Natural Philosophy Alliance
| Abbreviation | NPA |
|---|---|
| Successor | John Chappell Natural Philosophy Society |
| Formation | 1994 |
| Founders | John E. Chappell Jr., Neil E. Munch, and others |
| Founded at | United States |
| Dissolved | c. 2014 (effectively defunct) |
| Type | Nonprofit scientific organization |
| Legal status | Largely inactive |
| Purpose | A forum for scientists and independent researchers critical of mainstream physics and cosmology — especially Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity |
| Headquarters | United States |
Membership | 400+ international members at its peak (40–60 active at annual meetings) |
First president | John E. Chappell Jr. (1994–2002) |
Key people | Francisco Muller; Domina Eberle Spencer (past presidents) |
| Publication | Proceedings of the Natural Philosophy Alliance; quarterly newsletter |
| Website | worldnpa.org |
The Natural Philosophy Alliance (NPA) was a nonprofit scientific organization founded in 1994 by Dr. John E. Chappell Jr., Neil E. Munch, and others to create a forum friendly to the critical examination of mainstream physics and cosmology — in particular, criticism of Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity. Its first president, John Chappell of California, organized conferences and debates, wrote newsletters, and kept the spirit of critical thinking alive through the 1990s and 2000s. At its height the NPA's international membership numbered more than 400 scientists and independent researchers, who met to discuss alternative concepts and models in physics at conferences in the United States and abroad.
History
After the death of John Chappell in 2002, the NPA continued under a series of presidents — including Francisco Muller and Dr. Domina Eberle Spencer — and maintained a core membership of roughly 40 to 60 people who gathered at its annual meetings. The organization published the Proceedings of the Natural Philosophy Alliance and a regular newsletter, and it fostered close ties with kindred dissident-science journals such as Galilean Electrodynamics and Apeiron.
The 2013 split
In 2013, under new directorship, the NPA membership voted overwhelmingly for the president and secretary to step down. Citing the organization's bylaws, the directors refused to do so. In the dispute that followed, some 97% of the membership left and, in 2014, formed a new organization, the John Chappell Natural Philosophy Society (CNPS), named in honor of the NPA's founder.
After the split, the NPA held a single conference in 2014, but with almost no remaining members it has since all but ceased to function. It remains the nominal owner of the worldnpa.org website.
Links
- www.worldnpa.org — Official NPA website
- www.naturalphilosophy.org — Website of the John Chappell Natural Philosophy Society, formed by former NPA members