "Arrows and Haloes: Probabilities of Conditionals and Desire as Belief"

2007 Lectures

Dr. Robert Audi Departments of Management and Philosophy, University of Notre Dame
Public Lecture: Oct 11, 2007 "Intuition, Inference, and Moral Obligation"
Departmental Lecture: Oct. 12, 2007 "Skepticism About the A Priori: Self-evidence, Defeasibility, and Cogito Propositions"

Dr. Alasdair Urquhart Department of Philosophy, University of Toronto
Public Lecture: May 17, 2007 “P=?NP-Some Recent Thoughts.”
Departmental Lecture: May 18, 2007 The Place of Logic in Philosophy and of Philosophy in Logic.”

2006 Lectures

Dr. Ray Jennings Department of Philosophy, Simon Fraser University
Public Lecture: Oct 19, 2006 "Language as Biology" 
Departmental Lecture: Oct 20, 2006 "Knowledge and Understanding" 

Dr. Gary Watson Department of Philosophy, University of California Riverside
Public Lecture: Oct 5, 2006 "Standing in Judgement"
Departmental Lecture: Oct 6, 2006 "Acceptance and Self-Acceptance"

Dr. Barry Stroud Department of Philosophy, University of California at Berkeley
Public Lecture: March 30, 2006 "Dissatisfactions with Subjectivism: Values and Modality"
Departmental Lecture: March 31 2006: "Metaphysics and Necessities of Thought" .

2005 Lectures

Dr. Terence Diffey Department of Philosophy, University of Sussex, UK
Public Lecture: October 20, 2005 "The Aesthetic Conception of Art"
Departmental Lecture: October 21, 2005 "Experiencing Nature and Experiencing Art"

Dr. Joan C. Tronto Department of Political Science, Hunter College, New York
Public Lecture: March 3, 2005 “Is Peace Keeping Care Work?”
Deparmental Lecture: March 4, 2005 “Democratic Caring”  

2004 Lectures

Dr. Richard Creath Philosophy Department and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University
Public Lecture: December 9, 2004 ”The Construction of Reason: Kant, Carnap, Kuhn and Beyond “
Departmental Lecture: December 10 2004 “Turning Point: Quine's Indeterminacy of Translation at Middle Age”

2003 Lectures

Dr. Catherine Wilson FRSC Department of Philosophy, University of British Columbia
Public Lecture: November 13, 2003 “The Aim and Structure of a Moral Theory”
Departmental Lecture: November 14, 2003 “Interpreting Descartes' Sixth Meditation”

Dr. Elisabeth Lloyd Department of History and Philosophy of Science, Indiana University
Public Lecture: October 16, 2003 “Evolution, Sex and Bias In Science: What is Female Orgasm For?”
Departmental Lecture: October 17, 2003 “Objectivity: An Anatomy”
Dr. Lloyd's visit was co-sponsored by the Department of Biochemistry, the History of Science and Technology programme (University of King's College), and Women's Studies.

Dr. Paul Griffiths Department of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Pittsburgh
Public Lecture: September 12, 2003 “Conceptual Analysis And The History of Science”
Departmental Lecture: September 11, 2003 “What is Innateness?”

Dr. Ann Cudd Kansas University
Public Lecture: September 19, 2003 "Oppression: A Framework for Analysis"
Departmental Lecture: September 20, 2003 "Material Forces of Oppression: Violence and Deprivation"

2002 Lectures

Dr. Robert Brandom Department of Philosophy, University of Pittsburgh
Public Lecture: April 11, 2002 “Reason, Expression, and the Philosophic Enterprise”
Departmental Lecture: April 12, 2002 “Modality, Normativity, and Intentionality”

2001 Lectures

Dr. Gerald Cohen All Souls College, Oxford University
Public Lecture: March 10, 2001 “Facts and Principles”
(In collaboration with the Department of Political Science, Dalhousie University and with Contemporary Studies, University of King's College)
Departmental Lecture: March 10, 2001 “Freedom and Money”
(In collaboration with the Department of Political Science, Dalhousie University and with Contemporary Studies, University of King's College)

2000 Lectures

Margaret Walker Department of Philosophy, Fordham University
Public Lecture: April 9, 2000 “Resentment and Assurance”

1999 Lectures

Dr. Sydney Shoemaker Cornell University
Public Lecture: September 23, 1999 "Colour Inversion Revisited"
Departmental Lecture: September 24, 1999 "Realization & Mental Causation"

Dr. Claudia Card Department of Philosophy, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Public Lecture: April 8, 1999 “Women, Evil, and Gray Zones”
(Cosponsored by the Women's Studies programme of Dalhousie University)
Departmental Lecture: April 9, 1999 “Nietzsche's Genealogy of Evil”
(Cosponsored by the Women's Studies programme of Dalhousie University)

1998 Lectures

Dr. Ruth Millikan Department of Philosophy, University of Connecticut
Public Lecture: November 5, 1998 “The Language Thought Partnership”
Departmental Lecture: November 6, 1998: “Abilities”

