Cohen Conference

Details here:
Friday 23rd January 2009 (1st wk HT), 09:30

Conference: The career of G. A. Cohen
On January 23-24 2009, with the generous support of Philosophy and Public Affairs, we will be hosting a conference to celebrate the career of G.A. Cohen, who is retiring after 23 years as Chichele Professor of Social and Political Theory. We have assembled a team of distinguished contributors; those already confirmed include:
Professor David Estlund (Brown University)
Professor Cecile Fabre (Edinburgh)
Professor Michael Otsuka (UCL)
Professor Joseph Raz (University of Oxford)
Professor John Roemer (Yale)
Professor Seana Shiffrin (UCLA)
Professor Philippe Van Parijs (Louvain)
Professor Andrew Williams (Warwick)
Professor Gerald Dworkin (UC Davis)
Professor Joshua Cohen (Stanford)
Professor Tim Scanlon (Harvard)

Summer

You can tell it's summer because we had a week of nice sunny weather and now it's raining again. Nonetheless, we pressed on with our MCR Pimms and croquet events this afternoon.

I'd only ever played one game of croquet before, ending up on the winning side. Sadly that record's gone - I can't even claim to be undefeated - since we resumed after a rain-break (with different teams) and although we never actually finished, first and second had come in and I was bringing up the rear, having been caught up for the last few moves retaliating against black in third (they were closely chasing the lead, but I told them they didn't want to croquet me...)

If Music be the Food of Love...

Apparently wine actually tastes better with music. That's somewhat interesting in itself, because while I'd say many experiences are more pleasurable with music, this claim is actually stronger - that you have the pleasure of the music and more pleasure from the wine. It could thus be an example of something like G. E. Moore's organic unities (the whole being more than the sum of the parts).

A sceptic might wonder whether this kind of claim could be true. Can the wine really taste better? Surely its taste isn't affected by music, even if people's perceptions are somehow tricked. This is a case though where there doesn't appear much room for scepticism since, intuitively, what you taste is what you taste (if you get my drift). If it seem to taste good to you, then it tastes good, irrespective of 'objective quality' of the wine. In this respect, it's like pain - if you feel like you're in pain, you are.

I'd like to know more about what music might complement what wine. The report claims "cabernet sauvignon was most affected by "powerful and heavy" music", but it seems that they deduce this from Carmina Burana by Orff and go on to recommend All Along The Watchtower (Jimi Hendrix), Honky Tonk Woman (Rolling Stones), Live And Let Die (Paul McCartney and Wings), and Won't Get Fooled Again (The Who) - that seems slightly odd in itself to me, but I don't know the full details of the study.

In any case, I wonder what wine would suit my listening habits. Thom Brooks also picks up on the story, but has nothing to add about wine for Rammstein or Metallica.

Carrots

I'd seen this on Facebook, but I didn't go and buy carrots. Did anyone?

Cohen Jokes

I've only been to two of G A Cohen's Humour Seminars this term, but I thought this was much more interesting - and amusing - than the first. The idea of academics sitting around dissecting jokes doesn't actually sound all that funny, but when you actually see these people doing it - in All Souls' Old Library - it's actually pretty funny just because it's so ingruous. That, in fact, was part of Cohen's point: jokes need some bomination of incongruity and sense.

The puzzle comes with how these combine. He illustrated with a fairly routine example of two people complaining about restaurant food. The first says 'the food is terrible' and the second 'yes, and the portions are so small'. This, he said, could make sense, but at the same time it seems prima facie absurd to make both complaints. Interestingly, had the order of the two complaints been reversed, the joke doesn't seem as funny. Had the second merely said 'yes, and they've stopped giving jumbo portions' it would have been more absurd but made less sense. Taken to a limit, if the second said 'yes, and I'm going to the movies this afternoon', the joke wouldn't have made any sense.

I can't be bothered to type out many of the jokes in full, but hear are the bones of a few:

A husband and wife are trekking through the jungle when suddenly a giant ape jumps out and starts ravishing the woman. 'Quick! Do something!' she cries, to which her husband responds 'tell him you have a headache'.

