The 36th annual meeting of the Society for Exact Philosophy will be held at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, Wyoming. May 13-17, 2008.
• Conference pre-registration and banquet reservations are now open. All conferees are requested to pre-register and make their banquet selections now (and by all means by May 6th—for on-time registration). Additional details below. 04/12/2008
• Marc has set up an activities page where you can indicate your interest in one of the leisure day activities. Everyone who is interested in one of these outings is encouraged to get word to Marc as early as possible.
• Hotel and travel information is posted below. Please assist us by making your hotel reservations early (and often!).
• A selection of papers from the conference is to be published in a special volume of Synthese, guest edited by Marc Moffett.
Pre-registration
Conferees are requested to PRE-REGISTER HERE for the conference—pre-registration includes selection and payment of conference fee and banquet options.
The schedule of fees is as follows: Conference: $50 (full), $25 (grad); Banquet: $36 (meat), $19 (vegetation). There will be an additional charge of $10 for late registration (after May 6th or on-site).
Conference Schedule
The final schedule of talks (pdf) is posted here. Please double-check at registration for any last minute changes to the schedule.
Conference Accommodations
Hilton Garden Inn (conference site)
The conference rate for the Hilton Garden Inn is $99 per night. This is where the conference will be located. This is probably the best deal by far for the price. To get the conference rate, specify that you are with the SEP Conference.
Holiday Inn
The Holiday Inn is immediately adjacent to the Hilton.
The Mad Carpenter Inn (B&B)
The sole bed & breakfast in town, the Mad Carpenter Inn is about a 20 minute walk from the conference site—but is right next to Turtle Rock Café!
Cheap
If you are interested in something cheaper, the Motel 6 has rooms from about $36. Phone Number: (307) 742-2307. However, you will probably need a car if you stay at this location.
Getting to Laramie
There are two main options for getting to Laramie.
Option #1: Fly all the way into Laramie
The first option is to fly directly into the regional airport. What this amounts to is flying into Denver International (DIA) and then catching a 45 minute commuter flight up to Laramie. This will usually add a couple hundred dollars onto the price of your plane ticket, though.
Option #2: Fly into Denver, take car to Laramie
The alternative is fly into Denver (DIA) and then drive a rental car over to Laramie. The drive is about two hours.
If you are interested in ride-sharing for the drive from Denver to Laramie, you can get connected up over at Marc’s ride-share page.
If you drive, there are two routes from DIA to Laramie—
The easy way: Take the tollway E-470 north toward Ft. Collins. Merge onto I-25 north. Stay on I-25 for about 80 miles (129 km) until you reach Cheyenne. Take the exit onto I-80 west (this will be on your right). Take I-80 to Laramie (about 40 miles/64 km). Take the first exit into Laramie (Grand Ave.). If you are staying at the conference hotel, it is located on Grand. (All told, the toll will cost you about three dollars.)
For the more adventurous: If the weather is bad or if you are coming in after dark, don’t take this route (ask Dave Chalmers!); otherwise, it is a somewhat more scenic drive. Begin the same way. Take the tollway E-470 north toward Ft. Collins. Merge onto I-25 north. Stay on I-25 until just north of Ft. Collins. Take the Owl Canyon Exit and go West (left). Follow this road until it turns into a dirt road. It eventually dead ends into another dirt road, turn left and keep going. This road will dead end at HWY 287. Take 287 North to Laramie. 287 becomes 3rd Street in Laramie. If you are staying at the conference hotel you will take 3rd until it intersects with Grand Ave., turn right and take Grand to the hotel.
Nota bene: For the amateur naturalist. On either drive you will probably see 100s of pronghorn antelope (Antilocarpa americana), there are roughly 400,000 in Wyoming. The pronghorn is an American original. It is not a true antelope and the closest living relatives would be members of the goat family. The pronghorn evolved in North America (along with the horse and camel), at a time when the continent was populated with cheetahs. This explains its capacity to reach speeds upwards of 60 mph (97 kmph).
Leisure Day Activities
The options here run the gamut from the strenuous (snowshoeing the high country) to the leisurely (horseback riding/sight seeing). But everyone should note that Laramie sits at 7200 ft and the mountain activities will take you up over 12,000 ft. Even though altitude sickness is not likely below 8000 ft, it is recommended that you stay well hydrated while here.
In addition to the activities suggested below, here are some links to information about the area:
Here are a few examples of outdoor activities in the area. If you have an interest in any of these activities, you should proceed to the Marc's activities page where you will find a place to indicate your interest in participating.
1. SPECIAL OUTING: Snowshoeing the High Country: Libby Creek Trail, Snowies
Thirty minutes to the west of Laramie lies the Snowy Range. This is the northernmost point of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. The Snowy Range is part of the 3 million acre Routt-Medicine Bow National Forest and sports impressive alpine peaks ranging over 13,000', glacial lakes, and lots of wildlife.
