The Johns Hopkins Metaphysical Club and Its Impact on the Development of the Philosophy and Methodology of Sciences in the Late 19th-Century United States

This memorandum documents some of the most noteworthy facts concerning the Metaphysical Club meetings, which were presided over by Charles Peirce, at Johns Hopkins University from October 1879 until March 1885. The Club, which started out as a circle consisting of Peirce‘s own students in his logic class, held the total of 43 meetings, with 110 presentations delivered, of which 33 were classified as principal papers. These presentations, as we document in this paper, testify the club‘s impact on the development of the methodology of sciences in the late 19th -century United States. Of particular interest is the close relation of the new and emerging scientific approaches to philosophical, methodological and logical issues discussed by the Club‘s members. This impact, as well as the Club‘s manifestly interdisciplinary approach to research, calls for a comprehensive investigation and evaluation.