The Philosophy journal centenary in 2026 marks 100 years since its first issue appeared in January 1926 under the title Journal of Philosophical Studies, according to the Royal Institute of Philosophy’s timeline. The quarterly is published with Cambridge University Press, and its April 2026 centenary issue brings together eight essays.
That issue revisits Bernard Williams’s account of philosophy as a humanistic discipline. Alongside it, the Institute is releasing a curated selection of 100 papers from its journals every four weeks. Individual subscriptions run from £10 to £40 a year, so you can follow the anniversary without spending much.
Key Takeaways
- The April 2026 centenary issue of Philosophy brings together eight essays, five commissioned for the anniversary and three selected from open submissions, so you can follow the journal’s history in a single sitting.
- Bernard Williams’s essay ‘Philosophy as a Humanistic Discipline’ anchors the centenary issue, so you should read it first and then check how the newer essays answer its question about what philosophy is for.
- The Royal Institute of Philosophy releases a curated selection of 100 papers, chosen by President Jo Wolff, every four weeks, so you can read the series at a steady, measured pace.
- Individual subscriptions to Philosophy cost £40 a year for print and online, £10 a year for unwaged readers taking print and online, and £30 a year for online-only access, so you can choose the format that suits your budget.
Philosophy Journal Marks 100 Years With a Centenary Issue
The April 2026 centenary issue of Philosophy is built around a look back at the journal’s own history. Of its eight essays, five were commissioned for the occasion and three were selected from submissions, as the editorial introducing the issue explains. You will find invited pieces written with the anniversary in mind, alongside work chosen from open submissions.
The issue’s anchor is Bernard Williams’s essay “Philosophy as a Humanistic Discipline,” which appeared in the journal 25 years earlier. Returning to it shows how Philosophy has long held that philosophy should speak to ordinary human concerns, not only to specialists. Williams’s essay gives the centenary contributions a shared reference point, so each one can be read as a response to the question of what philosophy is for.
From a 1926 Opening Editorial to Public Debate
The British Institute of Philosophical Studies was formally established on 6 April 1925. Its lectures drew members to London, which left out anyone who lived further away. The first issue of the journal appeared in January 1926 as the Journal of Philosophical Studies, and its opening editorial justified the new publication by pointing out that many members lived outside London or abroad and could not attend the lectures.
For those readers, the journal was a way to join the discussion without a train ticket. The title changed to Philosophy in 1931, but the purpose stayed the same. The Institute’s stated mission still includes reaching people beyond its lecture audience, so the public-facing aim of that first editorial remains part of the journal’s work today. Reading the 1926 pages now, you can see a publication founded on the belief that philosophy should not stay within one room.
How Access and Publishing Have Changed Over a Century
The biggest change in how the journal reaches readers has been digital. Cambridge University Press reports that more than 10,000 articles across Philosophy, Think and the Institute’s Supplements have been digitised and published, and that downloads have passed one million. The Royal Institute of Philosophy and Cambridge University Press have published all three together since 1975, so the archive builds on a long partnership.
For a reader far from London, the practical effect is that a 1926 argument and a 2026 essay can be searched from the same screen. Someone who once waited weeks for a printed issue can now browse the back catalogue at any hour.
Today the journal appears four times a year. Its print edition carries ISSN 0031-8191 and its online edition carries ISSN 1469-817X, and those numbers help when you cite the journal or look for it in library catalogues. The contributor guidance asks writers to avoid needless technicality, since the journal is meant for specialists and informed general readers alike. That balance is part of why its archive stays readable beyond the seminar room.
Subscription Tiers and the Centenary Paper Collection
The January 2026 issue, Volume 101, Issue 1, became available online on 6 July 2026, according to the Institute’s news page. It includes Heather Widdows’s 2022 Edinburgh City Lecture and Alice Crary’s 2025 Dublin City Lecture, so you can read two recent lectures in a single issue.
Individual subscriptions are priced per year, and each one covers four issues. The listed rates are £40 for print and online, £10 for unwaged readers taking print and online, and £30 for online-only access. Choose the format that fits how you read, whether that is a printed copy on your desk or the archive on your phone.
The anniversary programme also gives you a second route in. The Institute has selected 100 curated papers from its journals, chosen by President Jo Wolff, and releases them every four weeks. Because the collection arrives in steady instalments, you can read at a measured pace rather than working through a large batch at once.
What the Centenary Means for Philosophy Publishing Next
The centenary collection is released in batches, with a new set of curated papers appearing every four weeks. Each release adds to the 100 papers selected by Institute President Jo Wolff, so you can follow the series at a steady pace. The shift from print circulation to a digital archive also changes who can read philosophy and when. A reader outside London no longer has to wait for a printed issue to arrive. For new releases, watch the Institute’s centenary pages and its news section.
Following the Centenary Releases Through the Year
Start with the April 2026 centenary issue if you want the anniversary in one sitting. Read Bernard Williams’s “Philosophy as a Humanistic Discipline” first, then the newer essays, and note which ones answer his question about what philosophy is for. Next, mark every four weeks on your calendar, because that is when Jo Wolff’s curated papers arrive. Pick the first one, read it at your desk or on your commute, and write down one question it raises for you. When the next paper appears, bring that question with you and see how the two pieces handle it. By the time you reach the latest paper, you will have followed the centenary from its first essay onward.
