Chapter Five

 From The Philosopher, Volume LXXXVIII No. 1 Special History Issue

Chapter 5 (1988-1999)

Fresh Vitality, 

New Initiatives

After its Golden Jubilee in 1963 the gold cover of The Philosopher had continued, but the content remained much the same. After the 75th anniversary of the Society in 1988 the content too began to change.

——

The 75th anniversary issue of The Philosopher began with a brief editorial by DrGeoffrey Brown. He informed readers that a number of 'our most distinguished members had passed away' and that this fact should serve to underline the 'need for recruiting new, keen members to the Society'. 

So the theme of the first issue of 1988 was that of recruitment and development. This was the central theme that would remain with the Society until its more confident period in the mid-nineties. We see in the documents of the Council meetings and the journal from 1988 to 1994 the justified concern with the need for a 'firmer grip' on the philosophically inclined public. After all, this is at the heart of the Society's raison d'Ætre. Indeed, up until 1994. one can be forgiven for expecting the figure of Lord Kitchener and his recruiting finger to appear on the next page as one leafs through the journal. 

The issue of recruitment is as pressing today as it was in 1988 and, indeed, as it was 75 years earlier in 1913 when the Society was founded. The reason is that the ultimate goal of the Society is to bring philosophy to the general public. A low membership is an indicator that this goal is not being achieved. However, as we journey through this final decade of the recent history of the Society, we do see growth and development both in terms of membership and the journal, and in terms of the study courses and local group activity.

The main event planned for the celebration of the Jubilee was an April Conference, to be held at Oriel College, Oxford, and running for three days. The central theme was a memorial to the work of four distinguished former members: the Rev. R. Banks Blocher, a life Fellow and American academic; The Rev. William J. Mitchell, an Associate of the Society and parish minister in Glasgow; Mr John Rogers who had brought his business skills and much desirable enthusiasm to the Society, and Professor Eric W.F. Tomlin CBE, the most distinguished member of the Council, having been a university professor of philosophy with a long career on the British Council.

The journal was dominated by two long articles. First 'Tolerance, Justice and Fraternity' by the Society's President John Wilson. Second, 'Paley, the Will of God & Problematic Elucidation' by Graham Cole, from Moore Theological College in Australia. A philosophical essay competition, 'The Rupert Judge Memorial Prize Essay' was also announced open both to members and non-members with an award of £50 for the best essay submitted. 

In February of that year, the London Group discussed 'Mind and Machines', a paper presented by Geoffrey Brown and chaired by Dr Paul Faunch, the then organizer of the London Group and General Secretary of the Society. 

1988 was the year, as The Philosopher reported, that philosophy the five yearly 'World Congress of Philosophy' met at Brighton, in August. Among those present, the Journal noted obsequiously, were A.J. Ayer, Karl Popper, Donald Davidson, Michael Dummett, R.M. Hare and John Passmore. The 'use' of philosophy was discussed at this Conference, something seen as particularly relevant since that year seven university philosophy departments had been closed throughout Britain, including that of the Society's illustrious Vice President, Brenda Almond, a key figure in the 'Applied Philosophy' movement. Funnily enough, Brenda Almond was also linked to Gilbert Ryle, the Society's great critic, through Ryle's editorship of Mind. it was Ryle who had published a celebrated article on utilitarianism by Almond in 1967, An Ethical Paradox, which argued that to suppose 'everybody ought to do what they think they ought to do' was, as it were, paradoxical. The debate continued in Mind for many issues, and ironically served not only to establish Almond's philosophical credentials, but, by because of her later involvement and support of it, the Society's. 

Meanwhile, at the conference, the media had also became interested in a Dr Julius Tomlin, a Czech exile, who after failing to obtain a full-time post at Oxford University had his unemployment benefit suspended because he refused to take any employment other than as a philosopher. However, Dr Tomlin was appointed to the less official post of 'resident philosopher' at the Beehive pub, Swindon. Rather presciently the editor of The Philosopher, noted that "...the idea of a pub philosopher is a happy one, let's hope it catches on!" And, to some extent, 'pub philosophy' did catch on with the first formally organised pub philosophy meetings to be held over the next decade in Britain, along with the emergence of philosophy cafes, first in Paris and then in London, Bristol and elsewhere.

