History of FISP

To better appreciate the creation and development of the International Federation of Philosophical Societies (whose acronym FISP reflects its original name in French), it is helpful to consider certain general features of philosophical work during the last century: philosophical work became increasingly communitarian and professional, giving rise to a growing number of philosophical associations and the promotion of a great quantity of philosophical congresses.

Already in ancient Greece, philosophy was a communitarian effort, stimulated by open debates and developed within famous schools that were actual communities of persons. The same can be said of medieval philosophy, whose doctrines were elaborated mainly in universities. With the Renaissance and the birth of "modern" philosophy, however, creative philosophers became individual thinkers, and the freedom of thought characteristic of modern individualism implied independence from any school. The Romantic period further reinforced the image of the philosopher as a lonely creative intellectual.

In the course of the nineteenth century, the fact that philosophers were normally university professors gradually led to a professionalisation of philosophy. Philosophy acquired an academic status modeled on the natural sciences, with research, teaching, and the judgment of peers as its fundamental practices. This eventually produced the appearance of two forms of communitarian interplay: associations and congresses, both implying personal participation of philosophers from across the world.

The first International Congress of Philosophy took place in Paris in 1900, on the occasion of the Universal Exhibition, just days after the International Congress of Mathematics. Among its participants were Bergson, Blondel, Boutroux, Brunschwicg, Couturat, Lalande, Natorp, Poincaré, Russell, Simmel, and Vaihinger. It was on this occasion that Russell first met Peano, an event that decisively shaped his approach to the philosophy of mathematics.

Subsequent congresses took place in Geneva (1904), Heidelberg (1908), Bologna (1911), Naples (1924), Cambridge Mass. (1926), Oxford (1930), Prague (1934), and Paris (1937). After the Second World War the series resumed with a quinquennial rhythm: Amsterdam (1948), Brussels (1953), Venice (1958), Mexico (1963), Vienna (1968), Varna (1973), Düsseldorf (1978), Montreal (1983), Brighton (1988), Moscow (1993), Boston (1998), and Istanbul (2003), continuing to the present day.

The concrete organisation of an international congress of philosophy was normally taken up by a national philosophical society, but a supranational responsibility was needed. In the early twentieth century an informal Permanent Committee of International Philosophical Congresses was created. With the foundation of FISP, the promotion and supervision of these congresses became its most significant task.

Among the institutional structures of philosophical life, the first to be constituted were the philosophical societies — mostly but not exclusively of a national character. Some are very old, though the majority are rather recent, and several arose only after pre-existing regional or sectorial philosophical associations.

Examples include the Australasian Association of Philosophy (1923), the Philosophische Gesellschaft Wien (1954), the Société Philosophique de Bruxelles (1980), and many others across every continent. The proliferation of these societies, each with its own publications and meetings, made evident the need for an international body to coordinate their activities and represent them on a global stage.

FISP was founded in 1948, on the occasion of the Tenth International Congress of Philosophy held in Amsterdam. Its founding answered the long-felt need for a permanent international institution capable of representing philosophical societies, organising the World Congresses, and promoting cooperation between philosophers across borders.

The Federation operates through a General Assembly, a Steering Committee, the President, and the Bureau. Its Statutes — adopted in Amsterdam in 1948 and successively modified — define its aims, its membership categories, and the procedures by which it conducts its work.

Over the decades, FISP has steadily expanded both its membership and the scope of its activities. From an initial focus on the World Congresses, it has grown to support a network of consultative committees addressing teaching philosophy, bioethics, human rights, gender issues, intercultural research, the history of philosophy, aesthetics, and communications.

Today FISP is recognised by UNESCO and works closely with the Conseil International de Philosophie et des Sciences Humaines (CIPSH). Its membership comprises national philosophical societies, international specialised societies, and affiliated organisations from every region of the world, making it the most representative organisation of the global philosophical community.