Spring General Meeting
Nancy J. Nersessian

The American Philosophical Society awarded the inaugural Patrick Suppes Prize in Philosophy to Dr. Nancy J. Nersessian in recognition of her book Creating Scientific Concepts. The award was presented by Patrick Suppes, Lucie Stern Professor of Philosophy Emeritus at Stanford University.

In 2005 Patrick Suppes, a member of this Society since 1991, established and funded a set of prizes to honor accomplishments in three very different and deeply significant scholarly fields that reflect the spectacular scope of his own interests.  The Patrick Suppes Prize will be awarded annually, with a cycle of three years rotating each of the three subject matter areas – a prize in Philosophy with special consideration for the Philosophy of Science, a prize in Psychology, and a prize in the History of Science.

Nancy Nersessian is the Regents’ Professor and Professor of Cognitive Science at Georgia Institute of Technology.  She received her Ph.D. in Philosophy from Case Western Reserve University. Her research focuses on creativity, innovation, and conceptual change in science.  To this end, she works to bring together methodologies and conceptual frameworks from cognitive science, philosophy of science, and history of science, exploring both the cognitive and cultural mechanisms that lead up to scientific innovation.

In her first book, Faraday to Einstein: Constructing Meaning in Scientific Theories (1984), she emphasized the need for a better way to talk about the meaning of scientific concepts, but did not take the step of introducing systematic ideas from cognitive science and developmental psychology to go deeper into the nature of conceptual change.  This she has done in her 2008 book, Creating Scientific Concepts.  Her analysis in this book of the complicated process Maxwell went through in finally moving away from a mechanical conception of electromagnetic phenomena to the discovery of his fundamental electromagnetic equations is probably the best work of this kind to be found in the recent literature.  Dr. Nersessian’s work in this field draws from an incredible array of sources, from concepts and analyses in cognitive science to the extensive body of literature on scientific practices available in the social science field, and from her own theoretical analysis of problems to empirical data including historical documents and interviews with scholars.

The selection of the recipient was made by Pat Suppes in consultation with Jordi Cat, professor of philosophy of science at Indiana University; Thomas Ryckman, professor of philosophy of science at Stanford University; Michael Friedman, professor of philosophy of science at Stanford University; Helen Longino, a well-known philosopher of science and current chairman of the department at Stanford; George Smith, professor of philosophy at Tufts University; and Nancy Cartwright, professor of philosophy at the London School of Economics.

Spring General Meeting
William L. Harper

The American Philosophical Society is pleased to announce the recipient of the 2014 Patrick Suppes Prize in Philosophy of Science is William L. Harper in recognition of his book Isaac Newton's Scientific Method: Turning Data into Evidence about Gravity and Cosmology published in 2012 by Oxford University Press. William L. Harper is Professor Emeritus at the University of Western Ontario, where he has taught since 1970. From 2002 to 2005 he served as President of the Canadian Society for History and Philosophy of Science. The prize was awarded to Professor Harper at the American Philosophical Society’s annual Spring Meeting in Philadelphia on April 25, 2014.

The unique and important contribution to the study of Newton’s work by Harper is the emphasis on the rich interaction between theory and data used by Newton. Harper emphasizes that Newton’s gravitational theory did not simply lead to more accurate predictions than those of Kepler, Ptolemy, and others. In the hands of Newton, what came to the fore was a continual interaction between new data and new theoretical estimation of parameters based on the new data. This method led to an increasingly accurate theory of the motion of the solar system. The thoroughness of Newton’s work has perhaps never been so philosophically appreciated as in Harper’s book. It is a triumph of quantitative analysis moving back and forth from theory to data. It is hard to think of another example in the philosophy of science that matches the wealth of detail and results given by Harper, and is certainly the case that modern mathematical statistical methods have never before been so thoroughly applied to Newton’s celestial mechanics and the data supporting it.

The Patrick Suppes Prize honors accomplishments in three very different and deeply significant scholarly fields, with the prize rotating each year between philosophy of science, psychology, and history of science. The Patrick Suppes Prize in Philosophy of Science is awarded for an outstanding book in philosophy of science appearing within the preceding six years.

