On Oct. 29, Jenann Ismael, Ph.D., will take to the stage of McNally Amphitheatre and explain why the principles of physics, which can be used to calculate everything that we will ever do, nonetheless allow for free will.

Ismael, a professor of philosophy at Columbia University, will deliver the lecture “Does Determinism Clash With Freedom? A Look at Human Action Through the Lenses of Physics,” as part of the Daniel J. Sullivan Memorial Lecture Series, an annual gathering that has brought high profile philosophers to Fordham since 1986.

Ismael’s talk will tackle a seemingly simple but powerful conflict between the concepts of determinism and free will. Determinism, she said, is based on the idea that the facts of the past, when combined with the laws of nature, entail every truth about the future.

And since neither the past nor the laws of nature are under our control, the theory goes, our actions are therefore influenced by them. Therefore, our actions are not under our own control.

But that conflict is not, in fact, irreconcilable, according to Ismael.

“There is nothing in the fact of determinism, even the particularly strong form of local determinism that we have in classical physics, that is incompatible with the idea that human beings exercise genuinely pivotal control over their actions,” she said in an email.

Honoring a Beloved Professor

The Sullivan lecture was created and named to honor a philosophy professor who taught at Fordham from 1936 until 1984 and who penned the textbooks Fundamentals of Logic (McGraw-Hill, 1963) and Introduction to Philosophy (Bruce Publishing, 1957). It is one of three high profile events the department stages through the year, and is the occasion for the awarding of the $2,000 Jane B. Aron Memorial Prize in Philosophy, which is given to a student majoring in philosophy who is entering their senior year.

It is far from the department’s only gathering, though. During the fall and spring semesters, talks, philosophy round table discussions and reading groups take place at the Lincoln Center and Rose Hill campuses at the rate of one per week.

This year, the semester kicked off on Sept. 12 with a three-day Merleau-Ponty Circle, which focused on the works of 20th century philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty. On April 22, the year will conclude with a Brown Bag Talk by Jeanne Proust, Ph.D., a post-doctoral teaching fellow in philosophy at Fordham.

Stephen Grimm, Ph.D., professor and chair of the department, said when he first came to Fordham 12 years ago, talks like these only took place every three weeks or so. Students are driving the growth, he said.

“Someone gets an idea for reading group, like German philosophy, and then since it’s New York, not only can you have a reading group, but you can have all these great scholars who live in New York come, and you just take them out to dinner after a talk,” he said.

“Or you can get people who are passing through New York. In the last seven or eight years those bottom-up projects have really increased.”

An Opportunity to Learn Outside the Classroom

Sara Pope, a Ph.D. student who created the NYC Nietzsche Group last year with fellow student Michael Begun, said she was interested in starting a group dedicated to the 19th century German philosopher because she’d written her master’s thesis about his perspective on women and feminism. Although she’s focusing her research on the concept of self-conceptualization as expressed by philosophers such as the third century Greek scholar Plotinus, she’s still interested in other’s perspectives on Nietzsche.

“Not everybody gets the opportunity to take a Nietzsche seminar every semester and can be in the same room with people who are also working on him at different stages in their professional development,” she said.

“It’s a good opportunity to get different people from different backgrounds and perspectives together to exchange feedback, and open lines of communication in a way you might not be able to get together in a classroom.”

Pope said the group, which has met twice this semester and will be hosting the New School’s Yunus Tuncel, Ph.D., on Nov. 22, is open to students outside of Fordham as well. That spirit of openness, as well the freedom that allows one to start a group from scratch to fill a need, is integral to the experience of earning a degree, she said.

“I appreciate what other people are doing, and I hope I’ve been able to give some helpful feedback in the process and helped other people’s projects in the long run as well,” she said.

Ismael’s talk will take place at Oct. 29 at 5 p.m. at the Lincoln Center campus. For more information, e-mail Brian Johnson.

