The Josiah Royce Society

Josiah Royce in 1914

The Josiah Royce Society was established in 2003 to encourage the study of the life and work of the American philosopher Josiah Royce (1855-1916).

2019 Douglas MacDonald Conference on the Life and Work of Josiah Royce, His Colleagues, and Students

Past News, Meetings and Papers

Research Materials

Royce Society Prizes

Constitution and Bylaws

Join, Renew Membership or Donate

Pay dues and donate online from the Membership page!

Contribute Matching Funds to The Works of Josiah Royce: A Critical Edition

Officers and Board

President: Daniel Brunson, Morgan State University

President ex officio: Michael Brodrick, Arkansas Tech University

Vice President: 

Secretary: Kevin Harrelson, Ball State University

Treasurer: David Pfeifer, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis

At-Large Representatives:

Fellows (Past Presidents):

Jacquelyn Kegley, California State University, Bakersfield 

Dwayne Tunstall, Grand Valley State University

Scott L. Pratt, University of Oregon

Griffin Trotter, St. Louis University

Kelly A. Parker, Grand Valley State University

John J. McDermott, Texas A & M University

Frank M. Oppenheim, S.J., Xavier University

Former Distinguished At-Large Representative:

Hilary Putnam, Harvard University (1926-2016)

Portrait, 1914, from the Josiah Royce Collection  
Ms. 29, Special Collections  
The Milton S. Eisenhower Library of  
The Johns Hopkins University  
High Resolution Scan of Image  

News

Frank M. Oppenheim, SJ (1925-2020)

Frank M. Oppenheim, a prolific scholar whose deep knowledge of the life and thought of Josiah Royce was unsurpassed and whose personal warmth and self-effacing concern for others touched the lives of many, passed away on April 3 in Clarkston, Michigan.

Oppenheim was born in 1925 in Coldwater, Ohio. He attended Xavier, Loyola, and Saint Louis universities, before joining the Chicago Province of the Society of Jesus in 1942. He was ordained in 1955.

Oppenheim wrote four books on Royce: Royce’s Journey Down Under (1985), Royce’s Mature Philosophy of Religion (1987), Royce’s Mature Ethics (1993), and Reverence for the Relations of Life: Re-imagining Pragmatism via Josiah Royce’s Interactions with Peirce, James, and Dewey (2004). He also authored scores of journal articles and, with Dawn Aberg and John Kaag, a 750-page Comprehensive Index of the Writings of Josiah Royce. He was a founding member of the Josiah Royce Society and its first president.

While the impact of Oppenheim’s work on Royce Studies and American philosophy more broadly can hardly be overstated, Oppenheim himself eschewed the role of the haughty academic don. Those who knew him will remember his unassuming warmth, gentle sense of humor and genuine concern for students and colleagues alike.

Over the decades, Oppenheim’s work defined a generation of Royce scholarship--- one that recovered Royce’s philosophy after a long period of neglect, that sought to elucidate the complex relations between Royce’s thought and biography and that delighted in debates over the fine points of Royce’s theories.

Yet behind the purely academic features of Oppenheim’s work, impactful as those features were, was an irreplaceable individual, Oppenheim, whose character and personality left an even deeper impression. Reading Oppenheim, one senses the philosopher behind the philosophy--- the humble questioner, the joyful seeker, the wise and avuncular mentor.

We can be thankful not only for the insights Oppenheim gave us as a thinker but also for the virtues he exemplified as a person. Those insights and virtues continue to inspire and sustain our community even as we mourn his passing.

Posted April 11th, 2020

Call for Papers/Abstracts: Special March 5-7, 2020 JRS Session!


The Josiah Royce Society (JRS) invites the submission of papers or abstracts for a special JRS session to convene at the March 5-7, 2020 meetings of the Society for Advancement of American Philosophy (SAAP). Those meetings will be held in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

The session theme, like that of the SAAP meetings, will be "Inter-American Philosophy" as describe here.

Please prepare your paper or abstract for blind review. Papers should be capable of being presented in 20-25 minutes; abstracts should be at least 250 words in length.

