Wednesday, January 16, 2013

SAAP President Remonstrates Brian Leiter


This is old, but this is the first time I've come across it. Wow.


E-mail and letter sent from SAAP President Jacquelyn Kegley to Brian Leiter concerning the misrepresentation about the Pluralist Guide on his Philosophical Gourmet Reports site, 25 July 2011

Email:

----- Original Message -----
Dear Professor Leiter,
Attached is a letter requesting the correction of misinformation posted on your Philosophical Gourmet Reports blog
concerning the recently issued "Pluralist Guide." As I indicate in the letter it is not correct to call this a
SPEP/SAAP Guide. The Society for the Advancement of American Philosophy is neither a creator or sponsor of this guide.
It is true that some of those who initiated the Guide are SAAP members but logic informs us that the inference to the claim
that is it a SAAP Guide is clearly incorrect.
I respectfully request that you post the attached letter on your Philosophical Gourmet Reports blog and correct this misinformation.
Thank you very much.

Jacquelyn Ann K. Kegley
SAAP President 2010-2012
Jacquelyn Ann K. Kegley
CSU Outstanding Professor of Philosophy
Wang Award for Outstanding Teaching, Research and Service
Chair, Department of Philosophy & Religious Studies
Faculty Athletics Representative
jkegley@csub.edu 661-654-2249

Letter:

Professor Brian Leiter
Karl N. Llewellyn Professor of Jurisprudence,
Director Center for Law and Human Values
The University of Chicago Law School
1111 60th Street
Chicago, Illinois 60637
Dear Professor Leiter,

It has come to my attention that on your Leiter Reports: A Philosophy Blog you are referring to the recently issued “Pluralist Guide to Philosophy Programs” as the “SPEP/SAAP Guide.”  Please be advised that this Guide is not officially sponsored nor was it created by the Society for the Advancement of American Philosophy.  Some of the individuals who created and are promoting the guide are members of SAAP and, as I assume, also members of SPEP.
In the spirit of the promotion of integrity and responsibility I request that you correct this false impression on your Blog and in any other reference to the Guide.
Thank you very much.
                  jkegley3
Jacquelyn Ann K. Kegley
SAAP President 2010-2012
         Jacquelyn Ann K. Kegley
         Chair, Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies,
         California State University, Bakersfield
         9001 Stockdale Highway, Bakersfield, California 93311-1099
         CSU Outstanding Professor of Philosophy
         Wang Award for Outstanding Teaching, Research and Service
         jkegley@csub.edu   661-654-2249                     
A .doc version of the letter is here.


UPDATE: Statement regarding SAAP's attempt to correct the record with Brian Leiter:

Jackie Kegley, writes,(7/26/11):

"On Monday, July 25th I sent a letter to Brian Leiter requesting that he correct the "misrepresentation" on his website (Blog: http://leiterreports.typepad.com/blog/2011/07/the-new-spep-guide-to-philosophy-programs.html#tp) that the new Pluralist Guide was the "SPEP/SAAP Guide. I pointed out that SAAP was neither a creator or sponsor of the Guide."
He then replied that "there's nothing to correct, I made quite clear why I was referring to it as the SPEP/SAAP Guide and it had nothing to do with the claim that SAAP produced it. However, if SAAP wants to officially repudiate the Guide, I will note that and post the link."

I replied that the request was to clarify and not to repudiate. It turns out that his grounds for labeling the Guide a SPEP/ SAAP guide is that 90% of the Continental philosophy evaluators are SPEP members and all the American philosophy evaluators are SAAP members. However, this assumes that the group listed as the American Philosophy Board Advisors were involved in creation of the guide and that, indeed, all are SAAP members. I do not believe either assumption is correct.

My final exchange with Professor Leiter indicates that he refuses to post our SAAP letter of clarification on his site. All of this is unfortunate, but we hope that all concerned will be aware of the situation." 

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