Royce Lectures

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Josiah Royce

The Josiah Royce Lectureship on the philosophy of mind was established in the late 1970s through a generous bequest of Mabel Lisle Ducasse and Curt John Ducasse to Brown University. According to the terms of the bequest, the lectureship was established "to bring about ... effective contributions to progress in the Philosophy of Mind, in the form of substantial works by philosophers of high standing who happen to be specially interested in that particular branch of philosophy. The lectureship shall call for three lectures (to be delivered at Brown University) and for a substantial book expanding them. Half of the lectureship fee is to be paid to the lecturer when he has delivered the three lectures, and the other half when he hands the finished typescript of the book to Brown University, which then has the right to publish it if it so desires, either through the Brown University Press or otherwise, with appropriate royalties to the author on the sales of the book.”

The first Royce Lectureship was awarded in 1983 to Elizabeth Anscombe.

Frequency: Every four years (approximately)

Award Amount: $4,000, plus $3,000 to be paid upon the submission of the manuscript to a publisher.

Last Award: 2018

Next Award: 2022

Selection Process

The Royce Lecturer is selected in accordance with, and in the spirit of, the bequest of Mable Lisle Ducasse and Curt John Ducasse. The Royce Lecturer is selected by a committee appointed by the chair of the APA's committee on lectures, publications, and research (LPR), in consultation with LPR committee members, together with members of the Philosophy Department at Brown University. Eligibility is not limited to APA members.