Introduction

The Greater Philadelphia Philosophy Consortium Undergraduate Philosophy Conference, held annually at one of the Consortium institutions, draws students and faculty together for a day of stellar presentations and provocative discussion. The theme for the 2007 conference, hosted by Villanova University on February 24, echoed the theme for the GPPC year: Mind and Emotions.

A total of thirty-one papers were submitted from thirteen different institutions. The submissions, as well as the papers eventually selected for presentation, reflected an array of philosophical approaches and styles. Ten papers were selected for presentation representing 5 different institutions. Each paper also had a commentator which meant 5 additional schools were represented. Most impressive was the range and depth of the submissions. We read papers about anger and love; logic, language, and literature; memory and knowledge; Socrates, Derrida, Lycan; and numerous other fascinating subjects.

After the paper presentations were complete, 4 awards were given. One award was for the outstanding paper and three others were Runners-up. These awards were selected by a group of students who served as GPPC liaisons throughout the planning of the conference. The top award went to Ronni Sadovsky of Swarthmore College. The three additional awards went to Shaun Malleck of Villanova, Eric Grossman of University of Pennsylvania, and Alexander McCobin of the University of Pennsylvania.

The conference ended with a panel including four current graduate students who graciously offered their insightful remarks on the “The Myths and Merriment of Applying, Attending, And Surviving Graduate School.” These four were Krissana Scheiter of the University of Pennsylvania, Ed Pollitt of West Chester University, Heather Coletti of Temple University, and Dera Sipe of Villanova University. I want to thank them especially for spending the afternoon with us and for their candid advice about not only applying to graduate school but the whole graduate school culture!

The papers and commentaries presented here are revised versions of those read at the conference. One of the hallmarks of the GPPC Undergraduate conference is the quality of discussion that follows each presentation. The 2007 conference was no exception. The attendance was robust throughout the day and the dialogue impressive. The authors have taken those discussions into account in revising their articles for publication on the GPPC website.

Finally, I want to thank especially Roy Cook who worked with me in coordinating the conference and served as Master of Ceremonies on the 24^th. We hope you will enjoy this collection of papers.

Sally J. Scholz,

Villanova University