About us
AMINTAPHIL, the American Association of Legal and Social Philosophy, is an interdisciplinary organization dedicated to advancing scholarly work in the philosophy of law, as well as political and social philosophy.
As an interdisciplinary membership organization, AMINTAPHIL is committed to promoting rigorous scholarship in the philosophy of law and political and social philosophy.
AMINTAPHIL holds a discussion meeting every two years, focusing on topics such as Democracy in the 21st Century, Economic Justice, Just War Theory, Human Rights, and Justice in the Global Economy.
1966
First Plenary Conference
The first Plenary Conference took place in St. Louis in 1966, with Iredell Jenkins of the University of Alabama elected as the second President.1965
First meeting
AMINTAPHIL held its first meeting during the AALS Annual Meeting in Chicago in 1965, where Professor Jerome Hall was elected as the first President.1963
Our history
The American Section (AMINTAPHIL) of the International Association for the Philosophy of Law and Social Philosophy (IVR) was founded in 1963 by a group of U.S. and Canadian scholars, including Professors Thomas Cowan of Rutgers University Law School and Gray L. Dorsey of Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. Professor Cowan served as Chairman of the Organizing Committee.
Our purpose
As an interdisciplinary membership organization, AMINTAPHIL is committed to promoting rigorous scholarship in the philosophy of law and political and social philosophy.
Discussion meetings
From its inception, AMINTAPHIL sought to provide a more open and inclusive forum for discussing legal, political, and social ideas than typical academic conferences. Participants are asked to write papers in advance, either on the conference topic or in response to another participant's contribution. Instead of formal presentations, the conferences feature group discussions, which lead to a published volume on the conference topic.
IVR
Membership in AMINTAPHIL also includes membership in the International Association for the Philosophy of Law and Social Philosophy (IVR), which has sections in forty countries.