University of Chicago. Committee on Social Thought

The University of Chicago's John U. Nef Committee on Social Thought is a Ph.D.-granting interdisciplinary program, founded in 1941 by economic historian John U. Nef. Intellectual inquiry emphasizes fundamental issues in history, philosophy, theology and literature. While the committee falls under the administration of the Division of the Social Sciences, subject areas for research and teaching have no formal limits. Students in the committee select foundational texts in their areas of interest, studying these works intensely and collaboratively before moving on to qualifying examinations and dissertation research.

Founded as the Committee on the Study of Civilization, its name was soon changed to the Committee on Social Thought at the behest of university administration. In its early development, the committee was led by Nef as Executive Secretary. Significantly, Nef also financially underwrote the enterprise. From 1945-1964, he served as the committee's first chairman. Anthropologist Robert Redfield, economist Frank Knight, and university president Robert M. Hutchins were instrumental founders.

The Committee on Social Thought became a distinguished center for interdisciplinary scholarship, attracting some of the world's leading intellectuals. Notable members of the committee have included Hannah Arendt, Saul Bellow, Allan Bloom, John Coetzee, Mircea Eliade, T.S. Eliot, Robert Fogel, François Furet, Leon Kass, Friedrich A. von Hayek, Hans Jonas, Edward Levi, Robert Pippin, A.K. Ramanujan, James M. Redfield, Paul Ricoeur, Harold Rosenberg, Edward Shils, Otto G. von Simson, Mark Strand, Victor Turner, and many more. The committee also hosts visiting faculty and lecturers.

In December 1949, the committee published the first issue of Measure: A Critical Journal. The journal briefly flourished under the editorial leadership of Otto G. von Simson, publishing articles and poetry by some of the most important authors, intellectuals and international leaders of the twentieth century. However, the journal did not find a base audience to support the costs of publication, and folded in 1951.

Nef served as Chairman until 1964, and continued his involvement and support of the committee throughout his life. The committee continues to advance Nef's vision of an elite center of independent, interdisciplinary inquiry into the fundamental issues of society.

In 2008, the committee became the John U. Nef Committee on Social Thought. The naming recognized Nef's leadership in interdisciplinary studies, as well as John and Evelyn Nef's generosity as donors to the University of Chicago.