Metaphysical Society of America records

The Metaphysical Society of America was founded by Paul Weiss, Professor of Philosophy, in 1950 at New Haven. Professor Weiss' purpose was "to turn the attention of the philosophical community from more limited objectives to concern with questions about the nature of reality." With a nationwide membership of 112 in 1951, the Society has grown to over 600 members today with an international scope. Its members, which include professors, scholars, and laymen interested in questions of metaphyiscs, meet annually at various universities throughout the United States and Canada. The Society publishes annual announcements and membership lists and has a long-standing relationship with the Review of Metaphysics.

The material in this collection, donated March 29, 1983 by Richard T. DeGeorge, President of the Metaphysical Society, is divided into three series: ADMINISTRATIVE RECORDS, OTHER SOCIETIES, REPRINTS FROM THE REVIEW OF METAPHYSICS. Series I, ADMINISTRATIVE RECORDS, consists of correspondence, information about the Society's annual meetings, financial records, membership specifics, and miscellaneous items. It is arranged chronologically according to subject matter. Series II, OTHER SOCIETIES, contains announcements, memoranda, reports, program information and some correspondence related to various philosophical organizations. Much of this material is from the American Council of Learned Societies of which MSA is an affiliate member. Series III comprises articles, arranged alphabetically by author, reprinted from the Review of Metaphysics.