Twelve new members were welcomed to the Society, one of whom was Dr Keith Seddon, together with his wife Jocelyn Almond, later to become author of a number of eminently 'popular philosophical works' and very active in the Society. 

The second issue of The Philosopher for 1988 announced a £2 increase in membership dues and reminded us of the condition: 'no subscription, no Society'. In the same issue a new celebratory page "From Our Archive", 1913-1988, was to be found. 

The Editorial, of the first issue of 1989, saw a renewed plea for more members. Lack of attendance at the annual meetings was again noted and members were asked to 'make the effort' and come to the next one. Just six new members were welcomed to the Society in the October Council meeting. Moreover other difficulties were facing the Society and, although not as dramatic as the past, were causing their own problems. The examinations secretary had resigned due to illness and The London Group had been informed that their venue for several years, the church of St. Ethelburga's, was to be closed. This resulted in the cancellation of its programme of Spring evening meetings. Furthermore, every issue seemed to carry one or more obituaries of long standing members of the Society. It seemed that, in truth, the small number of new members was not even replacing those that died, a situation which would result in the Society becoming non-viable in a relatively short space of time. Yet there was still a hint of pride detectable as Keith Seddon was congratulated on the publication of his new book on the philosophy of time.

The last year of the decade saw the 'uselessness of science' questioned in an article for the Spring issue. And Michael Bavidge, a future Chairman of the Council, produced an almost humorous publishing first for the Journal with a Platonic dialogue between (the media personality) Jonathan Ross and Socrates on the topic of 'Charm'. If nothing else the Society was at least attempting to be contemporary.

In September Mrs Betty Judge, the Society's Treasurer, presented memorial prizes at the annual Convocation of Geneva Theological College, at King's College in London. Also that month Rev. Dr John Griffiths, Vice President, celebrated the 50th anniversary of his ordination and Dr Gurney Smith, Council Member of the Society, published his fourth book 'A Layman Considers his Faith'.

Finally, that year, The Philosopher reported the death of the philosopher A.J.Ayer; the last of the 'great men' as the Editor ill-advisedly put it. This, he noted, should serve as an incentive for the Society to think hard about philosophy's present position and where it is or ought to be going. 

Appointments were noted of Rev. Dr Alex B. Coker to the Thames Board Institute and Rev.Dr Mark Gretason to Presbyter in charge of St.Jude's in Balham. At the same time, the deaths of Rev. Canon Daniel Richards, Vice President and the oldest serving clergyman in Wales, and Rev. Andrew Gardiner, Associate, were recorded.

The last message from 1989, in large, bold letters, was the exhortation: "Recruitment Drive!" Council had decided that 1990 would be the year of recruitment. So, we were told, if you aren't a member, join! If you are, recruit! In 1989 the total number of members recruited by the Society in 1989 was just six; in the 'year of recruitment' this number was to rise by just three.

Even this modest gain was wiped out by the demise of three more Fellows: La Dona Eva Parnell-Bailey de Sanchez (also Vice President) who had been so active in the nineteen fifties; Rev. G.H. Boffey and Mr F. Edwards, as noted in the first issue of 1990. 

And indeed, the first issue of The Philosopher for 1991 was a memorial issue - for Rupert Judge. The editorial discussed the changes in the Society over the last seventy-eight years, changes it was argued that were not of principle but of style and approach. We were reminded of the commitments that the Society had fulfilled, of bringing philosophy to the general public, encouraging the study of philosophy and providing a forum for those interested in the subject. It had achieved these commitments, we were told, through 'the Big Three': the Journal, the diploma and the local discussion groups. One gets the feeling that this was a bit like a pep talk, aimed at lifting the spirits of the members by reminding them of the fruits of their labour. A talk that seemed needed at an unsettling time. 

