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David E. Pfeifer Visiting Lecture Philosophy Department, Indiana University School of Liberal Arts Indiana University – Purdue University at Indianapolis
317-278-2306
Education
9/60 - 6/61 Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 9/61 - 6/64 North Park College, Chicago, IL B.A. 9/64 - 10/71 University of Illinois, Urbana, IL M.A., Ph.D.
Theses
Master’s Thesis: “Some Difficulties Concerning Aristotle’s Doctrine of Substance in the Categories”, 1966. Supervised by Max H. Fisch.
Doctoral Dissertation: “The Summum Bonum in the Philosophy of C. S. Peirce”, 1971. Supervised by Max H. Fisch.
Employment
11/65 - 9/66 Research Assistant. University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois. Assisted Max H. Fisch in his work on C. S. Peirce.
9/66 - 6/68 Teaching Assistant. Philosophy Department, University of Illinois.
6/67 - 9/67 Editorial Staff. Encyclopedia Britannica, Chicago, IL. Assisted Mortimer J. Alder and Otto Bird in a special project on philosophy.
9/68 - 6/74 Assistant Professor of Philosophy. Western Illinois University, Macomb, Illinois.
7/74 – 6/2005 Assistant, then Associate, then Full Professor of Philosophy, Principia College, Elsah, IL.
Principia College Administrative Appointments:
3/80 - 9/83 Director, Office of Special Programs (including adult education as of 12/80).
10/83 - 10/86 Coordinating Dean.
10/86 - 8/87 Acting Dean of Faculty.
3/89 - 6/96 President
7/96 – 6/2005 Edith and Lewis White Distinguished Professor
Present Professional Endeavors
Managing Editor (since 1998), The Press of Arisbe Associates. Publishes the Peirce Studies monograph series.
“Charles Peirce, The Nation, and God,” is to be published in a Peirce anthology. This anthology is years beyond its supposed publication date. I wait patiently.
Reviewing and revising for publication Max Fisch’s research on the medical history of Charles Peirce. Max Fisch presented two papers, but never published them.
Major Projects Completed for Max Fisch
Read the correspondence of the extended Peirce family to develop a medical history of Benjamin and Charles Peirce. Mayo Clinic analyzed this report and made some tentative conclusions. This report is available presently at the Peirce Edition Project at Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis (IUPUI).
Read all the major works of John Dewey culling Dewey’s comments on other philosophers preparing a report that led to a paper by Max Fisch on Dewey’s view of the history of philosophy.
Projects on Max Fisch’s Work
Along with H. William Davenport, another Max Fisch doctoral student, created an index to the boxes and files of the Max Fisch collection at the University of Illinois. Specific files containing major Peirce scholarship are copied and will be made available at the Peirce Edition Project and the Institute for Studies in Pragmaticism, Texas Tech University.
About a dozen file drawers of papers primarily on Peirce were sent to IUPUI after Max Fisch’s passing. These have not been reviewed or indexed. H. William Davenport and I will be going through these files to create an index. We should have started already, but have not.
Some fun, but minor projects:
While a graduate assistant to Max Fisch, I saw what appeared to be a draft of volume one of his intended Peirce biography. Another graduate student, Will Miller, also saw that manuscript. I continue to search for that manuscript, speaking with and contacting all those who worked with Max Fisch as well as family members.
A pursuit is trying to find the records of The Journal of Speculative Philosophy that was originally published in St. Louis, MO. Charles Peirce contributed to this journal, and I seek his submitted manuscripts.
The leading governmental historian at the Jefferson Expansion Memorial (Arch) is helping me search for Coast Survey records in St. Louis. Charles Peirce may have done Coast Survey work that was deposited in the St. Louis office, if there was such an office. To date, nothing has been found.
The Press of Arisbe Associates
I have edited the last three volumes in the monograph series Peirce Studies, carrying the projects from manuscripts through to printed volumes.
Published at the end of 2006 was Charles Peirce’s System of Science, by Fran McDonald. I edited the text once, our general editor and I discussed how to recast the manuscript to fit our desires, the general editor did a thorough editing, the author did a review, and I did the final editing and layout.
Society for the Philosophy of Creativity
1977 and 1978, Special Discussant at American Philosophical Association Division meetings.
1979, commentator on William Minor’s paper, “Creative Correlativity: Critic of the Sciences,” at American Philosophical Association Division meeting.
1980, the American Academy of Religion Division of the Society begins; elected Secretary/Treasurer of division, and become member of Foundation board.
1980, presented “The Metaphysical Requirements of Creativity,” at American Academy of Religion Division meeting.
1980 through 1986, plan, organize, arrange and often chair meetings of the American Academy of Religion Division.
1987, I as Secretary/Treasurer was the only officer left; no one desired to serve as an officer; we were unable to gather people to attend a meeting; the American Academy of Religion Division ended; all files were sent to the archives at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.
Publications
“The Question of Reference in the Writings of J. A. Fodor and J. J. Katz,” Foundations of Language, 2 (May, 1966), 142-150.
Louis Agassiz and the Origin of Species, Studies in Philosophy and the History of Science, Lawrence, Kansas: Coronado Press, 1970, 87-105.
“Charles Peirce’s Contribution to Religious Thought,” Proceedings of the C. S. Peirce Bicentennial International Congress, Lubbock, Texas: Texas Tech University, 1981, 367-373.
“Why God Cannot be Perceived Directly: A Peircean View,” Philosophy of Religion and Theology Proceedings, American Academy of Religion, Missoula, Montana, Scholars Press, 1976, 40-48.
