Leon MacLaren (1910–1994) founded a school in London in 1937 against the backdrop of the Great Depression. Its initial efforts focused on economic justice. As work on economics progressed, the need for deeper insights into the natural laws governing humanity arose in the mind of Leon MacLaren. This led to the study of philosophy. During the late 1950s, philosophy became the School’s central subject and has remained so ever since.

In the early 1960s the School made contact with a leading Indian philosopher. Numerous meetings between Leon MacLaren and Shantananda Saraswati took place over thirty years, in the course of which a system of knowledge evolved. In 1964, The School of Practical Philosophy was established as an independent not-for-profit organization in New York City.

Affiliated schools have been established in more than thirty countries. In a broader sense, these schools are successors of a philosophic tradition that has existed throughout the ages.

In Israel, courses in philosophy have been offered since 2004, and in 2007 a not-for-profit organization was formed called Practical Philosophy. In addition to the continuation of courses in Herzlia Pituach, the Introductory Course will be given in Zichron Ya’akov beginning in the fall of 2008.