Please e-mail your paper or abstract to michael.brodrick@gmail.com by Tuesday, October 1, 2019.

We look forward to considering your submissions!

Posted August 9th, 2019

CFP 2019 Douglas MacDonald Conference on the Life and Work of Josiah Royce, His Colleagues and Students--- Deadline Extended!

Call for Papers--- Deadline Extended!

2019 Douglas MacDonald Conference on the Life and Work of Josiah Royce, His Colleagues and Students

Dates:
October 18-20, 2019

Location:
Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee

Keynote Speakers:
Professor Cheryl Misak, University of Toronto
Professor Jackie Kegley, California State University at Bakersfield
Professor John Clendenning, California State University at Northridge

Submissions:

The Josiah Royce Society and the Philosophy Department at Vanderbilt University announce the 2019 Douglas MacDonald Conference on the life and work of Josiah Royce, his colleagues and students.

This special conference seeks to explore the richness and diversity of American philosophy. The Conference Committee accordingly invites submissions on any aspect of the life and work of Josiah Royce, his colleagues and students. Submissions dealing with Royce’s colleagues, such as William James and George Santayana, or his students, such as W. E. B. DuBois and T. S. Eliot, are most welcome, as are those dealing with some aspect of Royce’s own life and work.

Submissions should be approximately 3,000 words.

Please prepare your submissions for anonymized review and e-mail them to michael.brodrick AT gmail.com by May 01, 2019.

Posted March 6th, 2019

CFP 2019 Douglas MacDonald Conference on the Life and Work of Josiah Royce, His Colleagues and Students



Call for Papers

2019 Douglas MacDonald Conference on the Life and Work of Josiah Royce, His Colleagues and Students

Dates:
October 18-20, 2019

Location:
Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee

Keynote Speakers:
Professor Cheryl Misak, University of Toronto
Professor Jackie Kegley, California State University at Bakersfield

Submissions:

The Josiah Royce Society and the Philosophy Department at Vanderbilt University announce the 2019 Douglas MacDonald Conference on the life and work of Josiah Royce, his colleagues and students.

This special conference seeks to explore the richness and diversity of American philosophy. The Conference Committee accordingly invites submissions on any aspect of the life and work of Josiah Royce, his colleagues and students. Submissions dealing with Royce’s colleagues, such as William James and George Santayana, or his students, such as W. E. B. DuBois and T. S. Eliot, are most welcome, as are those dealing with some aspect of Royce’s own life and work.

Submissions should be approximately 3,000 words.

Please prepare your submissions for anonymized review and e-mail them to michael.brodrick AT gmail.com by March 1, 2019.

Posted November 12th, 2018

Statement on the Death of John J. McDermott


October 1, 2018

Dear Colleagues,

I write to you with a heavy heart to acknowledge the passing of Professor John J. McDermott.

McDermott was a giant in the field of American philosophy, a founding member of the Josiah Royce Society and its President for two years. His The Basic Writings of Josiah Royce, first published in 1969 by the University of Chicago Press and reissued in 2005 by Fordham University Press, almost single-handedly brought Royce’s philosophy back to prominence after a long period of neglect. McDermott’s brilliant introduction to the Vanderbilt University Press edition of Royce’s The Philosophy of Loyalty has become the classic introduction to the text. These landmark achievements barely begin to scratch the surface of McDermott’s matchless contribution to Royce studies.

Those of us who were fortunate enough to know John personally know that there was much to admire about him. There was his indefatigable work ethic, his keen pedagogical instinct, his unmistakable presence in a room or behind a podium and his massive intellectual and moral courage.

Those who were close to John will also recall his near-boundless generosity, his irrepressible sense of humor and his deep devotion to family and friends. With that devotion he allowed neither time nor space to interfere. Even at a distance, whether over the phone or when reading a short note from him sent through the mail, one felt that he really cared.

Philosophers of McDermott’s legendary stature are few and far between, but rarer still are those individuals whose example inspires us to become better and whose love touches our lives deeply. John was one of those irreplaceable individuals.