Chaired by Patrick Suppes, the selection committee members were all senior philosophers of science: Jeffrey Barrett, University of California, Irvine; Nancy Cartwright, Durham University; John Dupre, University of Exeter; Arthur Fine, University of Washington; Maria Carla Galavotti, University of Bologna; Stephan Hartmann, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München; Helen Longino, Stanford University; Elliott Sober, University of Wisconsin; Bas vas Fraassen, Princeton University; and Michael Weisberg, University of Pennsylvania.

Spring General Meeting
Cass R. Sunstein

The 2007 recipient of the American Philosophical Society's Henry M. Phillips Prize in Jurisprudence is awarded to Cass R. Sunstein. The prize citation reads, "In recognition of his intellectual leadership in Constitutional Law and Political Science, including in particular his profound research and writing demonstrating the complex interplay between jurisprudential constructs and the day by day resolution of legal conflicts." In a recent illustrative article, he demonstrates how judges who embraced the judicial philosophy known as legal realism applied that philosophy in their review of day by day rule making by administrative agencies under the so-called Chevron doctrine.

Cass R. Sunstein is the Karl N. Lllewellyn Distinguished Professor of Jurisprudence at the University of Chicago Law School and in the Department of Political Science at the University of Chicago. He is a graduate of Harvard College and its Law School, magna cum laude. He is the author of more than 25 books and of an impressively large number of articles and essays. His books include After the Rights Revolution: Reconceiving the Regulatory State (1990), Constitutional Law, with Geoffrey Stone, Louis M. Seidman, and Mark Tushnet (1995), The Partial Constitution (1993), Democracy and the Problem of Free Speech (1993), Legal Reasoning and Political Conflict (1996), Free Markets and Social Justice (1997), Administrative Law and Regulatory Policy, with Justice Stephen Breyer, Professor Richard Stewart and Matthew Spitzer (1998), One Case At A Time (1999), Designing Democracy: What Constitutions Do (2001), Republic.com (2001), Risk and Reason (2002), The Cost-Benefit State (2002), Punitive Damages: How Juries Decide (2002), Why Societies Need Dissent (2003), The Second Bill of Rights (2004), and Laws of Fear: Beyond the Precautionary Principle (2005).

The Henry M. Phillips Prize recognizes outstanding lifetime contributions to the field of jurisprudence and the important publications which illustrate that accomplishment. It was established in 1888 by a gift from his sister to be used as an award to honor "real merit on the science and philosophy of jurisprudence."

The selection committee consisted of chairman Ellen Ash Peters, Judge Trial Referee and former Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court; Guido Calabresi, Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and former Dean of Yale University Law School; William T. Coleman, Jr., Senior Partner & The Senior Counselor at O'Melveny & Myers; Herma Hill Kay, Barbara Nachtrieb Armstrong Professor of Law at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law; and Louis H. Pollak, Judge of the United States District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Spring General Meeting
Martha Craven Nussbaum

The American Philosophical Society awarded the 2009 Henry M. Phillips Prize in Jurisprudence to Martha Craven Nussbaum. The citation read “in recognition of her intellectual leadership in philosophy, law and religion, including in particular her development and application of a "capabilities approach" to justice in a variety of contexts including women's rights in developing countries and worldwide, rights of the disabled and the impaired, and rights of animal species.” The award was presented by Ellen Ash Peters, Judge Trial Referee of the Connecticut Appellate Court and Former Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court, and a member of the Henry M. Phillips Prize selection committee.

The Henry M. Phillips Prize recognizes outstanding lifetime contributions to the field of jurisprudence and the important publications which illustrate that accomplishment. It was established in 1888 by a gift from his sister to be used as an award to honor "real merit on the science and philosophy of jurisprudence."

Martha Nussbaum is the Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Ethics in the Law School, the Philosophy Department, and the Divinity School at the University of Chicago. She received her Ph.D. at Harvard University, and has taught at Harvard, Brown, and Oxford Universities. In the past thirty years, Professor Nussbaum has published fourteen books – four have won national prizes – and edited thirteen others. She has explored such diverse themes as the vulnerability of human development (The Fragility of Goodness, 1986); the breadth of the concept of social justice (Sex and Social Justice, 1999); the proposition that development goals must take account of human capabilities (Women and Human Development, 2000), and most recently, the distinctively American tradition of religious equality ( Liberty of Conscience, 2008). Although she shows no signs of slowing down – she currently holds contracts for at least three other books – she has established herself as one of the most influential and distinguished scholars of her generation.