The dismal results of the previous 'year of recruitment' had proved that further changes in style and approach were needed. In the past the relative importance of each of the 'Big Three' varied according to the priority of the day. For instance, in the years before the Open University and non-university courses in philosophy, the role of the Society's diploma was very important. Similarly, Local Group activity diminished during the time when university philosophy departments increased in number, thus providing for alternative centres of local interest. More generally, there was a cultural shift occurring away from the educated amateur towards the knowledgeable professional, a shift that continues today. By 1991, however, the shift in demand was being fully experienced by the Society with its activities being increasingly centred around The Philosopher. The Editor was keen however to avoid any turn to elitism:

Journals and societies whose aim is to widen the appeal of a subject sooner or later congeal into a new stratum of specialisation. What begins life in the public lecture hall ends up the property of the Senior Common Room.

This same theme would be brought up for discussion at Council some seven years later by the Journal's current editor, Martin Cohen. 

The same issue records the deaths of Canon W.J. Mathias, a life Fellow of the Society and Council member, and Edgar J.W. Ford, also a Fellow. These obituaries would continue to appear reflecting the severing of links between the current and past memberships.

The number of pages in The Philosopher from 1988 had ranged from 16 to 20. The journal for the winter of 1991/92 was a mere eleven pages long, reminiscent of the years 1937-38. There was no Editorial, even though this issue would be the last for editor Geoffrey Brown. The issue began instead with the usual Society notices although, this time, the notices do not exceed seven lines in length and the rest of the first page of this issue was taken up by an obituary for the Rt.Hon. The Lord Wells-Pestell of Combs, by Betty Judge. This, in turn, was followed by just one article, Paul Trudinger's 'Knowing without a Knowing Subject'. This was surely the Society's 'Hunger Winter'.

It is always encouraging, even inspiring, when struggle reaps reward. The breakthrough to better times was in this case heralded by a new look journal. Just as new years inspire resolutions, a new look journal and editor inspires its own resolutions. And just as new year's resolutions are usually the same ones from last year except "this time I'm really gonna do it!" so it was with the Society for 1992. Keith Seddon introduced himself as the new editor with new resolutions in his first editorial. No mention was made of Geoffrey Brown's departure or the change from the gold cover to 'spearmint'. A few more subtle changes can be seen in the new journal as one glances through its 48 pages. Firstly, the office of Director of Studies had also gone from Michael Bavidge to Keith Seddon. Robert Hill, who joined the Society at the end of 1990, was now the new General Secretary. An official looking 'international standard serial number' appeared at the top of the front cover and the issues were now named from the month of publication, rather than the season.

But Keith Seddon's editorial was encouraging and inspiring, compounded by the 'fresh factor' that excites life back into what can often run the risk of becoming stale. Dr Seddon reminded us of the aims and objectives of the Society and how The Philosopher has a more unique role than most other philosophical journals, namely the balancing act of being accessible to the novice on the one hand and appealing to philosophers and academics on the other. Philosophy, in particular the kind of philosophy that is practical ("that is of some use" Dr Seddon reminds us), is what contributes to a person's 'flourishing'. As he notes:

In this modern consumer society it is the prevailing view that the good life is achieved through job security and being surrounded by such consumer items as Nicam TVs, remote control videos, computers and computer games.

Philosophy as Dr Seddon notes 'is for those people who think there is more to life than this. For me, saying this identifies the purpose which The Philosopher has.' A new addition to the journal would be a readers letters section, remarking on any aspect of philosophy, or the philosophical outlook generally. And the first article for this special issue was an interview with the American philosopher Richard Taylor, which Dr Seddon conducted. This was followed by Richard Taylor's article, 'Ancient Wisdom and Modern Folly', which, sadly, was not original to the Journal but merely reprinted from elsewhere, a happily rare occurrence in The Philosopher. The second article of the issue was by Daniel Hutto, 'Nothing Personal: Ethics Without People?' And the new General Secretary, Robert Hill, made an appeal for information regarding the history of the Society. 