I know that I speak for many in the Royce Society when I say that I will always remember the fine example that John set for us. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this sad and painful time.

Very truly yours,

Michael Brodrick

Michael Brodrick, PhD
Josiah Royce Society President
Arkansas Tech University

Posted October 2nd, 2018

CFP: JRS at 2019 Central APA

Josiah Royce Society Meeting at the American Philosophical Association Central Division Meeting, February 20-23, 2019, Denver, Colorado.

The Royce Society will hold an affiliated group meeting at the APA Central Meeting in Denver, February 20-23, 2019. We now open a Call for Papers. Papers on the work of Josiah Royce, his influence on other thinkers, and his relevance to contemporary issues are welcomed. Papers from junior scholars and advanced graduate students are encouraged.

This session will include two or three paper presentations and possibly brief commentary on each presentation. Papers should be able to be read in c. 25 minutes (c. 3000 words).

Please prepare your paper or abstract for anonymous review, and attach a separate document with the paper title, author name, and contact information.

Full program information must be submitted by October 1, 2018. Thus, the deadline for submission of papers is midnight, Friday, September 7, 2018. Submissions are to be emailed to depfeife@iupui.edu. Decisions on which papers are accepted will follow in seven to ten days.

Posted June 5th, 2018

Grass Valley and the Philosopher

New from Robin Friedman:

Grass Valley and the Philosopher

One of the greatest things about American communities is that they create and foster a surprising amount of diversity. Take, for instance, the rough and tumble pioneer community captured in Claudine Chalmers’ Grass Valley. A combination of rare images of the Grass Valley, California community and Chalmers’ own commentary and discussion, Grass Valley shows how much there is to be learned from studying local communities.

https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/Navigation/Community/Arcadia-and-THP-Blog/May-2018/Guest-Post-Grass-Valley-and-the-Philosopher

Posted May 19th, 2018

JRS at the Eastern APA

Friday, 01/05, 11:15 AM - 01:15 PM, Savannah Convention Center

G11I Josiah Royce Society
Chair: Daniel Brunson (Morgan State University)

Speaker: Mathew Foust (Central Connecticut State University)
“Loyalty, Justice, and Rights: Royce and Police Ethics in 21st Century America”

Commentator: Daniel Brunson (Morgan State University)

Presidential Address: Jacquelyn Ann Kegley


https://www.facebook.com/events/189067345010473/

Posted December 22nd, 2017

JRS at the Central APA

Thursday, 02/22, 07:40-10:40 PM, Palmer House Hilton

G8E. Josiah Royce Society

Topic: Report on Josiah Royce Society activities, report on progress of the Josiah Royce Critical Edition

Speakers:

Michael Brodrick (Arkansas Tech University)
“A Critique of Royce’s Theory of Loyalty”

David E. Pfeifer (Indiana University/Purdue University, Indianapolis)
“Charles Peirce and Josiah Royce’s Semiotic Move”

Posted December 22nd, 2017

Royce and Loyalty in the New York Times



"If this is a version of loyalty, it’s loyalty of a low order — fragile, transactional and much closer to simple fealty. It fails Royce’s expectation that real loyalty be based in 'willingness,' rather than in fear."

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/15/magazine/is-loyalty-a-virtue-in-the-trump-era-its-complicated.html

Posted December 4th, 2017

Deadline Extended - JRS at 2018 Eastern APA

Deadline Extended!

Call for papers/abstracts for Josiah Royce Society Sessions at the 2018 Eastern APA, to be held 01/03-01/06 in Savannah, GA.

This session will include two or three paper presentations and possibly brief commentary on each presentation. Topics are open to anything related to the thought of Josiah Royce. Papers should be able to be read in 20-25 minutes (around 2500-3000 words). If submitting an abstract, it should be no shorter than 250 words.

Please prepare your paper or abstract for anonymous review, and attach a separate document with the paper title, author name, and contact information.
Prospective presenters are asked to email their proposals to Daniel Brunson at danieljamesbrunson@gmail.com by June 30th, 2017.