Aditi Bagchi,

associate professor of law, LAW,

“ESPN Accused in Dish Case of Giving Comcast Better Terms,” Bloomberg, February 11

Tom Beaudoin, Ph.D.,

associate professor of practical theology, GRE,

“Woodford and the Quest for Meaning,” ABC Radio, February 16

Mary Bly, Ph.D.,

professor of English, A&S,

“How do Bestselling Novelists Court Cupid on Valentine’s Day?,” Washington Post, February 14

James Brudney,

professor of law, LAW,

“Nutter Seeks High Court’s OK to Impose His Terms on City Workers,” Philly.com, March 1

Charles C. Camosy, Ph.D.,

assistant professor of theology, A&S,

“Drone Warfare Faces Barrage of Moral Questions,” Catholic San Francisco, February 20

Colin M. Cathcart, M.F.A.,

associate professor of architecture, A&S,

“New York City Traffic Ranked the Worst Among the Nation: Study,” AM New York, February 6

Saul Cornell, Ph.D.,

The Paul and Diane Guenther Chair in American History, A&S,

“After Newtown: Guns in America,” WNET-TV, February 19

Carole Cox, Ph.D.,

professor of social service, GSS,

“Boomer Stress,” Norwich Bulletin, February 19

George Demacopoulos, Ph.D.,

associate professor of theology, A&S,

“Pope Resignation,” ABC, World News Now, February 28

Christopher Dietrich, Ph.D.,

assistant professor of history, A&S,

“Bad Precedent: Obama’s Drone Doctrine is Nixon’s Cambodia Doctrine (Dietrich),” Informed Comment, February 11

John Entelis, Ph.D.,

professor of political science, A&S,

“John Brennan,” BBC Radio, February 9

Howard Erichson,

professor of law, LAW,

“High-Stakes Trial Begins for 2010 Gulf Oil Spill,” Amarillo Globe-News, February 25

Laura Gonzalez, Ph.D.,

assistant professor of finance, BUS,

“Recortes al Presupuesto Podrían Afectar el Seguro Social y Medicare,” Mundo Fox, February 8

Albert Greco, Ph.D.,

professor of marketing, BUS,

“Why Would Anyone Want to Buy a Bookstore?,” Marketplace, February 25

Karen J. Greenberg, Ph.D.,

director of the Center on National Security, LAW,

“Alleged Sept. 11 Plotters in Court, but Lawyers Do the Talking,” National Public Radio, February 11

Stephen R. Grimm, Ph.D.,

associate professor of philosophy, A&S,

“Grants from Foundations and Corporations of More Than $100,000 in 2013,” Chronicle of Philanthropy, February 28

Tanya Hernandez, Ph.D.,
professor of law, LAW,

“Brazil’s Affirmative Action Law Offers a Huge Hand Up,” Christian Science Monitor, February 12

J. Patrick Hornbeck, Ph.D.,

assistant professor of theology, A&S,

“Vatican Conclave,” Huffington Post, March 4

Robert Hume, Ph.D.,

associate professor of political science, A&S,

“USA: Supreme Court Case Update – DOMA/Prop 8 Briefs Streaming In,” Gay Marriage Watch, February 28

Clare Huntington,

associate professor of law, LAW,

“Sunday Dialogue: How to Give Families a Path Out of Poverty,” The New York Times, February 9

Nicholas Johnson,

professor of law, LAW,

“Neil Heslin, Father of Newtown Victim, Testifies at Senate Assault Weapons Ban Hearing,”Huffington Post, February 27

Michael E. Lee, Ph.D.,

associate professor of theology, A&S,

“Tiempo: Watch this Week’s Show,” WABC 7, February 17

Joseph T. Lienhard, S.J.,

professor of theology, A&S,

“Remembering Benedict — the Teacher, the Traditionalist,” The Saratogian, March 1

Dawn B. Lerman, Ph.D.,

director of the Center for Positive Marketing, marketing area chair, and professor of marketing, BUS,

“Study: Google, Facebook, Walmart Fill Consumer Needs,” Tech Investor News, February 12

