List, I would especially like to call your attention to the theme of Michael Raposa's presidential address to be delivered in January, possibly live, virtually, or in written form depending on how the pandemic situation is at the beginning of next year. Near the conclusion of the newsletter Michael writes:
My topic will be “Peirce and Racism: Biographical and Philosophical Considerations.” The biographical considerations will no doubt be painful, but they have to be engaged with scholarly candor. On a more positive note, I am convinced that Peirce’s philosophy supplies useful resources for helping us to understand and overcome racism in both its individual and systemic manifestations. Best, Gary Message from the President of the C.S. Peirce Society Message from the President View this email in your browser <https://mailchi.mp/dc27211c7bb1/message-from-the-president-of-the-cs-peirce-society?e=860edf35dc> [image: Header: The Charles S. Peirce Society] Dear Gary, I hope that this letter finds you healthy and in reasonably good spirits. I was a bit surprised but also deeply honored by the chain of events that resulted in my becoming president of the Charles S. Perce Society for the year 2020. Not in my wildest dreams, however, could I have anticipated becoming its first “pandemic president.” To borrow a question from one of the opening chapters of the gospel of Luke—one that, I might add, has a certain pragmatic flavor—"What then must we *do*?” Much of what we do, for example, deliberations involved in awarding the Peirce Essay Prize, already consists of interactions that occur in virtual space online. Nevertheless, we do have to begin to think about actual gatherings planned for the future. The AAR has not yet cancelled its November 2020 Meeting in Boston, but my understanding is that the delayed announcement is tied to financial considerations. *There will very likely be no meeting in Boston.* So, the question will be about whether *we* decide to convene our own scheduled session planned in conjunction with the AAR (this will be the fourth year in a row that we have planned such a meeting) in virtual space; the alternative would be to cancel and hope to resume such gatherings when a vaccine for Covid-19 is available and something like the “old normal” has been restored. I will be discussing this question with our Executive Director, Richard Atkins, and the members of our Executive Committee during these summer months so that we will have an announcement for our membership ready immediately upon learning from the AAR about its own plans for November. Similar questions will have to be raised about our sessions held in conjunction with the APA conference in New York City, early in January of next year. Do we cancel, do we meet in virtual space, or will it be the practice at that point in time (much as with many plans for pedagogy during the coming Fall semester) that such gatherings will be occurring in “hybrid” fashion, with some participants meeting in the flesh and others involved remotely. We have to balance refraining from too quick a decision about such matters (when so many uncertainties still remain) with avoiding the kind of delay that would not permit enough time for planning and preparation in the event that we are going to need special technological resources to facilitate a meeting. These are strange and troubling times. Much of what is troubling is related to the pandemic but not all of it. I am beginning to sketch an outline of the presidential address that I hope to deliver in January—whether actually in the flesh, or virtually, or in a document delivered like this one, I cannot predict. My topic will be “Peirce and Racism: Biographical and Philosophical Considerations.” The biographical considerations will no doubt be painful, but they have to be engaged with scholarly candor. On a more positive note, I am convinced that Peirce’s philosophy supplies useful resources for helping us to understand and overcome racism in both its individual and systemic manifestations. Just like with almost everything else this year, this is not the address that I anticipated that I would be writing. Please take care! michael l. raposa [image: Facebook group] <https://peircesociety.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=2d67a1b536f133c3e9f9d5d8c&id=5c19dc6f0d&e=860edf35dc> [image: Website] <https://peircesociety.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=2d67a1b536f133c3e9f9d5d8c&id=ea40a87127&e=860edf35dc> [image: logo: The Charles S. Peirce Society] *Copyright © 2020 Charles S. Peirce Society, All rights reserved.* You are receiving this message because either you are a member or former member of the Charles S. Peirce Society or you signed up to the previous email list. *Our mailing address is:* Charles S. Peirce Society 140 Commonwealth Ave Chestnut Hill, MA 02467 Add us to your address book <https://peircesociety.us15.list-manage.com/vcard?u=2d67a1b536f133c3e9f9d5d8c&id=465a32ebdd> Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences <https://peircesociety.us15.list-manage.com/profile?u=2d67a1b536f133c3e9f9d5d8c&id=465a32ebdd&e=860edf35dc> or unsubscribe from this list <https://peircesociety.us15.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=2d67a1b536f133c3e9f9d5d8c&id=465a32ebdd&e=860edf35dc&c=7cd1848265> [image: Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp] <http://www.mailchimp.com/email-referral/?utm_source=freemium_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=referral_marketing&aid=2d67a1b536f133c3e9f9d5d8c&afl=1>
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