AAP Newsletter May 2022

  • AJP

    • Change of Editor

    • Issue 100.1 

    • Tractatus special issue

  • 2022 AAP Conference 

    • Early Bird Registrations Open & Call for Abstracts

    • Postgraduate Presentation Prize Call for Entries

  • Alan Saunders Lecture

  • Australasian Philosophy Postgraduate Conference – call for bids

  • APR – call for Open Peer Commentaries

    • Lead article by Tim Crane

    • Lead article by Dimitris Vardoulakis

  • Obituary – Graham Nerlich

  • Jobs

    • Australasian Journal of Philosophy – Editorial Assistant

    • Ethics Centre – Writers

Australasian Journal of Philosophy

The Two Ronnies, a BBC TV comedy from the 1970s and 1980s, might have said it best: ‘So it’s “goodnight” from me’ (Ronnie Corbett would announce, as the program was about to end), followed quickly by ‘And it’s “goodnight” from him’ (by Ronnie Barker). AJP is farewelling one Editor, and welcoming another. Volume 100’s issue 1, now online, is the final issue edited by Stephen Hetherington; issue 2 will begin a new editorial era, with Antony Eagle donning the Editor’s magical cape. Issue 100/1 includes a parting editorial from Stephen, who is stepping down from the Editor’s throne after eight-plus years. Yes, a cape and a throne: AJP is that grand. Who knew? (Stephen’s editorial contains, too, appreciative words about Lindsay Yeates, the departing editorial assistant, who has been stellar in that role those eight-plus years.) This same issue also has an excellent article, both historical and philosophical, from the journal’s previous Editor, Stewart Candlish, surveying AJP’s first hundred years. Highly recommended! Four stars (out of four, of course). 

AJP is thus a centenarian, as is the English translation of Wittgenstein’s Tractatus. We direct you to a recently created open-access compilation of significant Tractatus-writing from AJP, edited by Stewart. It includes a new article by José Zalabardo. The collection can be accessed at www.tandfonline.com/journals/rajp20/collections/metaphysics-tractatus. It is, in principle, still possible to add to the collection. 

The AJP has joined the social media age too, tweeting (automatically) at twitter.com/AustralJPhilos. Give us a follow to be kept up-to-date with the latest articles.

A new editor has prompted a further wave of renewal, in the team of Associate Editors and in the AJP’s Editorial Board. The Journal could not run without the diligence and wisdom of the Associate Editors, who help the Editor in handling the torrent of submissions to the journal. Thanks to those long-standing AEs who’ve taken the opportunity to step down (Derek Baker, Deb Brown, Margaret Cameron, Nick J J Smith, Ed Mares, and Kelly Trogdon), and thanks also to the new crop of AEs who’ve agreed to help with this important but too often unsung task (Ricki Bliss, Nevin Climenhaga, Peter Fritz, Raamy Majeed, Hsueh Qu, Anne Schwenkenbecher, Rob Simpson, and Koji Tanaka). Editorial Board members play a vital advisory role in difficult cases. Thanks to Cynthia MacDonald and Chin Liew Ten for their service; and I’m glad that Deb Brown, fresh from the trenches of Associate Editorship, has agreed to join the Editorial Board. Thanks also, of course, to all of you who donate your time and effort as referees for the Journal.

Despite these transitions, some things stay the same. The AJP remains a desirable venue for papers on a very broad range of topics. We have just ticked over 200 submissions since the journal reopened for 2022, 25 submissions per week during a period where most of the academic world is busy teaching. We’re expecting that the total number of submissions will exceed 1000 once again for the year, and that will mean our acceptance rate will hover just under 5%. This is great, in many ways: every issue of the journal is packed with fascinating and stimulating papers. Our rigorous refereeing process leads to vanishingly few ‘false positives’. Unfortunately, it also means that many potentially good papers are rejected. It is perhaps worth remembering here that the Journal exists not for its authors, but for its readers. So long as AJP continues to publish papers that are read widely and are worthwhile to engage with, we Editors can indeed contentedly say, ‘goodnight’.  

Stephen Hetherington & Antony Eagle

2022 CONFERENCE

Early Bird Registration & Abstract Submission

Early Bird Registration & Abstract Submission for papers, panel sessions, including author meets critics, and posters is now open through the conference website: aap.org.au/conference2022/Registration-Abstract-Submission

Conference Dates: 28 - 30 June & 5 - 7 July 2022

Registration rates (members):

$50 (full), $25 (concession) & $15 (undergraduate)

Key dates: 

Abstract Submission:    Tuesday 24 May 2022 8.00pm AEST

Early Bird Registration: Tuesday 31 May 2022 8.00pm AEST


2022 KEYNOTES

John Sutton - Macquarie University

Gillian Russell - Australian Catholic University

Monima Chadha - Monash University

Bryan Mukandi - University of Queensland

Jessica Whyte - University of New South Wales, winner of the 2021 Annette Baier Prize

The Presidential Address will be delivered by Dirk Baltzly - University of Tasmania

Further information: aap.org.au/Conference-2022

Postgraduate Presentation Prize - Call for Entries 
The Australasian Association of Philosophy (AAP) awards a monetary prize for the best paper presented by a postgraduate student at the annual July conference. This prize is offered to encourage postgraduates to present at the AAP Conference, and to recognise the philosophical contributions from excellent Australasian postgraduate students.
Applicants must submit a full paper, prepared for blind review, of between 3000-5000 words (incl. references)
More information and entry form available here: aap.org.au/Postgraduate-Presentation-Prize

Deadline: Tuesday 17 May 2021 8.00pm AEST

2022 ALAN SAUNDERS LECTURE


The 2022 Alan Saunders Lecture will be presented by Dr Bryan Mukandi on the topic ‘Normal and the white fantastic’. The lecture will be chaired by David Rutledge (The Philosophers’ Zone, ABC). 

