History

The Philosopher was the official journal of The Philosophical Society of England, a charitable organization founded ten years earlier in 1913. The Society claimed to 'to promote the study of practical philosophy among the general public', to bring together professional philosophers and non-professionals, to bring philosophical ideas and problems to the public attention, and to encourage wider discussion of both traditional and topical philosophical issues. Following the centenary of the Philosophical Society of England, collapsed due to declining membership although the journal continued online, edited by Martin Cohen, as it had been since 1995. 

In 2018, Michael Bavidge, formally the Chair of the Philosophical Society, set up a rival Newcastle-based journal, claiming the name The Philosopher and copying over content from the website without acknowledgement. The new magazine is edited by Newcastle upon Tyne-based philosopher Anthony Morgan, and published quarterly by Bigg Books a publisher created and owned by Morgan. Despite its academic pretensions and glossy appearance it has neither an historical link to, nor a similar approach to the original Philosopher, which was – and still is – dedicated to ‘philosophy’ in the broadest sense.

History of the early years: Chapter 1, Chapter 2 

  1923 - 1948 Editors:  Ada Sheridan
                                      W.H.S. Dumphrey
                                       Thomas  Greenwood                 

Period marked by an emphasis on Philosophy of Religion: Chapter 3

   1949 -1972 Editors:    C.S. Flick
                                        Victor Rienaecker
                                        A.J. Sinclair-Burton

Period marked by a return to 'general philosophy': Chapter 4

    1973 - 1988 Editors:   George Colbran
                                         Alan Holloway
                                         Geoffrey Brown 

Period marked by a return to 'academic philosophy': Chapter 5

1989 - onward Editors:   Keith Dowling
                                        Michael Bavidge
                                        Martin Cohen

More about the story of The Philosophical Society of England.

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