The Council welcomed seven new members to the Society whilst recording with regret the death of Rev. John Whitmore Griffiths, a Fellow of the Society for over twenty years and former Chairman of Council. A competition was announced for the writing of "a philosophical paper, open to any non-published author of philosophy. This to encourage the writing of philosophy. (It was later declared void due to lack of competitors, a worrying development!)

1993 opened with Robert Hill writing a special celebratory preface to The Philosopher on the 80th anniversary of its the Society's birth, in which he examined the perennial concern the Society had with its role, aims and objectives. Mr Hill asserted that the Society had three things to offer: (i) a commitment to practical philosophy; (ii) a forum, in its Journal, and (iii) a passionate membership. He hoped that as a result the Society had 'reclaimed a little bit of territory for philosophy as an activity and less of a discipline.'

This special forty four page issue contained no less than four articles, more advertisements, five book reviews and a new 'letters to the editor' page, as well as the Society News column. The first contribution to this page was by Richard Lewis, the founder and Editor of the magazine Philosophy Now congratulating Keith Seddon on the new-style Philosopher. An obituary of Surgn.Lieut John Brodie Gurney Smith by Paul Faunch also appeared. Dr Gurney Smith had been one of the longest standing and active members of the Society being made a Life Fellow in 1947. 

One of the Society's periodic appeals for funds was made in this issue of the journal, due to concern with the low level of Society finances. Dr Seddon warned that unless the slender resources were added to soon, it would be no longer possible to publish a bi-annual journal. 

The Council elected Daniel C. Bryan to General Secretary, in place of Robert Hill who had stood down at the last AGM. Mr Bryan had been elected as an ordinary member the previous October and made several contributions to The Philosopher both as articles and book reviews. The Chairmanship of the Council had passed to Paul Faunch due to the illness of the Rev. E.P. Davies.

In one of five articles, 'Does the Study of Consciousness Involve Conceptual as well as Empirical Enquiry', M.J. Pythian discuss the Edinburgh philosopher, Stephen Priest and his book on 'Theories of the Mind'. Stephen Priest was to give a talk to the London Group four years later, on the subject of Kant's philosophy.

In the autumn of 1993 the London Group met at the University Church, Gordon Square (the Square once the home of Bertrand Russell and still home to the Royal Institute of Philosophy) and heard Paul Faunch give a talk on 'The Corinthians'. 

An appeal was made for the new appointments of Assistant Editor and Membership Secretary, the former to lighten the work load of the journal's editor, the latter to lighten that of the Registrar, General Secretary and Journal Editor, who had combined their efforts, hitherto, in order to run the administration of membership. The Society's diploma courses began attracting enough new applicants to warrant the need for more 'Mentors'. The Director of Studies, Keith Seddon, appealed for those willing and able for such a task to come forward. One such was Martin Cohen, writer and sometime philosophy tutor at Leeds University who would later succeed Keith Seddon as Editor of The Philosopher. But at this time, the Journal seemed to be struggling and articles seemed few and far between.

Such was the poverty of material that talk about the imposition of VAT on books and periodicals even incited the Editor to ask of his readers that they write to their MP to voice their misgivings. He suggested that since most of the Society's income had been going to the publication and distribution of the journal this tax would have had grave consequences on the Society's coffers. The new membership rate had now risen to £12 for ordinary members.

In November as a memorial to Dr Rupert Judge, the Bishop of Worcester, the Rt Rev. Philip Goodrich, formally dedicated the 'Judge Choir School' in the precincts of Worcester Cathedral. Rupert Judge was a Fellow of the Society and its Registrar and Treasurer for twenty eight years.

In 1994 there was another change to the journal albeit on a small scale. This time the text type of the cover changed to a roaring twenties, art deco style. The editorial was skipped and the journal went straight into its three articles and one discussion article. Of this issue's forty eight pages twenty four consist of book reviews. Dr Paul Faunch was now hosting the London Group at his home near Cambridge Circus on the first Thursday of every month.