Paul Levinson, Ph.D.,

professor of communication and media studies, A&S,

“Will Oscar Host Seth MacFarlane Be Asked Back? Probably Not,” Yahoo! News via Christian Science Monitor, February 26

Hector Lindo-Fuentes, Ph.D.,

professor of history and director of Latin American and Latino Studies, A&S,

“Escaping Gang Violence, Growing Number of Teens Cross Border,” WNYC, December 28

Timothy Malefyt, Ph.D.,

visiting associate professor of marketing, BUS,

“On TV, an Everyday Muslim as Everyday American,” The New York Times, February 8

Elizabeth Maresca,

clinical associate professor of law, LAW,

“Poll: 87 Percent Say Never OK to Cheat on Taxes,” KWQC, February 26

Carlos McCray, Ed.D.,

associate professor of education leadership, GRE,

“Cops Nab 5-Year-Old for Wearing Wrong Color Shoes to School,” Take Part, January 18

Micki McGee, Ph.D.,

assistant professor of sociology, A&S,

“Do Self-Help Books Work?,” Chicago Sun Times, February 21

Mark Naison, Ph.D.,

professor of African and African American Studies and history, and principal investigator of the Bronx African American History Project (BAAHP), A&S,

“Professor: Why Teach For America Can’t Recruit in my Classroom,” Washington Post, February 18

Costas Panagopoulos, Ph.D.,

associate professor of political science, A&S,

“Analysis: Obama to Republicans – Can We Just Move On?,” WHTC 1450, February 13

Kimani Paul-Emile,

associate professor of law, LAW,

“Some Patients Won’t See Nurses of Different Race,” Cleveland Plain Dealer via AP, February 22

Michael Peppard, Ph.D.,

assistant professor of theology, A&S,

“Big Man on Campus isn’t on Campus,” Commonweal, February 20

Francis Petit, Ed.D.,

associate dean and director of Executive Programs, BUS,

“Marissa Mayer Takes Flak for Gathering Her Troops,” E-Commerce Times, March 1

Rose Perez, Ph.D.,

assistant professor of social work, GSS,

“Education Segment,” Mundo Fox, January 21

Wullianallur “R.P.” Raghupathi, Ph.D.,

professor of information systems, BUS,

“¿Qué Tiene Silicon Valley para Producir ‘Frutos’ Como Steve Jobs?,” CNN, February 24

Joel Reidenberg, Ph.D.,

Stanley D. and Nikki Waxberg Chair and professor of law and founding academic director of the Center on Law and Information Policy, LAW,

“Google App Store Policy Raises Privacy Concerns,” Reuters, February 14

Erick Rengifo-Minaya, Ph.D.,

associate professor of economics, BUS,

“Noticias MundoFOX 10PM Parte II,” Mundo Fox Noticias, February 8

Patrick J. Ryan, S.J.,

The Laurence J. McGinley Professor of Religion and Society, A&S,

“Pope Resignation,” WNBC, Sunday “Today in NY,” March 13

Susan Scafidi,

professor of law, LAW,

“Diamonds: How $60B Industry Thrives on Symbolism,” CBS This Morning, February 21

Christine Janssen-Selvadurai, Ph.D.,director of the entrepreneurship program at the Gabelli School of Business and co-director of both Fordham’s Center for Entrepreneurship and the Fordham Foundry, BUS,

“NYC Embraces Silicon Valley’s Appetite for Risk,” Crain’s New York Business, February 6

Ellen Silber, Ph.D.,

director of Mentoring Latinas, GSS,

“Mentoring Program Serves Young Latinas Aiming Higher in New York City,” Fox News Latino, February 25

Janet Sternberg, Ph.D.,assistant professor of communication and media studies, A&S,

“What are You Supposed to Do When You Have, Like, 106,926 Unread Emails?,” Huffington Post, February 25

Maureen A. Tilley, Ph.D.,professor of theology, A&S,

“Pope Resignation: Interview with Maureen Tilley of Fordham University,” WPIX, February 17

Terrence W. Tilley, Ph.D.,

Avery Cardinal Dulles, S.J., Professor of Catholic Theology and chair of the department, A&S,

“As Conclave to Select New Pope Begins, English-Speaking Cardinals Lead Charge to Reform Vatican,” Daily News, March 4

Peter Vaughan, Ph.D.,dean of the Graduate School of Social Service, GSS,

“Ceremony Held for NASW Foundation Award Recipients,” Social Work Blog, February 28

More features in this issue:

People

In Focus: Faculty and Research

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Copyright © 2013, Fordham University.

