Philosophy Department Events: Looking Back and Planning Ahead!

MaloneyPalooza 2024 Recap!

Last September we celebrated beloved Professor Tom Maloney’s 89^th birthday at Hop Atomica, a new Germantown/Schnitzelburg establishment owned by alum Paul Berrier. The event, also a fundraiser for the Thomas Maloney Scholarship – a need-based grant for Kentucky-resident Philosophy majors – was a great opportunity for alums from all eras to meet up, rekindle old memories, and share Maloney war stories. Were you there? Thank you for coming! Did you miss it? Have no fear, we’ll be back for the 90^th! (See below) 

22^nd Humphrey Colloquium 

Thanks to its namesake’s continued generosity and support for student philosophers, the Steven Humphrey Undergraduate Philosophy Colloquium returned for its 22^nd year! Keynote speaker Dr. Kristin Andrews (York University) challenged our assumptions about animal cognition and what that means for our sense of human uniqueness and the ethics and politics of human-animal relationships. Students from around North America – including two from UofL (see “Student Research,” above) – presented papers on topics running the gamut of philosophical inquiry. The day concluded with a lovely banquet hosted by Dr. Humphrey and his family. We look forward to seeing these Humphrey alums’ names as leaders in their fields, whatever path they choose to pursue. In fact, one Humphrey alum – Paul Humphrey (no relation), who presented a paper at the 2002 Colloquium – was recently appointed Louisville Metro Chief of Police. 

2^nd Annual Philosophy SLAM! 

How many Philosophy classes does it take to change a public school system? 

Turns out the number is not that high. More and more students are taking Philosophy or participating in Philosophy Clubs. This year we welcomed young philosophers from Atherton, duPont Manual, and St. Xavier high schools to the 2^nd Philosophy SLAM! Now an annual event occurring on World Philosophy Day – third Thursday in November – the Philosophy Slam offers students the chance to riff and opine on profound or punchy epigrams from philosophers across the ages. They try out their interpretations and then face questions from their peers as well as UofL students. 

Looking ahead to 2025-26 

MALONEY XC, Tom’s 90^th birthday party, is coming up September 18^th, 2025, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. More info will be circulated closer to the date; email phil@louisville.edu to make sure you don’t miss anything. 

We are gearing up for a great 2025-26! 

• The Steven Humphrey Undergraduate Philosophy Colloquium will be back in late February 2026. 
• The third Annual Philosophy SLAM! will take place on World Philosophy Day, 11/20/25. 
• We’ve been busy hiring this spring. Thanks to generous support from the Jewish Heritage Fund, we were able to hire Prof. Michael Portal from Texas A&M University. Michael is an expert in 19^th-20^th century European Philosophy, particularly Jewish Philosophy. 
• Two additional faculty members are expected to be on board by August, but as of this writing we don’t yet know who they will be. 
• This year we bade a fond farewell to Prof. Vilde Aavitsland, who accepted a position with the Norwegian Ministry of Education. 
• Part-time Faculty Member A. Thomas Johnson ’80 Law has donated to the Philosophy Department for forty, count ’em, 40, consecutive years! We are so grateful for his constant support and confidence – as well as his excellence in the classroom! 
• The Health Care Ethics Virtual Speaker Series will return this fall. Keep an eye on our social media or email bioethic@louisville.edu to be notified of upcoming events.