Membership was expanding and new members in the previous year had reached a total of twenty three, one of these being Tim LeBon, a 'philosophical counsellor', who would take over the helm of the London Group half-way through 1998. 

Alan Holloway gave an enlivening AGM paper, printed in Autumn 1994, in which he aimed to "elucidate the concept of the aims and ethos of our Society so that we may serve it even more single-mindedly and effectively in the future". He also discussed the important question of how far the founders of the Society, if they were still here, would recognise what the Society now did as corresponding to their original vision. Five articles and sixteen pages of book reviews fill the pages of this bumper sixty four page issue that is the last for 1994.

The Council welcomed twenty four new members to the Society at their last meeting. The Treasurer, Betty Judge, recorded that a number of donations received from generous benefactors had been very welcome. Professor Michael Moran who was now living abroad was promoted from the Council to a Vice Presidency. Fellowships were awarded to Daniel C. Bryan and Dr Keith Seddon.

The London Group met at the House of St. Barnabas in Soho for a Saturday lecture in January. The subject of the talk was 'St. Thomas Aquinas' and it was given by Edgar Dowse, MA, MPhil. There were also two meetings held at Dr Faunch's home in November and December. The Rev. E.P. Davies recorded the death of the "Rev. Professor John Marsh, CBE, MA, DPhil, DD. Scholar, translator and theologian", and "man for all seasons".

In the summer of 1995 instead of the usual editorial or breaking straight into an article, the first thing that greeted the reader of The Philosopher was a full page headed 'Subscriptions for 1995'. The member was cordially reminded that subscriptions were due (still at £12). The journal's now plentiful pages abounded with articles, book reviews, news and events, and (usually,) encouraging editorials to 'light the fire within' of the readers.

The fifty six page summer issue with its six articles and one discussion article, was a typical example of the journal at this time, including an article 'Defining Reality' by Dr Geoffrey Klempner, who was to become the Society's Director of Studies one year later in May 1996. 

The Society again found it had no General Secretary. Daniel Bryan, who was General Secretary in October 1993, had not continued as such by the next issue. To compound this loss, and after four years and seven issues, Keith Seddon resigned as editor, leaving him more time to concentrate on being Director of Studies, being succeeded by Martin Cohen, who was, as Geoffrey Klempner later put it, to "reinvent" the journal, taking it forward both in direction and in style. 

For most of its publication The Philosopher had been small and green, with the look somewhat of an old church's hymn book, or perhaps even that of a race-track guide. Under the new Editor, The Philosopher no longer looked recognisable, the larger, all-white journal boasted modern text and picture graphics looked like something that would sell in a bookshop - and does. 

What had become, over the decades, an increasingly tawdry (cheap to print) folded A4 format, was replaced instead with an obscure but friendly B6 setting reminiscent of the 'golden rectangle' beloved of the ancients. The journal which since 1923 had but rarely seen illustrations, now began to use pictures, headlines and text design to enhance its worthy but generally rather dry message. And, perhaps most important of all, editorial policy shifted back towards an older 'Philosopher' tradition (when the first articles were all public lectures to mixed audiences of specialists and generalists alike) of interesting and stimulating writing for an audience, rather than writing for academic purposes. Of the four articles under this new Editorship, one was given by Jennifer Jenkins, the Secretary of the Wales Society for Practical Philosophy. Miss Jenkins was to give a talk to the London Group two years later.

The Council received eleven new members to the Society reported from the last Council meeting in St. Anne's House, Soho, in April. That same year the London Group had had eight meetings including one with Professor Michael Moran. The Society recorded with regret the premature deaths of Rev. Robert Boulder and Rev.Canon Dr Paul Faunch. Paul Faunch would be of significant loss not only to the Society as a whole but to the London Group, which did not reconvene, but was revived two years later by a New Zealander, Justin Woods. Mr Thomson wrote an obituary of Dr Faunch who had been Chairman of the Council for several years and who had done much to increase the membership and profile of the Society.