Grimm’s award is the largest that Fordham University has ever received in the humanities. It will fund an interdisciplinary initiative, “Varieties of Understanding: New Perspectives from Psychology, Philosophy, and Theology.” Starting July 1, 2013, the three-year endeavor will sponsor research, in these three fields, into the various ways in which human beings understand the world.

“As human beings we have a natural desire to understand the world and our place within it… But what exactly is understanding?” said Grimm, a philosopher who specializes in epistemology.

Understanding, he said, is a high-level cognitive accomplishment that falls within the broader category of knowledge. While someone who has knowledge of a subject might simply believe a collection of facts about it, someone who understands is able to see how these facts relate to one another and to the larger picture.

“In the contemporary world, we’re constantly flooded with information, and any bit of additional information you’re interested in can usually be found by going online or checking your smartphone. But what I think is especially important is how these bits of information connect or hang together, and I think the ability to discern these connections is something we’re in danger of losing.”

Research generated from the Varieties of Understanding project will explore such topics as which cognitive mechanisms are needed for understanding, how understanding of the world changes over time, and how historical, literary, or religious understanding differs from scientific understanding.

The project will use the grant, in part, to distribute approximately $2 million in Requests for Proposals (RFPs) to fund new research on the psychology, philosophy, and theology of understanding.

Tania Lombrozo, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley; Michael Strevens, Ph.D., professor of philosophy at New York University; and Gordon Graham, Ph.D., the Henry Luce III Professor of Philosophy and the Arts at Princeton Theological Seminary, will direct the distribution of RFP awards for psychology, philosophy, and theology, respectively.

In addition, Lombrozo will receive funding to direct empirical and theoretical research out of her Concepts and Cognition Lab at the University of California, Berkeley, on the nature of human understanding.

Bringing these disciplines together, Grimm said, will activate dialogue to provide a better sense of how humans understand the world.

“Despite avenues of important research, psychologists have yet to attempt to integrate their work into something like a unified account of understanding. And while philosophers have recently begun to examine these issues more closely, a number of big questions have barely been explored at all,” Grimm said.

“For example, in what ways does the understanding provided by the sciences differ from the understanding provided by other areas, such as philosophy or mathematics or history? And if different types of inquiry provide different forms of understanding, how might they be combined to produce an integrated understanding of the world?”

The grant will also fund two conferences over the course of three years. In June of 2015, a mid-point conference will take place at Fordham’s Lincoln Center campus. At this conference, the recipients of RFP awards will present their research in psychology, philosophy, and theology.

In June of 2016, a capstone conference will be held at the Lincoln Center campus, at which all final research results will be presented. In addition, leading scholars and public intellectuals in the fields of psychology, philosophy, and theology will present their own views on the nature of understanding in light of the RFP research presented at the mid-point conference.

“We hope that relationships will be formed among [the scholars]so that interdisciplinary projects will continue,” Grimm said. “We also hope that bringing prominent capstone speakers to comment on the research will attract attention so that new work will flow out of this.”
Over the course of three years, Grimm plans to produce three interconnected articles about understanding and an article about the prospects for a single integrated understanding of the world.

“That will be the hardest question of all, and that’s the reason why a small [effort]wouldn’t make any headway on it,” Grimm said. “I’m optimistic that bringing together psychologists, philosophers, and theologians will make some progress. But I think only a big venture like this has the promise of doing so.”

