April 2026
Livestream Day 1 - Wednesday, April 22, 2026
Livestream Day 2 - Thursday, April 23, 2026
Livestream Day 3 - Friday, April 24, 2026
Meetings of the American Philosophical Society are held each April and November for elected Members, their families, and distinguished guests. Public Livestream Link will be made available closer to the date of the Meeting and will be posted here.
This schedule is tentative and subject to change.
Wednesday, April 22, 2026
10:00 a.m
Philosophical Hall, 2nd Floor
ORIENTATION FOR MEMBERS ATTENDING THEIR FIRST MEETING
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1:00 p.m.
Benjamin Franklin Hall
OPENING REMARKS
Roger S. Bagnall, President
INDUCTION OF MEMBERS ATTENDING THEIR FIRST MEETING*
*New Members will be inducted at the start of each Meeting session
NECROLOGY
Jacqueline K. Barton
Vice President, in the Chair
PROMOTING KNOWLEDGE FROM LEARNED SOCIETIES ACROSS THE WORLD
Sir Paul Nurse, OM CH FRS
President
The Royal Society, London
Honorary Life President and Principal Group Leader
Francis Crick Institute
DARWINISM AND THE MAKING OF MODERN MEXICO
Rosaura Ruiz Gutiérrez
Head of the Ministry of Science, Humanities, Technology, and Innovation
Government of Mexico
____________________
INTERMISSION
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SCIENCE IN THE ERA OF AI: AN EVOLUTIONARY PERSPECTIVE
James C. Liao
President of Academia Sinica, Taiwan
Distinguished Professor Emeritus
University of California, Los Angeles
SCIENCE BEFORE AND AFTER THE RUPTURE
Sudip Parikh
Chief Executive Officer
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Executive Publisher
Science Magazine
LEARNING ACROSS BORDERS:
LEARNED SOCIETIES AND INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE SYMPOSIUM
A panel conversation moderated by Jacqueline K. Barton, Vice President
RECOGNITION OF MEMBER TENURE ANNIVERSARIES
4:00 p.m.
Philosophical Hall
Museum Gallery Open for Viewing until 5:00 p.m.
4:30 p.m.
Philosophical Hall, 2nd Floor
Stated Meeting of the Society’s Council
4:45 p.m.
Benjamin Franklin Hall
Shuttle Bus to the National Constitution Center
*Buses will make continuous loops for drop-offs and pick-ups until 8:00 p.m.
5:00 p.m.
National Constitution Center
Private Viewing of National Constitution Center Exhibitions
Freedom Rising Theater Show
Civil War and Reconstruction: The Battle for Freedom & Equality Exhibition
6:00 p.m.
National Constitution Center
Cocktail Reception and Light Supper
7:30 p.m.
National Constitution Center
Shuttle Bus Return to Benjamin Franklin Hall / Chestnut St.
*Buses will make continuous loops for drop-offs and pick-ups until 8:00 p.m.
8:00 p.m.
Hotel Monaco – Copenhagen Room, Lower Level
Nightcap Mingle with APS Members, Friends & Staff
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Thursday, April 23, 2026
7:30 a.m.
Benjamin Franklin Hall
Breakfast
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9:00 a.m.
Benjamin Franklin Hall
Roger S. Bagnall, President
INDUCTION OF NEW MEMBERS
REPORT ON THE STATE OF THE SOCIETY
Patrick Spero, Chief Executive Officer
Nina G. Jablonski
Vice President, in the Chair
THOMAS JEFFERSON AND THE DECLARATION
Annette Gordon-Reed
Carl M. Loeb University Professor and Professor of History
Harvard University
A COMPLICATED HERITAGE: ELIZABETH CADY STANTON AND THE 1848
‘DECLARATION OF SENTIMENTS’
Lori Ginzberg
Professor Emeritus of History and Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies
Penn State University
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INTERMISSION
____________________
THE POWER & SIGNIFICANCE OF FREDERICK DOUGLASS’ JULY 4TH SPEECH
David Blight
Sterling Professor of History and Black Studies
Yale University
LINCOLN AND THE DECLARATION
Allen C. Guelzo
Professor of Humanities
The Hamilton School of Classical and Civic Education
University of Florida
ROUNDTABLE PANEL DISCUSSION
A conversation moderated by Nina G. Jablonski, Vice President
____________________
LUNCHEON
Benjamin Franklin Hall
____________________
1:00 p.m.
