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SUNY Potsdam Hosts “Representing Reality” Philosophy Conference on May 6

April 28, 2017

SUNY Potsdam’s Philosophy Department is proud to host a day-long philosophy conference, “Representing Reality,” on Saturday, May 6 from 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. that will focus on the philosophy of psychology, and in particular, the philosophy of perception.  Dr. Gary Hatfield will provide the keynote address on perceptual realisms and the geometry of visual space. His keynote address will take place at Raymond Hall from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Throughout the day Dr. Hatfield’s advanced graduate students (Ben Baker, Marie Barnett, Devin Sanchez Curry, Nabeel Hamid and Jordan Taylor) will be presenting their work.

The conference will kick off with a continental breakfast and some informal welcoming remarks. The first paper will be presented at 9 a.m., and then proceed hourly until a catered lunch is provided at 12:30 p.m. Graduate students will continue to present their papers in the afternoon, breaking for dinner and then reconvening at 7:30 p.m. for Dr. Hatfield’s keynote address.

For the full schedule please visit http://www.potsdam.edu/academics/AAS/Phil.

For more information please contact Professor David Curry at currydc@potsdam.edu.

About the Keynote Speaker:

Dr. Gary Hatfield is arguably the most influential person currently working in the philosophy of perception. Hatfield is the Adam Seybert Professor in Moral and Intellectual Philosophy and Director of the Visual Studies Program at the University of Pennsylvania.  He received his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin - Madison in 1979, then taught at Harvard and Johns Hopkins before moving to the University of Pennsylvania in 1987.

Hatfield works in the history of modern philosophy, the philosophy of psychology, theories of vision and the philosophy of science.  In 1990, he published “The Natural and the Normative: Theories of Spatial Perception from Kant to Helmholtz”. In 2009, his collection of essays, “Perception and Cognition: Essays in the Philosophy of Psychology” was published by the Clarendon Press; a revised version of his book on Descartes' Meditations appeared in 2014.

He is a member of the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, the Penn Perception group, and the History and Sociology of Science Graduate Group.  He has directed dissertations in history of philosophy, philosophy of psychology, and philosophy and history of science, and published papers too numerous to list. 

Founded in 1816, The State University of New York at Potsdam is one of America’s first 50 colleges—and the oldest institution within SUNY. Now in its third century, SUNY Potsdam is distinguished by a legacy of pioneering programs and educational excellence. The College currently enrolls approximately 4,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Home to the world-renowned Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam is known for its challenging liberal arts and sciences core, distinction in teacher training and culture of creativity. To learn more, visit www.potsdam.edu.

For Media Inquiries

Alexandra Jacobs Wilke, College Communications

news@potsdam.edu (315) 267-2114