South Central Seminar in the History of Early Modern Philosophy

Rice University
Houston, TX
October 29-30, 2004

The sixth annual meeting of the South Central Seminar in the History of Early Modern Philosophy will be held Friday-Saturday, October 29-30, at Rice University in Houston, Texas. Like similar seminars in other parts of the country, the South Central Seminar is an informal group designed to foster interaction among scholars working on topics in the history of early modern people.

Schedule of Events

Click on paper title for abstract.

Friday, October 29

3:00   Stephen Wagner, St. John's University, Collegeville, MN
          Resolving the "Crisis of the Cogito"

4:00   Shoshana Smith, University of California, Berkeley
          Certainty and Direct Perception in Descartes

5:00   Roger Florka, Ursinus College, Collegeville, PA
          The Psycho-Physiological Bases of Descartes's Distinction between the Sensations of
                    Secondary Qualities and the Sensory Ideas of Primary Qualities

7:30   Dinner for all registered attendees and guests

Saturday, October 30

9:00     Dan Forbes, University of Georgia
            The Missing Definition of Infinite in Spinoza's Ethics

10:00    Laurence Carlin, University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh
            Teleology and Phenomenalism in Leibniz and Berkeley

11:00   George Pappas, Ohio State University
            Locke's Account of Perception

12:00   Lunch

2:00     Uriah Kriegel, University of Arizona
            Locke on Consciousness

3:00     William Melanson, Ohio State University
            Disambiguating Locke's "Relations": Rescuing the Concept of "Conformity" and Locke's
                    Theory of Sensitive Knowledge

4:00     Andrew Terjesen, Austin College
            The Moral Psychology of Impartiality: An Examination the Spectator Theories of David Hume
                    and Adam Smith

All sessions will be held on the Rice University campus in the Humanities Building, Room 328 (next to the Fodren Library). Although there is no registration fee for the seminar, we ask that you register for the seminar and indicate your intention to attend the seminar dinner by contacting either

Mark Kulstad Department of Philosophy Rice University Phone: 713-348-2724 Email: kulstad@ruf.rice.edu

Steve Daniel Department of Philosophy Texas A&M University Phone: 979-845-5619 or 979-846-4649 Email: sdaniel@people.tamu.edu

Accommodations are available at the Warwick Hotel, 5701 Main Street, in Houston's Museum District, across the street from Rice University and within walking distance to 16 museums (including the Museum of Natural Science) and the city zoo. For reservations, call 713-526-1991 and ask for the Rice University rate to get a room at $109/night.

• Warwick transportation and parking: Parking for overnight guests with in-out privileges: self-parking (garage adjacent to hotel) $8.00, valet $14.00. Complimentary shuttle transportation within three-mile radius (does not include airports). MetroRail stop across the street: one-day pass $2, 713-635-4000 or www.ridemetro.org.
• The Warwick Hotel is located 25 minutes from Hobby Airport and 35 minutes from the George Bush Intercontinental Airport. The hotel concierge or Guest Services will assist with airport transportation arrangements. Airport shuttle express rates are: Hobby (HOU) $15 one way, $26 roundtrip; Bush Intercontinental (IAH) $20 one way, $36 roundtrip. Taxi costs are about twice as much, but if you are sharing a taxi, you might want to consider that option.

The American Society for Aesthetics is hosting its annual national conference at the Warwick that weekend as well, so you should make your reservations as soon as possible to make sure you get a room there. If you are interested in the ASA's Thursday line-up of papers on Hutcheson, Hume, Smith, Diderot, and Kant, consult their program at www.aesthetics-online.org/events/ASA_Houston.pdf. You can get the special Rice rates on days immediately before and after our seminar dates.