The selection committee consisted of Herma Hill Kay (chairman), Barbara Nachtrieb Armstrong Professor of Law and Former Dean of the School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley; William T. Coleman, Jr., Senior Partner & The Senior Counselor at O'Melveny & Myers; Ellen Ash Peters, Judge Trial Referee of the Connecticut Appellate Court and former Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court; and Louis Pollak, Judge, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Spring General Meeting
Jeremy James Waldron

The American Philosophical Society awarded the 2011 Henry M. Phillips Prize in Jurisprudence to Jeremy James Waldron. The citation read “in recognition his intellectual leadership in political theory and legal philosophy, including in particular his exploration of such diverse themes as the nature and limits of rights supporting the institution of private property, a jurisprudence of legislation, and a defense of the equality of human beings developed out of Locke’s Christian-based theories of equality, which has brought him recognition as one of the world’s leading legal and political philosophers of his generation.” The award was presented by the Society's Executive Officer, Mary Patterson McPherson, President Emerita, Bryn Mawr College.

The Henry M. Phillips Prize recognizes outstanding lifetime contributions to the field of jurisprudence and the important publications which illustrate that accomplishment. It was established in 1888 by a gift from his sister to be used as an award to honor "real merit on the science and philosophy of jurisprudence."

Dr. Waldron is University Professor of Law and Philosophy at the New York University School of Law, and the Chichele Professor in Social and Political Theory at Oxford University.  Waldron works in the fields of political theory and legal philosophy, and his output has been prodigious.  He has explored such diverse themes as the nature and limits of rights-based arguments in support of the institution of private property (The Right to Private Property); the case for legislation as a “dignified mode of governance and a respectable source of law” (The Dignity of Legislation); a jurisprudence of legislation  (Law and Disagreement); and a defense of the equality of human beings developed out of Locke’s Christian-based theories of equality, with modern implications (God, Locke, and Equality).

The Phillips Prize Selection Committee consisted of chair Herma Hill Kay, the Barbara Nachtrieb Armstrong Professor of Law and Former Dean of the School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley; William T. Coleman, Jr., Senior Partner and Senior Counselor at O’Melveny & Myers; Ellen Ash Peters, Judge Trial Referee of the Connecticut Appellate Court and former Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court; and Louis Pollak, Judge, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Autumn General Meeting
Laurence H. Tribe

The 2013 recipient of the American Philosophical Society’s Henry M. Phillips Prize in Jurisprudence is Laurence H. Tribe. The award citation reads "in recognition of his contributions to understanding the United States Constitution and the role of the Supreme Court in its interpretation; in particular his insightful analyses of Constitutional theory including his critique of a literal approach to the text of the document, exploring instead the "dark matter" of values and concepts that compose the invisible constitution, thus giving meaning to the written text, resulting in the masterful synthesis presented in his authoritative treatise, American Constitutional Law."

Laurence Tribe is currently Carl M. Loeb University Professor and Professor of Constitutional Law at Harvard Law School. A distinguished legal scholar and world-renowned professor of constitutional law, he has argued many cases before the Supreme Court of the United States – including the historic Bush v. Gore case in 2000 on behalf of presidential candidate Al Gore – and he has testified frequently before Congress on a broad range of constitutional issues. He has prevailed in three-fifths of the many appellate cases he has argued (including 35 in the U.S. Supreme Court). Tribe was appointed in 2010 by President Obama and Attorney General Holder to serve as the first Senior Counselor for Access to Justice. He helped write the constitutions of South Africa, the Czech Republic, and the Marshall Islands. He has written 115 books and articles, including his treatise, American Constitutional Law, cited more than any other legal text since 1950. Among his most acclaimed books are The Invisible Constitution: Inalienable Rights (2008), a powerful account of constitutional interpretation that goes beyond the words of the text to explore the unwritten values and concepts that give it meaning; God Save This Honorable Court: How the Choice of Justices Shape Our History (1985), a critique of judicial restraint which argues that adherence to the constitutional text abdicates judicial responsibility; Constitutional Choices (1986), an appraisal of the Supreme Court’s approach to "balancing of costs and benefits" in cases involving issues of governmental authority and individual rights and advancing the claim that this approach ignores the historic role entrusted to the Court by the Constitution; and Abortion: The Clash of Absolutes (1992), a challenge to the inevitability of permanent conflict on the policy of abortion which tries "to lay the groundwork for moving on" by examining the competing interests of the woman and the unborn children as well as the strengths and weaknesses on both sides of the argument as well as assessing the role judges should play in umpiring the political struggles over these issues. He was elected a member of the American Philosophical Society in 2010.

