The Antipodean Philosopher: Public Lectures on Philosophy in Australia and New Zealand

by Graham Oppy (Editor), N. N. Trakakis (Editor), Lynda Burns (Editor), Steven Gardner (Editor), Fiona Leigh (Editor)

Overview

Philosophy in both Australia and New Zealand has been has been experiencing, for some time now, something of a 'golden age', exercising an influence in the global arena that is disproportionate to the population of the two countries. To capture the distinctive and internationally recognised contributions Australasian philosophers have made to their discipline, a series of public talks by leading Australasian philosophers was convened at various literary events and festivals across Australia and New Zealand from 2006 to 2009. These engaging and often entertaining talks attracted large audiences, and covered diverse themes ranging from local histories of philosophy (in particular, the fortunes of philosophy in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, and New Zealand); to discussions of specific topics (including love, free will, religion, ecology, feminism, and civilisation), especially as these have featured in the Australasian philosophy; and to examinations of the intellectual state of universities in Australasia at the beginning of the twenty-first century.

These talks are now collected here for the first time, to provide not only students and scholars, but also the wider community with a deeper appreciation of the philosophical heritage of Australia and New Zealand.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780739127339
Publisher:	Lexington Books
Publication date:	02/22/2011
Pages:	324
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 9.50(h) x 1.03(d)

About the Author

Graham Oppy is professor of philosophy at Monash University. He is author of Ontological Arguments and Belief in God, Philosophical Perspectives on Infinity, and Arguing about Gods, co-author of Reading Philosophy of Religion, and co-editor of History of Western Philosophy of Religion and Companion to Australian Philosophy.

N. N. Trakakis is lecturer and research fellow in the Department of Philosophy at Monash University and at Deakin University. He is author of The God Beyond Belief and The End of Philosophy of Religion, editor of William L. Rowe on Philosophy of Religion, and co-editor of Essays on Free Will and Moral Responsibility, volumes 1 through 5 of History of Western Philosophy of Religion, and A Companion to Philosophy in Australia and New Zealand.

Associate Editors: Lynda Burns, Steven Gardner, and Fiona Leigh.

Table of Contents

Preface vii

1 Metaphysics in Australasia John Bigelow 1

2 Science, Morality, and the Death of God Raymond D. Bradley 11

3 Philistines, Barbarians, and the Death of Intellect Andrew Brennan 25

4 Philosophy in Melbourne C. A. J. (Tony) Coady 39

5 Missing the Point Many Times Over?: Australian Philosophical Atheism Peter Forrest 53

6 Philosophy in Sydney James Franklin 61

7 Australian Women Philosophers Karen Green 67

8 In the Name of the Father: Understanding Monotheism and Fundamentalism Russell Grigg Matthew Sharpe 81

9 The Nature of Love Jeanette Kennett 89

10 Free Will and the Sciences of the Mind Neil Levy 99

11 Feminist Philosophy in Australasia Catriona Mackenzie 109

12 Philosophy and Its Masters: The Transformations of Philosophy in Queensland Gary Malinas 125

13 Philosophy in South Australia Chris Mortensen 139

14 Is Religion to Be Respected or Only Tolerated? Robert Nola 145

15 Continental Philosophy in Australia Paul Patton 159

16 Getting the Wrong Anderson?: A Short and Opinionated History of New Zealand Philosophy Charles R. Pigden 169

17 Nature in the Active Voice Val Plumwood 197

18 Why Asian Philosophy? Graham Priest 211

19 Logic in Australasia Greg Restall 223

20 The Analytic/Continental Divide: A Contretemps? Jack Reynolds 239

21 Philosopher Deans and Philosopher Kings: The Contribution of Philosophers to Senior Management in Australian Universities Paul Thom 255

22 Becoming Slow: Philosophy, Reading, and the Essay Michelle Boulous Walker 265

Bibliography 279

Index 299

About the Contributors 309

Editorial Reviews

This book will interest both those who have been involved in the profession of philosophy in Australia and New Zealand, and those who have an interest in what such philosophers have to say to the general public on topics such as religion, love, and time. Future historians may well find some of the chronicles of individual departments, included here, important documents for any real history of philosophy in this region, in which the contradictions in what is said here will be ironed out. Was Arthur Prior an important New Zealand philosopher? Was Jack Smart Australia’s best philosopher? Only time will tell.

Annette Baier

Among academics, philosophy in Australasia is best known for materialism about the mind, realism about almost everything, and consequentialism in ethics—and for fighting way above its weight. These entertaining, informed, and often delightfully opinionated lectures tell us how this came to be, and why there is so much more to say about philosophy in Australia and New Zealand, much of it of great interest outside academe.

Frank Jackson