The humanities, arts, and culture are woven through virtually every Academy program, where artists and humanists add interdisciplinary breadth to projects in science, democracy, and security. However, the Academy also undertakes projects that put humanities, arts, and culture at the forefront, strengthening their practice and highlighting their importance to all aspects of the nation’s thriving intellectual life. These projects call attention to the role the arts and humanities play in enriching the growth and vitality of individuals, communities, and the nation.

Howard Mumford Jones was president of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences from 1944 to 1951. He was instrumental in transforming the Academy into a national organization dedicated to the interdisciplinary analysis of broad-scale intellectual issues.

The Officers of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences are deeply saddened by the death of Steve Jobs, who was elected a Fellow of the Academy in 2000. We celebrate his creativity and courage, his extraordinary innovation, and his insight into the importance of making new technology intuitive and easy to use.

A new book from the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, examines the impact of providing high-quality education to every child in the world between the ages of 6 and 16.

Guest essay in the New York Times by Katherine J. Cramer and Jonathan D. Cohen shares insights from the Academy's Commission on Reimagining Our Economy to help explain the disconnect between positive standard economic indicators and the negative views Americans have of the economy.

Essays offer insight about the Internet of the (near) future- and its implications

The American Academy of Arts and Sciences was founded in 1780, during the American Revolution, to provide guidance to a young nation. Throughout its 241-year history, the Academy’s leadership has seldom issued organizational statements, preferring to have its projects, studies, publications, and convenings present the best available thinking about the topics in question. However, when a situation arises – like climate change – that profoundly threatens the world, a call to action from the Academy’s Board of Directors is appropriate.

This has been an extraordinary year, marked by a historic pandemic, bitter political strife, and unsettling civil unrest, and capped by a presidential election unlike any before. The new administration faces daunting challenges—uniting a deeply divided country, marshaling science and public health expertise to quell the coronavirus pandemic, improving relationships with international allies, striving for racial equity, addressing climate change, and making our economy work for all citizens. Members of the American Academy will play important roles in these efforts, both through public service and through the work of our organization. I believe we are as relevant and important now as at any other mo­ment over the past two hundred and forty years.

In my first months as president of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, I have been thinking a lot about the future–particularly “How can the Academy’s mission and members strengthen democracy?”

Appearing on The Ezra Klein Show, Danielle Allen argues that co-participation and co-ownership of public spaces and public life are vital components of our constitutional democracy.

On May 4, 1780, Massachusetts's legislative body the General Court of Massachusetts approved the Academy's charter by passing an Act incorporating the Academy...

While congressional leaders and policymakers explore the possible expansion of space-based military operations, a technical understanding of what is possible and at what cost remains unclear to many in the debate.

Perceptions of Science in America offers an in-depth examination of the current state of trust in science among Americans. The data paint a picture of a heterogeneous public whose perceptions are dependent on context and values. The report underscores the need for additional studies on the influences on attitudes toward science, as well as how those attitudes impact both personal decisions and public support for evidence-based policy.

Academy projects in Science, Engineering, and Technology seek to strengthen the capacity of science, engineering, and technology to improve the common good. Leveraging the diverse expertise of its members and a wide network of external specialists, the Academy conducts in-depth studies to assess the implications of scientific and technological progress. These studies inform actionable policy recommendations for stakeholders across government, academia, the nonprofit sector, and industry.

Anthony Fothergill (1732–1813) was an Edinburgh-educated physician and natural historian. In 1806, he sent an essay to the Academy entitled “Memoir on the origin & formation of ice-islands, and their dangerous effects in navigation, pointing out a certain and easy method of timely forewarning seamen of their approach even in the darkest night.”

The Academy's Commission on Language Learning makes the case for increasing foreign language learning capacity in a political climate that's increasingly anti-global.

Building a more just society has become a unifying theme for much of the Academy’s work, and we are addressing issues of justice and equality as they relate to our past, present, and future.

Kathryn Palmer examines key findings from the latest Humanities Indicators report, which shows that humanities majors outearn people with no degree, as faculty across the nation make the case for continued funding of the humanities.

In the face of increasing polarization and considerable stress on the American polity, a new issue of Dædalus begins a much-needed public conversation about how individuals and institutions can work together to strengthen democracy and promote the common good.