The History of the APA

The American Philosophical Association was founded in 1900 to promote the exchange of ideas among philosophers, to encourage creative and scholarly activity in philosophy, to facilitate the professional work and teaching of philosophers, and to represent philosophy as a discipline.

Having grown from a few hundred members to over 10,000, the American Philosophical Association is one of the largest philosophical societies in the world and the only American philosophical society not devoted to a particular school or philosophical approach.

Its three Divisions, the Central, Eastern and Pacific, founded in 1900, 1901 and 1924, respectively, conduct annual meetings at which philosophers present research and exchange ideas.  Since 1927, the American Philosophical Association has functioned under a constitution providing for a national Board of Officers.

The APA is affiliated with the American Council of Learned Societies, the International Federation of Philosophical Societies, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the National Humanities Alliance.

Since 1975, the National Office of The American Philosophical Association has been located at the University of Delaware -- an arrangement made possible through the generosity of the University of Delaware.

For additional background, such as information regarding the founders of the APA and how the APA grew via the merging of various regional philosophical associations, please refer to the following article in The Philosophical Review, available at most University libraries or online at http://www.jstor.org/journals/00318108.html:

• "The First Twenty-Five Years of the American Philosophical Association," H.N. Gardiner, The Philosophical Review, Vol. 35, No. 2. (Mar., 1926), pp. 145-158.
• Philosophy Matters: A Celebration of the Power of Thought
  John Lachs, Chair
  Centennial Committee of the American Philosophical Association
  

NOTE:  If you have difficulty accessing JSTOR online please check the library at your local University.  They could have The Philosophical Review on microfilm or microfiche, they could have a license for online access to JSTOR through their servers, or they could help you access it through interlibrary loan.

Also of interest is James Cambell's book, A Thoughtful Profession: The Early Years of The American Philosophical Association (Chicago: Open Court, 2006), written with the support of the APA.

Even more information can be found in each year's "Proceedings of the Annual Meeting," generally found in Issue 2 of each Volume of The Philosophical Review.  For example:

• Proceedings of the First Annual Meeting of the Western Philosophical Association, held at Lincoln, Nebraska, January, 1901. The Philosophical Review, Vol. 10, No. 2. (Mar., 1901), pp. 162-173.

• Proceedings of the Second Annual Meeting of the Western Philosophical Association, held at Chicago, in Joint Session with the American Psychological Association, on December 31, 1901, and January 1, 1902. The Philosophical Review, Vol. 11, No. 2. (Mar., 1902), pp. 152-168.

• Proceedings of the Second Meeting of the American Philosophical Association, Columbian University, Washington, D. C., December 30 and 31, 1902. The Philosophical Review, Vol. 12, No. 2. (Mar., 1903), pp. 163-182.

• Proceedings of the Eastern Division of the American Philosophical Association: The Annual Meeting, Swarthmore College, December 29 and 30, 1924, The Philosophical Review, Vol. 34, No. 2. (Mar., 1925), pp. 165-184.

The Journal of Philosophy also contains historical information pertaining to the APA.