Kaplan's parents were Joseph J. and Chava (Lerner) Kaplan. Abraham's father was a rabbi. He was raised in Odesa, Ukraine. He became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1930, after immigrating to the country in 1923. In 1937, he graduated in chemistry from the College of St. Thomas. He received a Ph.D. in philosophy 1942 from the University of California, Los Angeles. He was assistant professor at New York University from 1940 to 1945. He then returned to the UCLA Department of Philosophy as assistant professor for the next four years of his life, and associate professor for three years after that. Kaplan became a professor of philosophy in 1952, and stayed there for twelve years. He was also chair of the department for those twelve years, along with two years past that.
His co-authored book with Harold LasswellPower and Society: a framework for political inquiry was published in 1950. His The conduct of inquiry: methodology for behavioral science was published in 1964.
Kaplan was named one of the top ten teachers in the United States in 1966 by Time magazine. He also traveled to India, Israel, and Japan to study their cultures and beliefs.
On November 17, 1939, Abraham Kaplan married Iona Judith Wax, a child psychologist. They had two children: Karen Eva Kaplan Diskin and Jessica Aryia Kaplan Symonds.
Bibliography
Power and Society: A Framework for Political Inquiry, 1951
