One department’s unique philosophy

September 30, 2009 by Leslie Ventura 

Professors bring in experts despite budget crunch

While some of UNLV’s departments start to tread water, the philosophy department is staying afloat despite recent budget cuts.

Professors and department representatives say part of the reason the philosophy department continues to reach new heights, even with a cut in funding, lies in the philosophy colloquium held almost every Friday on campus.
“The philosophy colloquium has really been one of UNLV’s big success stories,” said philosophy department chair Todd Jones. “It’s changed a lot in recent years.”

According to Jones, the department has always held a small colloquium with a few speakers every year.

One of the ideas Jones had when he took over as chair three years ago was to make the colloquium a main part of the philosophy department. “This is one way to keep active in the fields, to exchange ideas with others and it’s directly relevant to UNLV’s research mission in that way,” said emeritus professor and distinguished philosopher Maurice Finocchiaro. “It’s a presentation of our own research or becoming acquainted with the research of other professors.”

Jones said philosophy tries to answer things that cannot be solved in a laboratory. He explained that the department thrives on hands on, face-to-face activity. “What a philosopher will do is come up with a good argument,” Jones said, “and the way philosophy makes progress is by another philosopher saying, ‘Look there’s something wrong with the argument.’”

Jones explained that the colloquium was designed for philosophers to expose their work and discuss it among their peers.
“People will give their argument and it’s everyone’s job to attack it,” Jones said.

To someone who hasn’t been to a colloquium before, it may seem like all the audience members hate the speaker. Jones said it is all part of a process to push the author to defend his work.

“In philosophy, everyone’s tearing up each other,” he said.
The process helps to further develop the field, Jones stated.
“Philosophy really progresses by philosophers arguing,” Jones said.

Now retired from teaching to work on his research full-time, Finocchiaro wonders how the department is managing so well.
“We have positions that we need that aren’t getting filled, like everyone [else],” he said. “We used to teach a lot more 101 and 102 classes. We teach less just because we’ve been given less money for part-time instructors.”
Jones said budget matters would not hurt the weekly discussions.

“We’ve been doing things to adjust,” Jones said, “but the colloquium is not hurting.”

Even with UNLV lacking funds, the philosophy department brings in prestigious and well-known philosophers from all across the country.

According to Jones, the lights of Las Vegas are enticing even to the greatest philosophers. “One thing that’s really unique is [the] colloquium series is really expensive and UNLV doesn’t have any money, [yet] we get all of our speakers for free,” Jones said. “The way we were able to do it is [that] Las Vegas is a real draw. Everyone wants to come to Las Vegas… so it [has] really gotten a reputation.”

Jones added that “almost every other colloquium series in America pays speakers.”

Because members of the faculty have different interests, they have all contributed to bringing speakers for the colloquium.
“The department members picked this up supremely well and were really, really good at finding people,” Jones said, “so every member of the department has pitched in and [brought] people in.”

Finocchiaro noted that the philosophy department is doing well for the resources it has available.

“Other departments might be bigger or well-funded. There’s more research money in science or engineering,” he said.
Finocchiaro said he believes their accomplishments are noteworthy.

“It’s a good and great thing they are doing,” he said.
“The department is very good [and] very vibrant,” Jones said. “They all publish a lot.”

While the work of the professors and the colloquia heighten the progress of the philosophy department, they may often go unnoticed by some UNLV community members.

This, Jones said, is to be expected. Colloquia especially, he said, are there primarily for educational purposes.
“It’s mostly department members and some students. We could really push for more students,” Jones said, “but we’re really trying to solve research problems.”