The Henry M. Phillips Prize in Jurisprudence was established by a gift in 1888 from Emily Phillips of Philadelphia in memory of her brother who had been a member of the Society since 1871. During the first century of the prize it was awarded for the best essay of real merit on the science and philosophy of jurisprudence. From 1986 to 1997, this award recognized the most important publication in the field within a five-year period. In 1999, the criteria for the prize were raised to recognize outstanding lifetime contributions to the field of jurisprudence. In the 125 years since its inception, the Society has bestowed the prize only 25 times.

The selection committee consisted of Herma Hill Kay (chair), Barbara Nachtrieb Armstrong Professor of Law, School of Law, University of California, Berkeley; Geoffrey C. Hazard, Miller Professor of Law, University of California Hastings College of Law, Trustee Professor of Law, University of Pennsylvania Law School, Director Emeritus, American Law Institute; Ellen Ash Peters, Judge Trial Referee, Connecticut Appellate Court, Former Chief Justice, Connecticut Supreme Court; Kathleen Sullivan, Partner, Chair of National Appellate Practice, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan; and David S. Tatel, United States Circuit Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

Spring General Meeting
Patricia M. Wald

The 2007 recipient of the American Philosophical Society's Henry Allen Moe Prize in the Humanities is Patricia M. Wald for her paper "International Criminal Courts: Some Kudos and Concerns." It was presented at the Society's Autumn General Meeting in November 2004 and published in the June 2006 Proceedings.

Patricia M. Wald was Assistant Attorney General for Legislative Affairs in the U.S. Department of Justice from 1977 to 1979. She then presided at the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals for twenty years, serving as the Chief Judge for five years. From 1999 to 2001, she served as a judge at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia at The Hague, a position appointed by the United Nations Secretary-General. It is from that experience that her paper begins. Judge Wald provides a candid yet comprehensive analysis of the complexities of international criminal courts and their attempts to provide a forum to address and prosecute war crimes and crimes against humanity. She describes the development of the varied international courts, the problems that plagued these endeavors, and how the experiences of these previous courts are continually evolving into a more effective process, although one that is still "having a stormy adolescence." The final section of her paper discusses the creation of the new International Criminal Court (ICC), a permanent court that would not need to be reinvented for each new controversy. The United States was initially very much involved in setting up the ICC, but when the Bush administration came on board it withdrew and has adamantly opposed involvement in the court. Judge Wald looks at both sides of the argument and fully details the implications and unfortunate consequences if the United States continues to refuse to participate.

Judge Wald is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Open Society Justice Initiative, for which she was chairman. She recently served on the President's Commission on Intelligence Capabilities, the independent body that examined U.S. intelligence gathering in light of the war in Iraq. She was elected to membership in the American Philosophical Society in 2000.

The Henry Allen Moe Prize in the Humanities is awarded annually to the author of a paper in the humanities or jurisprudence read at a meeting of the Society. It was established in 1982 by a gift from the widow of Henry Allen Moe to honor the longtime head of the Guggenheim Foundation and president of the American Philosophical Society from 1959 to 1970. It pays particular tribute to his firm commitment to the humanities and those who pursue them.

The selection committee consisted of chairman Richard Herr, professor of history emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley, Christopher Jones, George Martin Lane Professor of the Classics and History at Harvard University, and Elfriede R. Knauer, consulting scholar for the Mediterranean Section of the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.