A man rings the Jewish solicitors Cohen, Cohen, Cohen, Cohen & Cohen.
1: I'd like to speak to Mr Cohen please.
2: I'm afraid he's in court right now.
1: Ok then. Can I speak to Mr Cohen?
2: He's off sick.
1: How about Mr Cohen?
2: He's at lunch.
1: Then can I speak to Mr Cohen?
2: He's on holiday.
1: Well, in that case I'd like to speak to Mr Cohen.
2: Speaking.

Two men facing a firing squad. 'Any last words?' the captain asks. The first remains silent, but then the second starts hurling insults at them. The first nudges him and says 'Quiet down Pete; don't make trouble.

Why Moral Philosophers Can't Provide Answers

At least since Plato, many philosophers have pretended to have some sort of insight that makes them best placed to answer moral questions. Today, most take the more modest line that they can't really provide answers. The purpose of philosophy seems to be conceptual clarification and making distinctions. Thus we can, for example, isolate potential differences between (say) killing and letting die, and thereby clarify exactly what is at stake in a question. This may lead us to reject certain bad reasoning, but when it comes to deciding substantive issues philosophers are no more better than the proverbial man in the street.

There was a fine example after today's moral philosophy seminar. A visiting economist wanted to ask the five moral philosophers round the table whether one should tell a married friend that his wife is cheating on him. (I believe the example was fictitious). Assume all the normal caveats, about how the cuckold is unaware and will never find out. What should you do?

It seems that he genuinely wanted an answer to the practical question but, as philosophers of the modern/modest sort, we were reluctant to give one. By the time it reached my turn, we'd quibbled with what was being asked so much that all I committed myself to was 'I think being an unknowing cuckold makes his life in one way worse - though not necessarily worse all-things-considered - and this gives you a pro tanto reason to tell him'.

Spurs 0-2 Liverpool

Well, while there was still the title, a UEFA Cup spot and two relegation places to play for, none of that affected today's game - with nothing left for either team to play it was unlikely to be a classic. Things may have been different if some individuals had futures to play for, but Rafa has already revealed that Harry Kewell's time on Liverpool's books (read: treatment table) is coming ot an end. That none of Riise, Crouch and Alonso made the 16 man squad may also be indicative of their respective futures.

Voronin got a rare start, and scored. Some Liverpool fans have been very critical of him this season. I'd say he's been inconsistent, but shown some promising moments - the problem perhaps being that, like Kuyt, he's not an out-and-out goal scorer. Given that he was brought in on a free to replace Robbie as fourth striker, I'd say it's worth giving him another season - although if anyone was to put in a reasonable offer (and Celtic were rumoured to be interested) I'd be happy to make a profit. Even if Crouch also leaves, we can play Babel as a striker or promote Nemeth from reserves, so I think we have some options, as long as Torres stays fit.

Speaking of 'El Nino' it was our number 9 that not only set up Voronin's opener but scored his 24th league goal of the season, surpassing RvN's record for league goals by a foreign player in his debut season. All the more impressive given that they were all from open play - and this one away from home too! Let's hope he doesn't suffer from 'second season syndrome' now defenders will know about him (to be fair, I'd guess they've known about him for a while - but it doesn't help much).

Good also to see Reina keep a clean sheet and win the golden gloves for the third season running.

Penguin Attack

First they came for the pigeons, and I did not speak out as I was not one.

Then they came for the people.

Cambridge

I spent much of the last two days in, or travelling to/from, Cambridge. Never having been there during my time in Oxford, it was something of an adventure, but it seemed a very nice place - no doubt helped by the weather.

I stayed in Churchill college, which is a modern one set in spacious gardens - rather like a cross between St Catz and St Hugh's. I was also treated to lunch in Jesus, Cambridge by my friend Clare - much larger than Jesus, Oxford it also seemed a very nice place. Given the chance, I'd very much welcome the change of scenery.

Despite only leaving Jesus at 13:50, I managed to just catch the 14:15 train to Kings Cross and, from there, get back to Oxford - changing at Reading and despite a train being delayed (I realized it was worth switching platforms and jumping on a train to Bristol, despite the announcement telling other poor souls to wait where they were for 20 minutes) - and get back to Oxford station at 16:45, allowing me to make it up to the department to hear Richard Tuck give a paper for the political theory research seminar. Ironically, he's based in Jesus, Cambridge this year, and would have been there if it wasn't for the fact that he was in Oxford while I was in Cambridge...

UPDATE: Sadly I received notification that, as has been the wont with recent interviews, I was considered appointable but not the best applicant.