Well, as everyone knows, the new academic year has started…The Graduate Center is really happening this year! I am auditing a class on meaning with Devitt and Neale (newly arrived from Rutgers…) that promises to be very interesting, as well as Kripke’s seminar on the semantics of fictional names…it looks to be basically a re-visiting of his John Locke lectures, which I am looking forward to. He has also said that he might discuss the claim that the ‘de re implies the de dicto’, which I take to mean the Barcan formula, and that is especially interesting to me…. 

There is other faculty news at The Graduate Center…I have heard rumors that Strawson is indeed leaving, and so we will have to replace him. They have had trouble filling this position (when I first came it was held by Martin Davies, who went to Oxford). I doubt that they will find anyone before I leave (fingers crossed ;^))…I get the feeling that something is in the works, but I am out of the loop on this one. I also hear rumors that, on a new line, we hired Graham Priest (& didn’t hire him :)) Finally there is the Kripke Institute, which they hired Alan Berger to run. I am really looking forward to seeing what is going to happen with that…one thing that I have been thinking about is a conference on the intersection of Kripke’s work and consciousness studies…a man can dream can’t he?

For anyone who is in the New York area (or plans to be) The Graduate Center has its Fall colloquium schedule up, which looks fantastic! The colloquiums are Wednesday afternoon 4:15-6:15 and all are welcome (wine/cheese/dinner afterwards).

There is also the CUNY Cognitive Science Symposium and Discussion Group which runs Fridays from 1-3 which also looks good (drinks afterwards). David (Rosenthal) is on sabbatical this academic year, but he says he will be around as much as he can…again, all are welcome.