APA Announces Winners of 14 Prizes

Created
Fri, 09/12/2022 - 21:00
Updated
Fri, 09/12/2022 - 21:00
The American Philosophical Association (APA) has announced the winners of 14 of its prizes. Below are the prizes and their winners (and when available, comments from the judges): 2022 Article Prize — for the best, published article by a younger scholar in the previous two years ($2000) Sarah Moss (University of Michigan), “Pragmatic Encroachment and Legal Proof” (Philosophical Issues, 2021) From the selection committee: In “Pragmatic Encroachment and Legal Proof” Sarah Moss argues that the issue of pragmatic encroachment, or the degree to which one’s belief constitutes knowledge given the consequences of acting upon that belief, raises a fundamental problem regarding American trial procedure. If pragmatic factors can matter to knowledge possession the question of whether the standard of legal proof, i.e. knowledge, is met by a particular jury in a criminal trial may depend, crucially, on what is at stake. Here, Moss contends, lies the problem. For relevant stakes in criminal trials include the consequences to be faced by the defendant if found guilty—yet this information is typically withheld from jurors in criminal trials. There is hence good reason to share information regarding consequences of verdicts with jurors. Moss also discusses what kinds of considerations are relevant to the question of whether to institute legal reform, and if undertaken how such reform might be accomplished. This article is an exemplary instance of applied epistemology. It is to be commended for using theoretical developments in epistemology to raise a fundamental issue concerning American legal practice, and for doing so in a manner that is rigorous, clear, and compelling while also being accessible to specialists and non-specialists alike. 2022 Prize for Excellence in Philosophy Teaching — recognizes a philosophy teacher who has had a profound impact on the student learning of philosophy in undergraduate and/or pre-college settings ($1000 + plaque) Alida Liberman (Southern Methodist University) From the selection committee: Dr. Alida Liberman is a dedicated and highly regarded teacher of philosophy at Southern Methodist University, where she is an Associate Professor of Philosophy. Student testimonials suggest that she is regarded not only as one of the best teachers at the university, but one of the best teachers her students have ever encountered. Dr. Liberman has published her work on pedagogy in Teaching Philosophy, AAPT Studies in Pedagogy, and The Blog..