This free, ticketed event will be held alongside the AAP Conference and will be live streamed.

Further information: aap.org.au/AlanSaundersLecture

APPC – Call for conference bids

The AAP Postgraduate Committee is welcoming proposals from postgraduate students from any institution in Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore with postgraduate philosophy programs to organise and host the 2022 Australasian Philosophy Postgraduate Conference (APPC). Information about what hosting involves and advice about hosting can be found in the APPC Hosting Guide/Advice at this link:

docs.google.com/document/d/1i4MZkj0uLLkNA7P2xIK7fFjdlbXZ-9yp/edit

Bids close on 6 June 2022

Please contact the current committee convener, Brigitte Everett, for more
information and to submit a bid: postgraduates@aap.org.au or aap.postgrad@gmail.com





APR – call for Open Peer Commentaries

The APR is seeking proposals for open peer commentaries on 

Tim Crane - "On the Explanation of Intentionality"   

Curator: Raamy Majeed

Invited commentaries from: Davide Bordini, Laura Gow, Frederique Janssen-Lauret, Justine Kingsbury

Proposal abstracts should be brief (200-500 words), stating clearly the aspects of the lead article that will be discussed, together with an indication of the line that will be taken.

More details are available on the APR website, aap.org.au/APR/
Abstract submissions are due on 6 June 2022.


The APR is seeking proposals for open peer commentaries on 

Dimitris Vardoulakis - "Toward a Critique of the Ineffectual: Heidegger's Reading of Aristotle and the Construction of an Action without Ends"

Curator: Andrew Benjamin

Invited commentaries from: Charlotta Weigelt, Adriel M. Trott, Richard Lee, Ian Alexander Moore

Proposal abstracts should be brief (200-500 words), stating clearly the aspects of the lead article that will be discussed, together with an indication of the approach that will be taken. 

More details are available on the APR website, aap.org.au/APR

Abstract submissions are due on 22 May 2022

Obituary – Graham Nerlich (1929 - 2022)

It is with great sadness that we report the passing of our friend and former colleague, Hughes Professor of Philosophy Emeritus Graham Nerlich.

Graham Nerlich took his first degrees at Adelaide (BA 1954, MA 1955), before heading to Oxford and taking the BPhil (1958) under the supervision of JL Austin. In 1961, after several years as lecturer at Leicester, he took up a position at Sydney. He was promoted to full professor in 1972. Graham returned to Adelaide in 1974, succeeding his former teacher Jack Smart as the Hughes Professor, a position he held until his retirement in 1994. He was editor of the Australasian Journal of Philosophy (1968-1972) and president of the AAP (1992-93). Among his many honours, Graham was elected Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities in 1978.

Graham’s research and publication during his two decades in the Hughes Chair was divided mainly between studies in the ontology of space, time and spacetime, and work in ethics. In the former and larger output, he defended realism toward spacetime and especially a unique role for it in ontology as providing geometrical, non-causal explanation in General Relativity. Graham’s interest in the philosophy of physics had been stimulated early by Smart, and he enjoyed good relations with the physics department. In ethics, Graham pursued a form of naturalism that sees the development of ethical practices arising, analogously to the universal yet diverse flourishing of language, in the natural life of human populations.

After his retirement, Graham remained active in the department and in research, publishing until well into his eighties. He continued his long running discussion group in philosophy of physics until quite recently.

Graham died in hospital on Thursday 31st March with his wife Margaret at his side. He never recovered consciousness after suffering a stroke at home the night before.

Jobs 

Australasian Journal of Philosophy – Editorial Assistant

The Australasian Association of Philosophy is seeking to hire an Editorial Assistant for the Australasian Journal of Philosophy. The Editorial Assistant will work at the direction of the Journal’s editor, aiding at every stage of the production process from initial submission through to page proofs.
A Full Position Description is available here:
drive.google.com/file/d/1t837v3QY10uuyx0ZhUj7cGS4U6ibCe87/view?usp=sharing

To apply, please submit a CV and a response to the key selection criteria (up to 2 pages) by Sunday 8th May 2022 via this form:
airtable.com/shrmeXtWRHHSC2Elb

Enquiries can be emailed to: admin@aap.org.au.
Further information about the AJP can be found here: aap.org.au/AJP

The Ethics Centre - looking for writers
The Ethics Centre is looking for philosophers who are interested in writing popular articles on ethics and/or delivering workshops for the general public. The Ethics Centre is a not-for-profit organisation developing and delivering innovative programs, services and experiences designed to bring ethics to the centre of personal and professional life. We provide editorial support and coaching, and we pay market rates for all work. If you are interested, please contact Tim Dean on tim.dean@ethics.org.au to find out more.

©Australasian Association of Philosophy ACN 152 892 272



©Australasian Association of Philosophy
ACN 152 892 272 ABN 29 152 892 272
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