The Archiv für Geschichte der Philosophie has enjoyed a distinguished history since its inception in 1888. Founded by Ludwig Stein, the Archiv was created to provide an international forum for discussion of the history of western philosophy. Insisting on meticulous scholarship and precise argumentation, the journal emphasized the need to understand historical texts in their philosophical and social contexts.
Many of the most prominent names in philosophy at the turn of the century appeared in the Archiv's pages. During his over forty years as editor-in-chief, Stein was assisted by such luminaries as Eduard Zeller, Wilhelm Dilthey, Ernst Cassirer, Alexandre Koyré,and Heinrich Rickert. Contributors included scholars such as Paul Natorp, Charles Adam, Paul Tannery, and Alessandro Chiapelli.
After changing publishers in 1926, the journal, renamed Archiv für Geschichte der Philosophie und Soziologie, began to publish work on the history of sociology as well. This was to be short-lived. When Arthur Stein, Ludwig Stein's son, took over the editorship in 1930, he returned the journal to its original name and mission. Yet when the journal became subject to restrictions under the National Socialist government, Stein decided to suspend publication rather than taint the journal's history and reputation.
After lying dormant for twenty-seven years, the journal was refounded by Paul Wilpert in 1960. Committed to fostering scholarly exchange between Europe and the United States, the new Archiv reserved one editorship for an American. The journal has become the leading international journal in the history of philosophy, publishing papers by renowned scholars.
The Archiv's list of prominent contributors include C.I. Gerhardt, Paul Barth, Carl Stumpf, T. J. De Boer, Camille Bos, Arthur Lovejoy, Wilhelm Max Wundt, Émile Bréhier, C. M. Gillespie, Jean Wahl, Carl Gebhardt, Nicholas Rescher, Martial Gueroult, A.C. Lloyd, Jules Vuillemin, Claude Imbert, Maurice de Gandillac, Jonathan Barnes, Anthony A. Long, Charles H. Kahn, Gisela Striker, Karl Bärthlein, Robert M. Adams, Michael Frede, Margaret Dauler Wilson, John M. Cooper, Yvon Belaval, Gail Fine, Louis E. Loeb, Desmond M. Clarke, Martha Nussbaum, Daniel Garber, Nicholas Jolley, Jean-Marie Beyssade, Rolf-Peter Horstmann, Norman Kretzmann, Kenneth Winkler, and Karl Ameriks..