Introduction

As the world finds itself mired in social and ecological crises in the opening decades of the 21st century, it is interesting to consider how philosophers responded to the challenges at the start of the last century. For instance, consider the presidential addresses of the American Philosophical Association (APA) of the 1930s (1931–1940). ¹ While grappling with the diverse philosophical themes represented in the thirty-odd addresses, it is worth reflecting on the dramatic events unfolding during the tumultuous decade. ² At the beginning of the 1930s, the world was sinking into the depths of the Great Depression, with a full quarter of all wage-earners in America unemployed. And by the end of the decade, virulent nationalist movements in Germany, Italy, and Japan had provoked the Second World War. Juxtaposing these crises with the addresses of the presidents of the APA is as revelatory for what was said as what was not.