The editorial for the first issue of 1996, written by Michael Bavidge, noted that although some people might be anxious to announce the end of philosophy, philosophical questions and issues were still as important today as ever. The aims of the Society are repeated, and again the editorial is encouraging and inspiring, ending with the words: 'Philosophy is demanding but it should be fun' a sentiment very similar to that expressed by Dr Hadfield in 1953. 

The needs of the Soceity had changed from the times when the Society was desperate to enlist new members and worried about its demise. Now that membership was increasing, and rapidly so, the Society could concentrate on getting its message across and encouraging the pursuit of philosophy among a larger audience. On the list of new members for Autumn 1996, who had joined since Spring of that year, no less than four Doctors appear. We find the names too of the Director of Studies, Geoffrey Klempner, and the Assistant Editor, Martin Gough. Robert Hill, the former General Secretary contributed a paper on 'Philosophy For All,' in which he noted some of the tensions surrounding the Society's aims:

Our Society has always been distinguished from other philosophical societies in attempting to interest the general public in philosophy. As one of our past Presidents, the Rev. F.H. Cleobury has stated (The Philosopher, Spring 1962) 'This exposes us, of course, to a danger from which the academic societies are exempt: the encouragement of dilettantism.' 

Yet, as he goes on:

'Philosophy is, above all other intellectual disciplines, the one which ought to be of interest to ordinary people... the philosophical attitude of mind is far more important than the amassing of philosophical facts.'

At the Society's AGM, held in London that May, plans were made for further local groups; particularly in York and Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Thus, the demand shifted again. From membership recruitment and then the journal, the demand had steered at this point in the Society's history back to local groups.

A philosophy conference was proposed for the next year, to be held at the Shap Wells Hotel, Cumbria and to be entitled 'Rationality and its Enemies'. The Society and the Centre for Continuing Education, University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne had restarted a jointly sponsored philosophical discussion group 'The Friday Club'. This group met twice a term on Friday evenings. The first of 1996 was held in November and the subject was 'Do Groups have Rights?' by Peter Jones.

Unfortunately, also with this AGM, Keith Seddon resigned from the posts of Director of Studies and General Secretary.

The main development of early 1997 was the redesigning of the Society's Diplomas by Geoffrey Klempner. Dr Klempner introduced two avenues students could use for the Society's Associateship Diplomas: the 'Pathways to Philosophy' introductory course to philosophy or the self-directed course of study where students are helped by their own personal mentor. The new-look diploma was hoped to be a flexible and challenging distance learning course in philosophy. 

At the last Council meeting it had been agreed that an appropriate use for the Rupert Judge Memorial Fund would be to finance the publication of a history of the Society, which was then being researched by Robert Hill and Alan Holloway. 

The Local Groups continued their renaissance. The Northern Group held their first meeting with Peter Jones of Newcastle University talking on group rights and the second meeting with Stuart Hanscombe of Durham University, who discussed 'Richard Rorty on Irony'. At the end of the year the Group had talks on 'Science and Environmentalism', 'the Problem of Consciousness' and the 'Ecological Approach to the Philosophy of Mind'.

A suitable location was found for the reformed London discussion group at Conway Hall, in Red Lion Square. This seemed a particularly fitting venue given that Bertrand Russell had been associated with the Hall in his day and a bust was erected in the Square in his honour. Conway Hall was also home to the Writer's Society and the British Humanist Association, whose vice-president is Richard Dawkins. The London Group held regular meetings every month from March to November. Tim LeBon began with two talks, 'Happiness and Well-being' and 'The Meaning of Life' for April and June. Ben Basing gave a talk on 'Animal Rights' which was followed by Justin Wood's talk on 'Elitist Philosophy' and Robert Hill on 'Kierkegaard's three stages of Existence'. To round off the year there were three guest-speaker philosophers. In September, Richard Lewis talked about his magazine, 'Philosophy Now'. In October, Professor Mark Sainsbury, Stebbing Professor of Philosophy at King's College London, gave a talk on 'Hume's Moral Theory'. And finally in November, Jenni Jenkins, Secretary of the Wales Centre for Practical Philosophy, University of Wales, gave a talk on 'Philosophy for Children'. 

