Department of Philosophy Updates


April 4, 2012:

The department is happy to announce a new Graduate Scholarship in Political Philosophy - the Bernard Scholarship. For more information see here.

Previous News Items:

03/22/2012: Charles Weijer becomes editor of new book series. See flyer.

03/22/2012: Talk by Mark Ereshefsky (Calgary) on Friday, March 23. See poster.

03/22/2012: History of the Philosophy of Language Conference (May 31 - June 2). See poster.

03/01/2012: Chris Smeenk becomes associate editor of the Philosophy of Science Journal.

03/01/2012: The Rotman Institute of Philosophy's blog has gone live - follow it here.

02/17/2012: Our congratulations go out to Michael Milde, faculty member with the Department of Philosophy, on his appointment to Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Humanities. View Western News article.

Promotion: Tracy Isaacs has been promoted to full Professor, Department of Philosophy. Effective July 1st, 2012. View profile here.

New Job Posting: Director of the Rotman Institute of Philosophy. View details.

Charles Weijer becomes Associate Editor of Trials. For more information visit the Trials Journal site.

Henrik Lagerlund is invited to be on the editorial board of a new journal based in Tunisia, Al-Mukhatabat: Philosophical Journal for Logic and Epistemology. View details.

John Bell portrayed in Western News. View publication.

Director of the Rotman Institute of Philosophy. View details.


"An Encounter With Simone Weil" (A Film by Julia Haslett). Screening and Q & A with the director on Feb. 29 @ 4:30pm. View event poster.

Samantha Brennan is interviewed about her work on Public Ethics Radio. Listen here.

New books from Bill Harper on Newton and from Ben Hill & Henrik Lagerlund on Suarez, Oxford University Press.

Five faculty members receive tenure and promotion: The department congratulates Andrew Botterell, Corey Dyck, Devin Henry, Karen Nielsen, and Anthony Skelton for receiving tenure and promotion to Associate Professors.

World Philosophy Day: The Department of Philosophy presents the annual High School Philosophy Symposium. View event poster here.

Western's Department of Philosophy ranked #2 in Canada, according to the Philosophical Gourmet Report. Read the full report here.

Philosophy student, Yann Benetreau-Dupin, named Ontario Trillium Scholarship winner: Introduced in November 2010, the Ontario Trillium Scholarship program was launched to raise the profile and prestige of Ontario universities internationally, and increase economic performance by bringing highly educated individuals to the province. The full story can be found here.

John Bell to Deliver Philosophical Association Keynote Address: John Bell is set to deliver Philosophical Association Keynote Address to the Western Canadian Philosophical Association Conference 2011 on Friday, Oct. 21. The full story can be found here.

Wayne Myrvold's work on Quantum Mechanics profiled in FQXi: Wayne Myrvold's work on Quantum Mechanics profiled in FQXi. The full story can be found here.


Department of Philosophy Public Lecture Series has been announced:

Western's Philosophy Department strongly recommended: Western's Philosophy Department is "strongly recommended" by The Pluralist's Guide to Philosophy Programs in Feminist Philosophy. See more...

Western's Philosophy Department garners international recognition: The departments of Philosophy, History, Geography and English are among the best in the world according to QS World University Rankings for Arts and Humanities. See more...

Carolyn McLeod Winner of the Graham and Gale Wright Award for 2011-2012: Professor Carolyn McLeod Winner of the Graham and Gale Wright Award for 2011-2012. The Wright Award is given in recognition of McLeod's highly significant contributions in the field of Bioethics. Particularly impressive is the impact and influence of her work on two distinct constituencies, the specialist philosophers in her field and the practicing physicians and other health care professionals. See more...

Promotions: Christopher Smeenk and Benjamin Hill have both been promoted to Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy, effective July 1, 2011.

International Student Blog: A blog has been created to give international students helpful information and tips about living in Canada and studying philosophy at Western. You can find the blog here:

Tracy Isaacs awarded the title of Faculty Scholar: Tracy Isaacs has been awarded the title of Faculty Scholar. She will hold the title for two years. The Faculty Scholar award was designed to "recognize outstanding contributions in research, teaching or service reflecting sustained excellence in all scholarly activities. This award recognizes the complete scholar who has recently achieved prominence in a select domain." See more...

Rob Stainton selected as Distinguished University Professor: Rob Stainton has been selected to receive one of Western's Distinguished University Professor Awards.

New History of Philosophy Website Launched Website...

Rotman Institute of Philosophy: The Rotman Institute of Philosophy is dedicated to scholarly research and training in ethical and epistemological issues in contemporary science. Located in the internationally-ranked department of Philosophy at the University of Western Ontario, the Institute brings together philosophers of science, ethicists, and historians in the study of physics, biology, and medical science. The Institute seeks to build and promote collaborations with scientists, and has outreach initiatives directed at the broader community. Located in a unique collaborative research space, the Institute provides an outstanding research setting for doctoral students, postdoctoral fellows, and visiting fellows. Read more...

New campaign chair unveils $4 million for Philosophy: Geoff Beattie, president and CEO of Woodbridge Company Limited, will serve as campaign chair for the University of Western Ontario's $500-million fundraising campaign. The campaign, which runs from 2007 to 2014, will be officially launched in 2010, once the volunteer campaign cabinet has been fully recruited and Western’s new president and vice chancellor appointed. Read more...


Each Wednesday in October, a faculty member or Phd candidate will give a public lecture at the Central Library, 251 Dundas Street, London. The lectures take place in the Stevenson Hunt Room A at 7:00 p.m. This year's lectures have been announced and the details can be found here.

Western provides the best student experience among Canada's leading research-intensive universities.