Causation and teleology, central themes of Early Modern philosophical discussion, are
at the heart of the Syracuse Philosophy Annual Workshop and Network (SPAWN)
conference, running Aug. 9-11 at Syracuse University. This year's conference is titled
"Nature and Purpose in Early Modern Philosophy" and involves more than 40
distinguished participants and attendees from North America, including keynote
speaker Daniel Garber of Princeton University.
Debates related to causation and teleology were common in the 17th century, and their
outcomes shaped how we think about these notions today. Disagreement arose over
shifting conceptions of the nature of causality. Aristotle, whose philosophical
framework was dominant in the Middle Ages, identified four different types of cause:
material, formal, efficient and final. The material cause is the stuff out of which a thing
is made. The formal cause is its shape or structure. The efficient cause is the source of a
change (e.g., fire burns wood or a spider spins a web). The final cause is the end,
purpose or goal of an activity, organism or artifact. Final causality is also teleological;
"telos" being Greek for "end," "purpose" or "goal."
Early Modern philosophers, including Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz and Locke, rejected
or modified aspects of Aristotle's account of causality, especially his use of final causes
in physics. Their reasons for doing so, and the competing alternatives they offered, are
the focus of current research in the history of Early Modern philosophy. Participants in
this year's SPAWN conference include several scholars whose work challenges
previous accounts of causality from this period. Their work illuminates understanding
of the nature of causal relations and the scope and purpose of causal explanation.
One of SPAWN's distinguishing features is the unique interplay between junior and
senior speakers. At most conferences, the senior speakers give major addresses, while
junior speakers provide commentary; here, it's the other way around. This year's event
includes seven senior speakers, eight junior speakers and Garber, an expert on
philosophy, science and society during the Scientific Revolution. Garber is currently
researching Aristotelianism and its opponents in 17th-century France.
Founded in 2005 by Tolley Professor and former philosophy chair Robert Van Gulick,
SPAWN is an invitation-only conference made possible by the Alice Hooker '34
Endowed Fund for Philosophy. Past themes have been perception (2008), practical
reason (2007), value (2006) and consciousness (2005). Major funding for this year's event
is provided by The Andrew W. Mellon Central New York Humanities Corridor, an
interdisciplinary partnership with SU, Cornell University and the University of
Rochester that is also a major initiative of the SU Humanities Center.
For more information and updates about SPAWN, contact Kara Richardson and
Melissa Frankel, co-organizers and assistant professors of philosophy, at (315) 443-4501,
or visit https://papresco.mysite.syr.edu/SPAWN2009/HOME.html.
SU's nationally recognized philosophy department is one of the crown jewels of The
College of Arts and Sciences. More information about The College, is available at
http://thecollege.syr.edu/.