Dr. Brian Barry Department of Political Science, Columbia University
Public Lecture: October 22, 1998 “The Trouble with Culture: A Critique of Cultural Politics”
(Cosponsored by the Department of Political Science, Dalhousie University)
Departmental Lecture: October 23, 1998 “A Theory of Group Rights”
(Cosponsored by the Department of Political Science, Dalhousie University) 

Dr. Paul Boghossian Department of Philosophy, New York University
Public Lecture: September 24, 1998 “Relativism: The Very Idea”
Departmental Lecture: September 25, 1998 “Reasons and the A Priori” 

Dr. Dan Garber University of Chicago
Public Lecture: April 16, 1998 "Making Science Safe for Society in the Early 17th Century"
(In collaboration with the Contemporary Studies Programme at King's)
Departmental Lecture: April 17, 1998 "Theolohy Naturalized: Spinoza on God and His Modes"
(In collaboration with the Contemporary Studies Programme at King's)

1997 Lectures

Dr. Charles Mills University of Illinois at Chicago
Public Lecture: November 13, 1997 “Philosophy & Race"
(Cosponsored by the Department of Political Science, Dalhousie University)
Departmental Lecture: November 14, 1997 ”White Right: The Idea of a 'Herrenvolk Ethics'"
(Cosponsored by the Department of Political Science, Dalhousie University)

Dr. Linda Alcoff Syracuse University
Public Lecture: September 26, 1997 "Identity Politics Revisited"
(Cosponsored by the Women's Studies programme of Dalhousie University)
Departmental Lecture: September 27, 1997 "Immanent Truth" (CSWIP panel)
(Cosponsored by the Women's Studies programme of Dalhousie University)

Dr. Hilary Kornblith University of Vermont
Public Lecture: September 11, 1997 "Distrusting Reason"
Departmental Lecture: September 12, 1997 Knowledge in Humans and Other Animals"

Dr. Shelley Kagan Department of Philosophy, Yale University
Public Lecture: May 8, 1997 “The Evils of Death”
Departmental Lecture: May 9, 1997 “Equality and Desert”

Dr. Michael Ruse University of Guelph
Departmental Lecture: February 14, 1997 "Some of my Best Friends are Reductionists - but would I want my Sister to Marry One?" (with response by Richard Lewontin)
(In cooperation with the Contemporary Studies Programme at King's and the Biochemistry Department at Dalhousie University)

Dr. Richard Lewontin Harvard University
Public Lecture: February 13, 1997 "What can we learn about Human Beings from the Human Genome Project?" (with response by Michael Ruse)
(In cooperation with the Contemporary Studies Programme at King's and the Biochemistry Department at Dalhousie University)

1996 Lectures

Dr. Virginia Held Distinguished Professor, City University of New York
Public Lecture: November 14, 1996 “Media Culture and Democracy”
(Cosponsored by the Women's Studies programme of Dalhousie University)
Departmental Lecture: November 15, 1996 “Liberalism and the Ethics of Care”
(Cosponsored by the Women's Studies programme of Dalhousie University)

Dr. Susan Haack University of Miami
Public Lecture: September 12, 1996 "Science as Social? - Yes & No"
Departmental Lecture: September 13, 1996 "As for that Phrase 'Studying in a literary Spirit'..."

Dr. Elliott Sober Professor of Philosophy, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Public Lecture: July 18, 1996 “Evolution and Optimality”
(In cooperation with the Department of Biochemistry, Dalhousie University)
Departmental Lecture: July 19, 1996 “Phylogenetic Inertia”
(In cooperation with the Department of Biochemistry, Dalhousie University) 

Dr. Marilyn Frye Professor of Philosophy, Michigan State University
Public Lecture: February 29, 1996 “The necessity of differences: Constructing a positive category of women”
(In cooperation with the Women's Studies programme of Dalhousie University)
Departmental Lecture: March 1, 1996 “Postmodern Performatives: Revisiting Austin”
(In cooperation with the Women's Studies programme of Dalhousie University)

Dr. Langdon Winner Rensselarer Polytech
Public Lecture: January 25, 1996 "Living in Electronic Space: Political Theory in the Era of Global Networks"
(In cooperation with the Political Science Department at Dalhousie University and the Contemporary Studies Programme at King's)
Departmental Lecture: January 26, 1996 "From Autonomous Technique to Social Construction: Necessity & Choice in the Philosophy of Technology"
(In cooperation with the Political Science Department at Dalhousie University and the Contemporary Studies Programme at King's)

1995 Lectures

Dr. Hilary Putnam Cogan University Professor, Harvard University
Public Lecture: October 19, 1995 “The Importance of Nonscientific Knowledge”
Departmental Lecture: October 20, 1995 “Wittgenstein & Philosophy of Mathematics” 

Dr. James Tully McGill University
Public Lecture: March 23, 1995 "The Quebec Referendum and the Future of Canada"
(In cooperation with the Political Science Department at Dalhousie University)

Departmental Lecture: March 24, 1995 "Problems of Cultural Recognition"
(In cooperation with the Political Science Department at Dalhousie University)