Notification regarding submission status will be made by July 7th, 2017.

Posted June 5th, 2017

CFP for 2018 Central APA

Call for papers/abstracts for Josiah Royce Society Sessions at the 2018 Central APA, to be held 02/21-02/24 in Chicago, IL.

 This session will include two or three paper presentations and possibly brief commentary on each presentation. Topics are open to anything related to the thought of Josiah Royce. Papers should be able to be read in 20-25 minutes (around 2500-3000 words). If submitting an abstract, it should be no shorter than 250 words.

 Please prepare your paper or abstract for anonymous review, and attach a separate document with the paper title, author name, and contact information.

 Prospective presenters are asked to email their proposals to David Pfeifer at depfeife@iupui.edu by September 1st, 2017.
Notification regarding submission status will be made by September 15th, 2017.

Posted May 16th, 2017

Call for Papers---Deadline Extended!

Special issue of The Pluralist dedicated to the legacy of Frank M. Oppenheim, SJ

The Josiah Royce Society in partnership with The Pluralist invites submissions that make substantial use of Oppenheim’s scholarly work and/or substantively address his legacy as a Royce scholar.

Submissions should be approximately 6,000- 8,000 words and prepared for blind review. Please e-mail your submission to michael.brodrick@gmail.com by August 1, 2017. The best submissions will be published in the journal next year.


Posted May 11th, 2017

Call for Proposals - 2018 Eastern APA

Call for papers/abstracts for Josiah Royce Society Sessions at the 2018 Eastern APA, to be held 01/03-01/06 in Savannah, GA.

This session will include two or three paper presentations and possibly brief commentary on each presentation. Topics are open to anything related to the thought of Josiah Royce. Papers should be able to be read in 20-25 minutes (around 2500-3000 words). If submitting an abstract, it should be no shorter than 250 words.

Please prepare your paper or abstract for anonymous review, and attach a separate document with the paper title, author name, and contact information.

Prospective presenters are asked to email their proposals to Daniel Brunson at danieljamesbrunson AT gmail.com by June 15th, 2017.
Notification regarding submission status will be made by July 1st, 2017.

Posted May 8th, 2017

Please join us at Central APA!

Friday, March 3, 7:00-10:00 PM

Sheraton Kansas City Hotel
At Crown Center
Kansas City, MO

Topic:

Revisiting Royce's The Spirit of Modern Philosophy

Speakers:

Robin Friedman (Independent Scholar)
"Royce, History, and the Nature of Philosophy"

Jacquelyn A. Kegley (California State University Bakersfield)
"Doing Philosophy Today: Lessons from Royce's Spirit of Modern Philosophy"

Kevin Harrelson (Ball State University)
"Appreciation as Historical Knowledge" 

Posted February 5th, 2017

Request for Session Chair


The Royce Society is in search of a Chair for its Central APA session, which is scheduled for 7:00- 10:00 PM on Friday, March 3 in Kansas City, MO. If you are planning to attend Central APA and would not mind serving as Chair of the Royce session, please let us know by writing an e-mail to:  michael.brodrick AT gmail.com.

Posted January 30th, 2017

Call for Papers!

Call for Papers!

Special issue of The Pluralist dedicated to the legacy of Frank M. Oppenheim, SJ



One can hardly study Josiah Royce without coming across and benefiting from the scholarship of Frank M. Oppenheim, and generations of Royce scholars have been recipients of Oppenheim’s brilliant mentoring.

The Josiah Royce Society in partnership with The Pluralist invites submissions that make substantial use of Oppenheim’s scholarly work and/or substantively address his legacy as a Royce scholar.

Submissions should be approximately 6,000- 8,000 words and prepared for bind review. Please e-mail your submission to michael.brodrick AT gmail.com by May 1, 2017. The best submissions will be published in the journal next year.

Posted January 25th, 2017

JRS at 2017 SAAP - Deadline Extended

DEADLINE EXTENDED!

The Josiah Royce Society (JRS) proudly announces a special session to be held during the annual meeting of the Society for Advancement of American Philosophy, March 16-18, 2017. The session commemorates the centennial of Royce’s death in 1916.

