A review of US-based local philosophical organizations
The well-known American Philosophy Society founded in Philadelphia by Benjamin Franklin is the classic example of a distinguished philosophical society in the United States.
To determine where and what other organizations exist, I searched Google Scholar and then chose the 12 leading metropolitan areas and did internet searches for philosophy, society, and the city.
Among the state organizations, the Philosophical Society of Texas was founded in 1837 and its purpose is to unite the efforts of the modern day philosophers and is designed to include the enlightened and patriotic citizens of Texas, distinguished military commanders and travellers, scholars and men of science, and learned members of the different professions. Membership is limited to 200, is by invitation only and is limited to those persons who reside within, were born within, or at some time have resided within the geographical boundaries of the late Republic of Texas, with election occurring in the summer and is determined by a majority of the active members
The North Carolina Philosophical Society has been in existence since at least 1951, it sponsors annual meetings at colleges and universities in the American Southeast, once a year, and most of the topics presented appear to be philosophical treatise by academicians from the area. The last meeting was at Appalachian State University this past February, and the organization maintains an active website. A South Carolina Society of Philosophy meets every other year with the North Carolina group, but the South Carolina website is nonfunctional.
The Rhode Island State Philosophical Society has met since the early 1950s as well, and has an annual meeting with a historical list of distinguished speakers, including BF Skinner.
The Georgia Philosophical Society organizes open annual meetings with presentation of papers up to 3000 words, the most recent being one on the philosophy of diversity and held at Athens GA.
The cities surveyed included New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington DC, Atlanta, Miami, Phoenix, San Francisco, Boston, Dallas, and Philadelphia (Houston and ours excluded).
New York has a unique institution, the Gotham Philosophical Society founded by Joseph Stephen Biehle with the Felician Institute for Ethics and Public Affairs. The admission appears to be open, monthly lectures are given at the Cornelia Street Café, and recent discussions have included Religion in Democracy, What Lies behind Tattoos, and the Ethics of Upward Mobility. Admission to evens is $10.
The website states that their mission is to “help New Yorkers reconceive their city one idea at a time. We believe that by generating innovative thinking about the fundamental issues affecting us, we can find solutions that will improve our lives and those of our children. By bringing the city's philosophers, artists, innovators, leaders, and insightful citizens into conversations on the questions of today, we help give birth to the wise choices of tomorrow.”
A Long Island Philosophical Society is more scholarly, and is similar to the above state philosophical societies, with its website (Facebook available) being to host meetings and conferences on a host of philosophical topics, and holds meetings at institutions on geographic Long Island, including SUNY Stony Brook, Adelphi University, Molloy College, NYIT, St. John’s University, LaGuardia College, Long Island University’s Brooklyn and CW Post Campuses, Suffolk Community College, and SUNY Farmingdale, among others. They host an online journal, CALIPSO (The Conference Addresses of the Long Island Philosophical Society Online), which publishes presentations made at LIPS conferences.
In Chicago, the Philosophy Meetup is very egalitarian, has a website with access to Social Media, and lists events in the area, stating their desire that members “join us soon for friendship, cooperative discourse and mental exercise, all organized around an interest in our own engagements with philosophy and the history of such engagements. Our members contribute from a wide variety of backgrounds, including literature, law, physics, theology, music and more; this allows for a wide range of orientations to philosophy.” The website lists 2198 members and it was founded in 2009, has a leadership board of 13. There are fees which are not listed, but membership has only age (18) requirements, and no educational or professional qualifications.
The web presence is strong in Chicago for the Masonic Philosophical Society, founded in 1879, now headed in Colorado. Its requirements are to adhere to the basic tenets of Freemasonry including combating ignorance, encouraging the study of culture, philosophy, and science, and working for the perfection of humanity. Chapters are largely in the Midwest and West, and the website lists active chapters in Arkansas (Bentonville), California (Santa Cruz, Los Angles, San Francisco, and San Diego), Connecticut (Fairfield), Colorado (Denver and Larkspur), Kansas (Kansas City area) Massachusetts (Boston), Michigan (Detroit), Minnesota (Minneapolis), Oklahoma (Oklahoma City and Tulsa), Texas (Dallas), Utah (Salt Lake City) and Washington (Seattle). An international chapter exists in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Los Angeles has a unique organization, the Philosophical Research Society, founded in 1934, by a Mr. Manly Palmer Hall, in the neighborhood of Los Feliz (where it keeps a library and bookstore offering the founder’s books), to promote the study of the world's wisdom literature. It currently offers on-line degrees, masters in consciousness and transformational psychology. It was an original center of activism for Marianne Williamson (from Houston) who is involved in social works (meals and wheels for AIDS patients, for example) and has published books on spiritualism with national recognition. One can visit the center when in Los Angeles. It is not clear from the website what membership requirements are, but it seems the direction of the organization is toward emphasizing its educational component and degree programs under the University of Philosophical Research.