1994 Lectures

Dr. Sandra Harding Delaware University and UCLA
Public Lecture: October 6, 1994 "Is Western Science and Ethno-Science? Feminist and Post-colonial Issues"
(In cooperation with the Women's Studies Programme of Dalhousie University)
Departmental Lecture: October 7, 1994 "Strong Objectivity: After the Neutrality Ideal"
(In cooperation with the Women's Studies Programme of Dalhousie University)

Dr. Daniel Dennett Tufts University
Public Lecture: September 29, 1994 "Some Confusions about Evolution"
Departmental Lecture: September 30, 1994 "Consciousness of Time - and Time of Consciousness"

Dr. Naomi Scheman University of Minnesota
Public Lecture: February 10, 1994 "On Waking Up One Morning and Discovering We Are Them"
(In cooperation with the Women's Studies Programme at Dalhousie University)
Departmental Lecture: February 11, 1994 "Closets, margins, and Forms of Life"
(In cooperation with the Women's Studies Programme at Dalhousie University"

1993 Lectures

Dr. Barbra Partee University of Massachusetts Amherst
Public Lecture: November 4, 1993 "Quantification in Natural Languages and Some Questions for Semantic Typology"
Departmental Lecture: November 5, 1993 "Generalized context-Dependence in Quantified Structures"

Dr. Paul Horwich MIT
Public Lecture: October 14, 1993 "Is Time Travel Possible"
Departmental Lecture: October 15, 1993 "What is it Like to be a Deflationary Theory of Meaning?"

Dr. Ian Hacking University of Toronto
Public Lecture: September 30, 1993 "Memoro-Politics: Trauma and the Soul"
(In cooperation with the Political Science Department at Dalhousie University)
Departmental Lecture: October 1, 1993 "Reasoning and Realism"
(In cooperation with the Political Science Department at Dalhousie University)

Dr. Jean Hampton University of Arizona
Public Lecture: September 22, 1993 "On Instrumental Rationality"
(In cooperation with the Political Science Department at Dalhousie University)
Departmental Lecture: September 22, 1993 "Why Expected Utility Theory isn't an Instrumental theory of Reason"
(In cooperation with the Political Science Department at Dalhousie University)

Dr. Ronald Giere Department of Philosophy, Director, Center for Philosophy of Science University of Minnesota
Public Lecture: August 5, 1993 “Undetermination, Relativism, and Perspectival Realism”
Departmental Lecture: August 6, 1993 “Visual Models and Scientific Judgment”

Dr. Susan Wolf John Hopkins University
Public Lecture: July 8, 1993 "Freedom within Reason"
Departmental Lecture: July 9, 1993 "The Moral of Moral Luck"

Dr. Elizabeth Spelman Department of Philosophy, Smith College
Public Lecture: February 11, 1993 “Changing the Subject: Studies in the Appropriation of Pain”
(In cooperation with the Women's Studies Programme of Dalhousie University)
Departmental lecture: February 12, 1993 “Slavery and Tragedy”
(In cooperation with the Women's Studies Programme of Dalhousie University)

1992 Lectures

Dr. Will Kymlicka University of Ottawa
Public Lecture: October 1, 1992 “Moral Philosophy and Public Policy: The Case of New Reproductive Technologies”
Departmental Lecture: October 2, 1992 “Two Models of Pluralism and Tolerance” 

Dr. Stephen Stich Professor of Philosophy, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
Public Lecture: May 19, 1992 “Moral Philosophy and Mental Representation”
Departmental Lecture: May 20, 1992 “Intentionality and Naturalism” 

Dr. Helen Longino Rice University
Public Lecture: March 19, 1992 “Feminism & Science: Current Directions and Future Directions”
Departmental Lecture: March 20, 1992 “Essential Tensions: Feminist Philosophical & Social Studies of Science”

1991 Lectures

Dr. M. J. Cresswell Victoria Wellington, NZ
Public Lecture: November 22, 1991 "The Ontological Status of Matter in Aristotle"
Departmental Lecture: November 23, 1991 "The Stuff of Belief"

Dr. Iris Young University of Pittsburgh
Public Lecture: October 3, 1991 "Gender and Seriality: Thinking of Women as a Collectivity"
Departmental Lecture: October 4, 1991 "How Gender Upsets Paradigms of Justice"

Dr. Richard Miller Cornell University
Public Lecture: August 8, 1991 "Moral Objectivity"
(In cooperation with the Political Science Department of Dalhousie University)
Departmental Lecture: August 8, 1991 "Justice and Social Freedom"
(In cooperation with the Political Science Department of Dalhousie University)

Dr. Gary Hatfield Department of Philosophy, University of Pennsylvania
Public Lecture: June 10, 1991 “Representation and Environmental Context”
Departmental Lecture: June 10, 1991 “Rorty and Modern Philosophy”

Dr. Linda Nicholson State U. of NY
Public Lecture: January 18, 1991 "Feminism, Postmodernism & Social Theory"
(In cooperation with the Women's Studies Programme of Dalhousie University)
Departmental Lecture: January 19, 1991 "Reflections on Feminist Theory and Postmodernism"
(In cooperation with the Women's Studies Programme of Dalhousie University)