Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

See the University of Virginia Library’s use policy.

Preferred Citation

Papers of the Virginia Philosophical Society, Accession #4052, etc., Special Collections, University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, Va.

Acquisition Information

The papers in the first accession, #4052, were given to the University of Virginia Library by Professor A.G. Balz on November 11, 1952. The rest of the collection was loaned to the University of Virginia by various members of the Virginia Philosophical Association. These include: #4052-a by Lewis Machen Hammond, Department of Philosophy, University of Virginia on October 23, 1967; #4052-b by Peter L. Heath, Chairman of the Department of Philosophy, University of Virginia, on January 1, 1969; #4052-c by Lewis Machen Hammond, Department of Philosophy, University of Virginia, on May 24, 1969; #4052-d by Peter L. Heath, Chairman of the Department of Philosophy, University of Virginia, on June 17, 1971; and #4052-e by Peter Heath on February 1, 1977.

Biographical/Historical Information

The prime mover for the organization of the Virginia Philosophical Association was Professor Albert G.A. Balz, Head of the Corcoran School of Philosophy of the University of Virginia. He first suggested the idea of an annual meeting of the philosophers of Virginia and was aided by Professor Majorie S. Harris of Randolph-Macon Woman's College and Dean James W. Miller of The College of William and Mary in arranging the first meeting under the sponsorship of the Philosophy Club at the University of Virginia on November 25, 1939. In each of the subsequent years, a committee was set up to handle the arrangements for the following year. The group did not meet for several years during World War II.

Scope and Content

This collection consists of the papers of the Virginia Philosophical Association, 1939-1976, ca. 500 items (2 Hollinger boxes, ca. 1 linear foot), and include programs and minutes for the annual meetings, some correspondence, membership lists, papers presented at the meetings, historical sketches about the organization by Frank A. MacDonald based upon data from the records of Professor Albert G.A. Balz. Another historical sketch, "Twenty Years of Philosophy in the College of William and Mary" by James Wilkinson Miller is also present. The collection also contains a report prepared by a committee of the Virginia Philosophical Association, June 26, 1968, on "Guidelines for the Institution and Development of Instruction in Philosophy in Colleges and Universities."

Arrangement

These papers have been described as a single collection but have retained their original accession number on each folder. They are arranged in chronological order according to the year of the meeting within each accession number group. Some accessions have additional material other than the program, minutes, and correspondence pertaining to that year's meeting and they are filed chronologically within their accession group as well.