Planning, history, and departmental review records for the UC Davis Department of Philosophy.

Philosophy teaching at Davis took root in 1952, while the campus was still known as College of Agriculture at Davis. Appointed to lead the newly formed Department of Philosophy and Fine Arts, Arthur Child was the only philosopher for 31 undergraduate students. Five years later William Bossart became the second faculty member, leading to separate status as the Department of Philosophy in 1958, and establishment of a major program in 1959, when the campus was designated the University of California, Davis. The faculty grew further with the addition of Neal Gilbert, Ronald Arbini, Marjorie Grene and John Malcolm in the 1960s. Professors Child and Gilbert established the foundation of an outstanding collection of philosophy books and journals in both the Shields and the Department of Philosophy libraries, according to a historical account that Malcolm, as a professor emeritus, prepared in 1999.

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Collection is open for research.