Benjamin Franklin Hall
Harvey V. Fineberg
Vice President, in the Chair
A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE ON THE HEALTH OF DEMOCRACIES
Thomas Carothers
Director, Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program
Harvey V. Fineberg Chair for Democracy Studies
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
ANGRY POPULIST POLITICS: WHY IS IT HAPPENING AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT
Ian Shapiro
Sterling Professor of Political Science and Global Affairs
Yale University
WE THE PEOPLE 250 YEARS LATER:
A NATIONAL CONVERSATION ON FREEDOM AND EQUALITY
Scott Rasmussen
President Founder
RMG Research Napolitan Institute
Spencer Baim
Head of Brand, Creative, and Marketing
Jigsaw
APS AWARDS CEREMONY
Benjamin Franklin Hall
KARL SPENCER LASHLEY AWARD
Gilles Laurent
Director
Max Planck Institute for Brain Research
HENRY ALLEN MOE PRIZE IN THE HUMANITIES
Glory Liu
Provost’s Distinguished Faculty Fellow
Assistant Professor, Department of Government
Georgetown University
____________________
INTERMISSION
____________________
3:25 p.m.
Benjamin Franklin Hall
A CONVERSATION WITH CHARLES SHADLE
Ellen T. Harris, Member, in the Chair
Professor Emeritus of Music
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Charles Shadle
Senior Lecturer, Composition & Theory, and Music History
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
CONCERT
Wheelock Variations
By Charles Shadle
Alex Lassa, Guitar
Chahta Aiasha (Choctaw Places)
By Charles Shadle
Christopher Correa, Oboe, French Horn
Blake Espy, Violin
Ren Martin-Doike, Viola
Vincent Garcia-Hettinger, Cello
Immediately Following the Concert
Philosophical Hall, 2nd Floor
STATED MEMBERS’ BUSINESS MEETING
Museum Gallery Open until 6:00 p.m.
6:00 p.m.
Benjamin Franklin Hall
Cocktail Reception and Dinner Buffet
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Friday, April 24, 2026
7:30 a.m.
Benjamin Franklin Hall
Breakfast
____________________
9:00 a.m.
Benjamin Franklin Hall
Roger S. Bagnall, President
INDUCTION OF NEW MEMBERS
HENRY M. PHILLIPS PRIZE
Guido Calabresi
Judge
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
Harvey V. Fineberg
Vice President, in the Chair
WILL AMERICA’S CONSTITUTIONAL DEMOCRACY SURVIVE?
Rogers M. Smith
Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Political Science
University of Pennsylvania
John C. Yoo
Senior Research Fellow Emanuel S. Heller Professor of Law
School of Civic Leadership University of California at Berkeley
Civitas Institute Nonresident Senior Fellow
University of Texas at Austin American Enterprise Institute
THOMAS JEFFERSON MEDAL FOR DISTINGUISHED ACHIEVEMENT IN THE ARTS, HUMANITIES, AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
Robert D. Putnam
Peter and Isabel Malkin Professor of Public Policy
Harvard University
____________________
INTERMISSION
____________________
INTERPRETING THE REVOLUTION IN 2026
Cynthia MacLeod
Retired Superintendent of Independence National Historical Park
National Park Service
R. Scott Stephenson
President and CEO
Museum of the American Revolution
____________________
Nina G. Jablonski
Vice President, in the Chair
THE ‘RE-DECLARATION’ PROJECT
Johanna Drucker
Distinguished Professor and Breslauer Professor Emerita, Department of Information Studies
University of California, Los Angeles
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LUNCHEON
Benjamin Franklin Hall
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READING ROOM OPEN HOUSE & CONVERSATION IN LIBRARY HALL
David J. Gary
Associate Director of Collections, American Philosophical Society
Bus Departures to Philadelphia International Airport:
1:00 p.m. & 3:00 p.m.
In front of Benjamin Franklin Hall on Chestnut St.
*Please note the agenda and schedule are subject to change. Current as of 4/11/26*