“Peirce’s Application of Semiotic to God,” Studies in Peirce’s Semiotic, Kenneth L. Ketner, ed., Lubbock, Texas: Texas Tech University, 1979.
“George Berkeley: Precursor of Peircean Semiotic,” Zeichenkonstitution, Berlin, Germany: Walter de Gruyter, 1981, Band I, 67-74.
“Intellectual Trends in 19th Century Boston,” Quarterly Newsletter, Vol. 17, no. 2, Boston, Massachusetts: Longyear Historical Society, 1980, 261-264.
“How to Solve that Moral Dilemma in Ten Not-So-Easy Steps,” Purpose, Winter 1980, St. Louis, Missouri: Principia Alumni Association, 8-10. Presentations at Conferences
“The Admissibility of Religious and Scientific Hypotheses,” Midwest Regional Meeting, American Academy of Religion, 1977.
“Can Pragmatic Procedures Yield Verification? Peirce and James Revisited,” Annual Meeting, American Academy of Religion, 1977.
Commentator on paper on historical explanation, Missouri Conference on History, University of Missouri—Rolla, 1979.
Commentator on “Creative Correlativity: Critic of the Sciences,” at Society for Philosophy of Creativity Meeting in New York, 1979.
“The Metaphysical Requirements of Creativity,” Society for the Philosophy of Creativity, American Academy of Religion Division, 1980.
“Charles Peirce, The Nation, and God,” The Charles Peirce Sesquicentennial International Congress, 1989.
“The Cambridge Metaphysical Club and the St. Louis Hegelians,” an invited plenary session for the Nineteenth Century Studies Association conference, March 12, 2004.
“Peirce’s Semiosis and God”, at the biannual meeting of the International Centers for Peirce Studies in March, 2005.
“Peirce’s Semiosis and Concept of God”, at the British Society for the Philosophy of Religion, Oxford University, September 2007.
“The St. Louis Hegelians, The Journal of Speculative Philosophy, and the Pragmatists,” St. Louis Hegelian Sesquicentennial, Webster University, April 2008.
Plus book reviews and numerous presentations on and off campus for Principia College.
Sample Relevant Book Reviews
Historical Transcendence and the Reality of God, Journal of the American Academy of Religion, Vol.45 (Sep. 1977), 391.
Creativity in Henry Nelson Wieman, Journal of the American Academy of Religion, Vol. 47 (Mar., 1979), 165.
Religion and Scientific Method, Journal of the American Academy of Religion, Vol. 47 (Mar., 1979), 168.
Falsification and Belief, Journal of the American Academy of Religion, Vol. 49 (Mar., 1981), 150.
Professional Associations
American Philosophical Association Society for the Advancement of American Philosophy Charles S. Peirce Society Institute for Studies in Pragmaticism, Texas Tech University, an elected Fellow (Former) Member, American Academy of Religion (Former) Member, John Dewey Society (Former) Secretary/Treasurer, Society for the Philosophy of Creativity, AAR Division (Former) Board Member, Foundation for the Philosophy of Creativity Teaching Responsibilities
Principia College (An * indicates primary responsibility)Phil 120 Critical Thinking* Phil 150 Introduction to Philosophy Phil 225 American Philosophy* Phil 230 Philosophic Classics* Phil 245 History of Philosophy Survey* Phil 252 Philosophy of Religion Phil 265 Business Ethics* Aesthetics (no longer taught) Phil 285 Religion Epistemology* Phil 321 Epistemology* Phil 411 Readings Phil 421 Seminar in Philosophy Phil 440 Capstone in Philosophy
Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis P11o Introduction to Philosophy P162 Introduction to Logic P558 American Philosophy (sections on Emerson and Dewey) Presently on one Masters Thesis committee.
Computer Abilities
Use Microsoft Word all the time. Use complicated Microsoft Excel spreadsheets for grades and financial reports for QEM Fire District. Use Microsoft PowerPoint in my classes. Use Oncourse for my courses. Beginning to use Microsoft Access database application for a variety of things.
Present Civic Endeavors
Member, Historic Elsah Foundation, 1978- Trustee (Secretary/Treasurer), QEM Fire Protection District, Elsah, IL., 1996- President, Nelson Foundation, an environmental foundation funding local endeavors, 2001- Board Member, Meeting of the Rivers Foundation, a civic group supporting the USACOE museum at Lock & Dam 26, 2001-
Past Civic Endeavors
Zoning Board Member (Chairman for a term), Village of Elsah, 1978-1988 Trustee (President for a term), Elsah Sanitary District, 1980-1990 Member, River Road Alliance, 1977-1978 Co-Chairman, Ad Hoc Group contesting L-15 (An Army Corps of Engineers levee project), 1985-1986 Chairman, RiverBend Education Institute, 1990-1992 Member, Jersey County Board (two terms), 1988-1994 Negotiator on behalf of Jersey County in union contract deliberations, 1990-1995 Lt. Governor’s Illinois River Strategy Team, 1994-1997
Convener, Three Rivers Confluence Commission, involving Madison, Jersey, and Calhoun Counties, Illinois, and St. Charles County, Missouri, 1994-1996 President, Great Rivers Land Trust, Godfrey, IL., 1996-2001 Member, State of Illinois, Illinois River Coordinating Council, chaired by Lt. Governor, 1997-2003 Member, Jersey County Emergency Telephone System Board (911), 2000-2003
4/1/2008
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