The Dallas Area Philosophical Society, is an “organization of local college Philosophy departments whose intention is to move the spirit of philosophy from the halls of academia to the realities of the community. The purpose is to engage professors, students and the community in the process of philosophical inquiry on topics of political, social and economic interest. It is meant to be a sphere of rational discourse from varied perspectives as an antidote to the increasingly divisive, ideological and emotional polemics which typifies much current public debate.” The calendar is not available to nonmembers, qualifications are not obvious, with the organization also accepting community members and the last listed event being a community discussion in March 2016 on land usage.
Detroit has a Theosophical Society, founded in 1916, an organization with its headquarters in Chennai. Its website states, its mission is to “promote the practical realization of the universal brotherhood of humanity without any distinctions, to encourage the study of comparative religion, philosophy and science, and to investigate unexplained laws of nature and the powers latent in the human being. The organization has a lodge in Berkley, Michigan, and appears to be religiously oriented. The web lists as Detroit Philosophical Society with assets of over 50 million USD and income of 25,000 USD annually, states that it is a charitable organization, in 2009, in 2014,, no assets were listed although the organization maintained a tax-exempt status.
Both Boston and Chicago have references online to historical societies from former centuries (Boston, 1793, Chicago, 1881), but no further immediately available references are available. Boston has a publicly accessible “meetup” akin to that in NY for informal meetings with those interested in philosophical studies.
Miami is a site where philosophical organizations of international renown hold annual meetings but I could not locate a local ongoing organization outside academia.
Washington, DC, has a well-known philosophical society, the Philosophical Society of Washington, founded in 1871 by Joseph Henry. It is free to the public and oriented toward the sciences, from its website, it states that “The Philosophical Society of Washington is the oldest scientific society in Washington, D.C. Henry. Its aims are "the promotion of science, the advancement of learning, and the free exchange of views among its members on scientific subjects." Since 1887, the regular meeting place has been the assembly hall of the Cosmos Club, now called the John Wesley Powell auditorium. Meetings are usually held every other Friday, except in the summer. Meetings are free and open to the public. A lecture is given by a scientist at each meeting.”
Atlanta shows participation in several organizations including an Evangelical Philosophical Society and participates in the above Georgia Philosophical Society.
Phoenix has a Phoenix Philosophical Society, based on ideology and statements of the American Philosophical Society with many references to Benjamin Franklin and the APS. The organization requires recommendation for membership and has annual dues (the amount is not available), and the web site lists the following:
Members must profess to the following conditions and precepts for membership: Respect for all other members of this Society, Love mankind in general regardless of religion or origin, Freedom for other’s opinions and ideas, and Love the pursuit of truth for its own sake. Members are invited to join the Society by a current member of the Society, and pay annual membership dues. General Members will be sponsored for membership by a current Member of the Society. General Members have voting rights for all elections and balloting within the Society. General members pay annual dues which cover operating expenses of the Society and publication of the Proceedings. Fellows are elected for membership based on excellence of service or presentations given to the Society, or for other outstanding beneficence to the Society. Fellows are elected to Society membership by a majority vote of a quorum of all voting members. Fellows may be elected from persons who are General Members, or those currently not members of this Society. Fellows are voting members and receive all benefits of membership, but are exempt from annual dues.
The clause about fellows suggest that preferences in dues are given for service to the group.
The APS is so prominent in Philadelphia that three pages of websites for Philadelphia and Philosophy mention no other organizations.
In San Francisco, a Bay Area Meetup organizes events for locals interested in philosophy and lists as members “583 thinkers.” Its membership appears relatively open and its mission is listed as “From Plato and Socrates to Putnam and Searle - this group is for anyone who wants to discuss and learn about philosophy as defined in the most academic sense. Topics include Epistemology, Metaphysics, Ethics, Aesthetics, Political Philosophy, and Philosophy of Mind. Discussions will be drawn on a short philosophical text that will be selected for each meetup”
Thus, it appears to a discussion group, more akin to a book club.
Other cities with historical importance or current economic importance that I quickly perused were Baltimore (home of a Maryland Theosophical Society with a lodge and membership) and support “ people who are trying to live moral and purposeful lives based on reason, compassion, and a commitment to the worth and dignity of each human being,” Cleveland (with regular open “meetups” like San Francisco, Boston, and New York), St Louis (where local universities regularly assess the impact of the St Louis Philosophical Movement), Minneapolis (meetups including a Minneapolis Independent Scholars Forum with 291 “thinkers or philosophers” to discuss all aspects of philosophy), and Seattle (the Seattle Analytic Philosophy Club, a group whose aim is to “focus on analytic philosophy, but is open to all approaches to philosophy. No specific background is necessary, and everyone from those who have never studied philosophy to those who have graduate degrees are welcome).”
In summary, our organization in requiring membership and dues is more akin to several state philosophical organizations. Most places have meet-ups, but if more specialized organizations exist as in Phoenix they often show tight connections with the APS. The movement in most cities is toward more egalitarian organizations, limiting dues, especially for the senior members (Phoenix), and
One thing we need to do is include our organization in the list of US based Philosophical Societies. This would give us more visibility and also suggests that many organizations such as ours exist which are not readily apparent using web-based resources alone.
Wayne X. Shandera, MD
September 12, 2016