The John Templeton Foundation is a philanthropic organization dedicated to discoveries related to “the Big Questions of human purpose and reality.” The foundation supports research on subjects ranging from complexity, evolution, and infinity to creativity, forgiveness, love, and free will, and encourages interdisciplinary dialogue.

Grimm’s award is the largest that Fordham University has ever received in the humanities. It will fund an interdisciplinary initiative, “Varieties of Understanding: New Perspectives from Psychology, Philosophy, and Theology.” Starting July 1, 2013, the three-year endeavor will sponsor research, in these three fields, into the various ways in which human beings understand the world.

More information about the initiative can be found at the project’s website: www.varietiesofunderstanding.com.

“As human beings we have a natural desire to understand the world and our place within it… But what exactly is understanding?” said Grimm, a philosopher who specializes in epistemology.

Understanding, he said, is a high-level cognitive accomplishment that falls within the broader category of knowledge. While someone who has knowledge of a subject might simply believe a collection of facts about it, someone who understands is able to see how these facts relate to one another and to the larger picture.

“In the contemporary world, we’re constantly flooded with information, and any bit of additional information you’re interested in can usually be found by going online or checking your smartphone. But what I think is especially important is how these bits of information connect or hang together, and I think the ability to discern these connections is something we’re in danger of losing.”

Research generated from the Varieties of Understanding project will explore such topics as which cognitive mechanisms are needed for understanding, how understanding of the world changes over time, and how historical, literary, or religious understanding differs from scientific understanding.

The project will use the grant, in part, to distribute approximately $2 million in Requests for Proposals (RFPs) to fund new research on the psychology, philosophy, and theology of understanding. Tania Lombrozo, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley; Michael Strevens, Ph.D., professor of philosophy at New York University; and Gordon Graham, Ph.D., the Henry Luce III Professor of Philosophy and the Arts at Princeton Theological Seminary will direct the distribution of RFP awards for psychology, philosophy, and theology, respectively.

In addition, Lombrozo will receive funding to direct empirical and theoretical research out of her Concepts and Cognition Lab at the University of California, Berkeley on the nature of human understanding.

Bringing these disciplines together, Grimm said, will catalyze dialogue to provide a better sense of how humans understand the world.

“Despite avenues of important research, psychologists have yet to attempt to integrate their work into something like a unified account of understanding. And while philosophers have recently begun to examine these issues more closely, a number of big questions have barely been explored at all,” Grimm said.

“For example, in what ways does the understanding provided by the sciences differ from the understanding provided by other areas, such as philosophy or mathematics or history? And if different types of inquiry provide different forms of understanding, how might they be combined to produce an integrated understanding of the world?”

The grant will also fund two conferences over the course of three years. In June of 2015, a midpoint conference will take place at Fordham’s Lincoln Center campus. At this conference, the recipients of RFP awards will present their research in psychology, philosophy, and theology. In June of 2016, a capstone conference will be held at the Lincoln Center campus, at which point all final research results will be presented. In addition, leading scholars and public intellectuals in the fields of psychology, philosophy, and theology will present their own views on the nature of understanding in light of the RFP research presented at the midpoint conference.

“We hope that relationships will be formed among [the scholars]so that interdisciplinary projects will continue,” Grimm said. “We also hope that bringing prominent capstone speakers to comment on the research will attract attention so that new work will flow out of this.”

Over the course of three years, Grimm plans to produce three interconnected articles about understanding and an article about the prospects for a single integrated understanding of the world.

“That will be the hardest question of all, and that’s the reason why a small [effort]wouldn’t make any headway on it,” Grimm said. “I’m optimistic that bringing together psychologists, philosophers, and theologians will make some progress. But I think only a big venture like this has the promise of doing so.”

The John Templeton Foundation is a philanthropic organization dedicated to discoveries related to “the Big Questions of human purpose and reality.” The foundation supports research on subjects ranging from complexity, evolution, and infinity to creativity, forgiveness, love, and free will, and encourages  interdisciplinary dialogue.