We’ll hike up along the ridgeline of Libby Creek canyon and break for lunch, overseeing a spectacular view of the Laramie valley. The trail descends into Libby Creek and ties into Barber Lake Trail. The whole loop is roughly 6 miles with some moderate elevation gain. No prior snowshoeing experience is necessary. Transportation, lunch and equipment are provided. A personal equipment list and detailed pre-trip information will be provided after registering. Limit: 10 participants.
- Departure date: Friday, May 16, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
- Meeting location: Half Acre Gym, front lobby (west side of building)
- Price: $69
Registration for this special outing is required: Call Dan McCoy, Coordinator of the Outdoor Adventure Program at (307) 766-6488. Please specify that you are part of the UW philosophy conference. Full payment will be required to reserve a spot. Cancellation policy: Fifty percent is refundable if five-business-days notice is given prior to the trip departure date. For more info call (307-766-6488) or e-mail (oap@uwyo.edu).
2. SPECIAL OUTING: Introduction to Rock Climbing in Vedauwoo
Vedauwoo (pronounced vee-da-voo) is a world renowned rock climbing area. Vedauwoo is a beautiful labyrinth of granite rock formations just about 10 miles east of Laramie and is well worth visiting just for the scenery. This outing is primarily for beginning or intermediate climbers, though experienced climbers might find it worthwhile.
Join the UW Outdoor Adventure Program for an outing to southeast Wyoming’s premiere climbing spot. This is a great opportunity to learn basic climbing safety, belay technique and movement from our knowledgeable and friendly instructors. No prior experience necessary, though a good level of physical fitness is important. Persons with prior climbing experience are also encouraged to attend. All climbing equipment, instruction, lunch and transportation provided. A personal equipment list and detailed pre-trip information will be provided after registering. Limit: 10 participants.
- Departure date: Friday, May 16, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
- Meeting location: Half Acre Gym, front lobby (west side of building)
- Price: $69
Registration for this special outing is required: Call Dan McCoy, Coordinator of the Outdoor Adventure Program at (307) 766-6488. Please specify that you are part of the UW philosophy conference. Full payment will be required to reserve a spot. Cancellation policy: Fifty percent is refundable if five-business-days notice is given prior to the trip departure date. For more info call (307-766-6488) or e-mail (oap@uwyo.edu).
3. Local Area Birding trips
If, like Marc, you happen to be a bird-geek, we can set up a local birding expectation through Bird Brained Expeditions. (No price yet, but fairly cheap overall.) If you are not from the West, this is a good opportunity to increase your lifetime bird list by 10 or 12 species.
4. Horseback Riding on Sheep Mountain
Snowy Mountain Lodge offers horseback riding trips out of Centennial, Wyoming (home to Pulitzer Prize winning author Annie Proulx) about 30 minutes from Laramie. They offer 1, 2 and 3 hour rides, as well-as an 8 hour ride. The three hour ride is done in the evening and includes a chuck wagon steak dinner (total cost $90.00).
5. The Old West
Western history buffs might enjoy a day trip out to one of the many historic sites within a few hours of Laramie. One natural spot is Fort Laramie; about a two and a half hour drive. Locally, a trip to the Territorial Prison is a good way to spend a few hours. For a sense of the West, a two hour horseback trip plus a turn around the Territorial Prison would be a good, not too strenuous, option.
6. Fishing/Floating the North Platte
Four Season Anglers provides both guided fishing trips and scenic floats on the Platte River. Cost for each will be determined by the number of participants, but a rough estimate is about $150.00 per person for the scenic trip and $210.00 for the fishing trip.
At that time of year, the scenic trip will be run down the North Platte River near Saratoga. This is a beautiful float of about 13 miles. Lots of waterfowl, bald eagles, deer (mule deer and white-tail; sometimes moose), beaver, mink and other wildlife. Service to and from the shop in Laramie to the raft point, lunch, drinks, gear.
The fishing trip would be along the North Platte near Casper, an area known as Gray’s Reef. Gray’s Reef is one of the two or three premiere fishing waters in the country for large trout (cutthroat, rainbows, browns, cuttbows). An experienced angler would typically land about 15 fish over 18” with a real chance of catching something over 5lbs. A novice angler will probably hook-up, but the size of the fish will lead to a lot of break-offs. If need be, FSA can provide rods, etc. The scenery here is not outstanding (more like a high desert), but you will see plenty of antelope and deer.
7. Yellowstone National Park
For individuals who want to use this as an opportunity to visit Yellowstone, we'd recommend visiting after the conference rather than before. The conditions will still be pretty snowy at that time of year. On the up side, May is no part of Yellowstone's peak season and there are definite advantages to missing the crush of summer! Interested parties should contact the Park Service directly.
Call for Papers
Sorry, the deadline for paper submissions has already passed..
Paper submissions in all areas of analytic philosophy are welcomed. A selection of papers from the conference will be published in a special volume of Synthese, guest edited by Marc Moffett.
Paper submission deadline: January 31st, 2008.
"The SEP is dedicated to providing sustained discussion among researchers who believe that rigorous methods have a place in philosophical investigations." Information on the Society and its previous meetings is on the web at SEP Home.