JRS invites submissions from graduate students and junior faculty members not more than five years out of graduate school. Submissions may address any aspect of Royce’s thought and should not be longer than 3,000 words, exclusive of notes
.
Submissions should be prepared for blind review and e-mailed to Prof. Michael Brodrick (michael.brodrick AT gmail.com) by 11:55 PM on Wednesday, December 21st, 2016.

Show your support for Royce by submitting a paper. We look forward to hearing from you.

Posted November 21st, 2016

REMINDER: CFP for Royce Society Panel at 2017 SAAP

Josiah Royce Society

Centennial Session

Society for Advancement of American Philosophy

44th Annual Meeting

March 16-18

Birmingham, AL

The Josiah Royce Society (JRS) proudly announces a special session to be held during the annual meeting of the Society for Advancement of American Philosophy, March 16-18, 2017. The session commemorates the centennial of the philosopher’s death in 1916.

JRS invites submissions from graduate students and junior faculty members not more than five years out of graduate school. Submissions may address any aspect of Royce’s thought and should not be longer than 3,000 words, exclusive of notes. Submissions should be prepared for blind review and e-mailed to Prof. Michael Brodrick ( michael.brodrick AT gmail.com ) by 11:55 PM on Tuesday, November 15, 2016.

Show your support for Royce by submitting a paper. We look forward to hearing from you.

Posted October 28th, 2016

Call for Papers!

Josiah Royce Society

Centennial Session

Society for Advancement of American Philosophy

44th Annual Meeting

March 16-18

Birmingham, AL

The Josiah Royce Society (JRS) proudly announces a special session to be held during the annual meeting of the Society for Advancement of American Philosophy, March 16-18, 2017. The session commemorates the centennial of the philosopher’s death in 1916.

JRS invites submissions from graduate students and junior faculty members not more than five years out of graduate school. Submissions may address any aspect of Royce’s thought and should not be longer than 3,000 words, exclusive of notes. Submissions should be prepared for blind review and e-mailed to Prof. Michael Brodrick ( michael.brodrick@gmail.com ) by 11:55 PM on Tuesday, November 15, 2016.

Show your support for Royce by submitting a paper. We look forward to hearing from you.

Posted September 7th, 2016

JRS at 2017 Eastern APA

DEADLINE EXTENDED 05/27/2016

Call for papers/abstracts for a Josiah Royce Society Session at the Eastern APA, to take place January 4th-7th, 2017, in Baltimore, MD, at the Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel.

This session will include two or three paper presentations and brief commentary on each presentation. Topics are open to anything related to the thought of Josiah Royce. Papers should be able to be read in 20-25 minutes (around 2500-3000 words). If submitting an abstract, it should be no shorter than 250 words.

Please prepare your paper or abstract for anonymous review, and attach a separate document with the paper title, author name, and contact information.

Prospective presenters are asked to email their proposals to Daniel Brunson at danieljamesbrunson @ gmail.com by May 27th, 2016.
Notification regarding submission status will be made by June 1st, 2016.

Posted May 23rd, 2016

Royce Library Recovery Project

The Royce Library Recovery Project seeks to provide the scholarly community with an unprecedented glimpse into the personal library of Josiah Royce. Based upon recent archival research, I have discovered leads for recovering more than 40% (i.e. 385 volumes) of an estimated 934 volumes that formerly belonged to Royce prior to being donated to Harvard College Library.

This website serves the purpose of raising funding to facilitate archival and library research that will reclaim significant portions of Royce’s personal library. By giving to the Royce Library Recovery Project your support will help fund research that will make an important contribution to the Royce community by making available texts and marginalia that will deepen our understanding of Royce’s life and work. To learn more about this project and its principal researcher, please browse before going to the Donation Page.

Thank you for your interest and support.

Sincerely,
Dr. Ermine L. Algaier IV


Posted May 21st, 2016


Posted March 30th, 2016

email <webmaster@roycesociety.org> | updated 7 september 2011