Call for papers: Principia Mathematica Centenary
irvanellis
The Bertrand Russell Research Centre in 2010 will host a conference to
celebrate the
100th anniversary of the publication of the first volume of Russell
and Whitehead's
Principia Mathematica.
The publication in 1910 of the first of the three volumes of Russell
and Whitehead’s
Principia Mathematica was a landmark in the development of logic, the
foundations of
mathematics, and the application of logic in philosophy. The rapid
development of these
fields in the two decades after 1910 owes perhaps more to Principia
Mathematica than to
any other work. Subsequently, however, its lessons learnt in different
ways by different
people, it becomes more difficult to determine exactly what the world
owes to this
gigantic piece of work. Daunting both for its size and its technical
difficulty, the book
is now known more by reputation than by detailed study. Russell
himself maintained, no
doubt with some exaggeration, that he knew of only six people besides
the authors who had
read the entire three volumes. He remained dissatisfied with the
foundations of the work
and attempted a major revision (this time without Whitehead’s help) in
a second edition
published in 1925–27, which further complicated its historical legacy.
A century after its first appearance, a great deal has changed. Many
of Russell’s working
papers on the problems it addressed have been published, and this has
led to significant
re-interpretations of the work itself. Enough time has now passed to
make it possible to
evaluate what contributions it made, or failed to make, to philosophy,
logic, and the
foundations of mathematics.
Presenters Include: Patricia Blanchette, Charles Chihara, Warren
Goldfarb, Ivor
Grattan-Guinness, Leila Haaparanta, Allen Hazen, David Kaplan, Gregory
Landini, Peter
Simons, Alasdair Urquhart, and Richard Zach.
Submissions to the conference are sought in all areas relating to
Principia Mathematica
or to the development of logic and to the philosophy and foundations
of mathematics in
the years between the two editions.
Contributors are asked to submit two copies of an essay suitable for
30–45 minute
presentation with an abstract no later than 1 Februrary 2010 to:
Professor Nicholas Griffin, Director
The BertrandRussell Research Centre
1280 Main Street West
Hamilton, Ontario
CANADA L8S 4M2
EMAIL: ngri...@mcmaster.ca
FAX: 905-577-6930
Graduate students are also encouraged to submit. Announcements of
acceptances for the
program will be made by the end of February 2010.
Conference Co-Organizers:
Nicholas Griffin
The Bertrand Russell Research Centre
McMaster University
ngri...@mcmaster.ca
Bernard Linsky
Department of Philosophy
University of Alberta
bernard...@ualberta.ca
Additional informations is available at: http://pm100.mcmaster.ca/