By the end of 1997, Tim LeBon had set up a London Group web-page on the Internet, the idea of a 'Pub Philosophy' was formed, and a regular 'London Group Review' was planned. At the autumn Council meeting 44 new members were elected, including Ben Basing, who was to play a key role in the running of the newly reconstituted London Group. And it was revealed that the Society had received a substantial donation from the Rev.Dr Peter Newing.

Advertisements for the Society and the London Group posted (free of charge) by Richard Lewis, in his magazine Philosophy Now, brought in additional new members as did support from the British Humanist Association who had also advertised the London Group in their journal.

Electronic support came from Professor Mark Sainsbury, the then editor of Mind, "the associations' journal", who suggested that the Society link its web-sites to the 'Mind Association' web-site. Initially, the Society linked the Society, the London Group and Dr Klempner's Pathways web-sites, allowing anyone using the 'internet' to visit any of the individual websites to see links to the others, which they can then visit.

This was part of an ongoing discussion of the Society proper's future on the 'Web' (and whther it had one) held over several Council Meetings, the last of which had deferred any decision after Martin Cohen argued that at this early stage in the development of the internet, money invested by the Society would be likely to be wasted. He promised instead to 'pilot' a minimal website at no cost to the Society. In due course, this would became the 'Philosopher archives', and all the websites would be efficiently and attractively linked through the so-called 'philsoc hub page' at the reasonably catchy internet address: www.philsoc.co.uk.

But all this would take nearly two more years to come to fruition. A more immediate project was the reinstated annual Society conference, which was again arranged to be held at Shap Wells Hotel, Cumbria, with the topic being 'The Ethics of Dialogue' led by Geoffrey Klempner and Michael Bavidge as speakers.

The Council also discussed the 'Special Erotic Issue', in reference to Martin Cohen's tantalizing choice of titles, based on the first article being 'Bertrand Russell on Pornography' by Frank Lynch, Hugh McLachlan and Christopher Nottingham. One of the reviews was for Dr Klempner's book 'Naive Metaphysics' which was the basis of his talk to the Society at the AGM held in October. The future of the journal was discussed as it was revealed that sales had been very satisfactory and there was room for growth. A working group was set up to find out about the potential for expanding the scope of the journal and report back to the next Council meeting.

The first Pub Philosophy meeting was held in February in 1998 behind Piccadilly Circus in the upper bar of a public house called 'The Glass-blower'. Over fifty people attended, including a reporter from the Evening Standard. Tim LeBon and Justin Woods set up a table at the back of the room to talk to people about the Society at the end of the meeting. Over a dozen people came to see us to find out about the Society.

March saw the first London Group meeting for 1998. Booked to speak to the Group for the forthcoming year were Stephen Priest from Edinburgh University and Michael Hutchinson, Secretary of the U.K.Skeptics Society.

In May, Martin Cohen and Justin Woods reported back to the Council their findings on the proposal for expanding the market of The Philosopher and as a result a number of bookstores were approached and agreed to carry copies. Sadly both Betty Judge and Donald Thomson had both indicated their wish to step down from their positions. Betty and her late husband, Rupert Judge, had been pillars of the Society for many years, both serving on the Council and as Treasurer. Donald Thomson had been a member of the Society for fifteen years and on the Council for ten years. Their work and devotion would be heartily missed, but it was hoped that they would continue to involve themselves with the Society. However, they were not to leave at a time of turmoil as the first issue of the Journal for 1998 tells us:

Betty and Donald are leaving the Council at a time when the Society is growing in strength. Membership continues to increase. There are active groups in London and Newcastle upon Tyne which regularly meet for philosophical talks and discussions... The quality of our Journal The Philosopher has continued to improve apace... it is now increasingly one of the leading sources for reviews on philosophy books. And the Society's philosophy courses are also undergoing a considerable resurgence.

1999 saw this progress continue. Thus a little over fifty years after its reconstitution The Philosophical Society was in good health and despite all of its ups and down the big three were flourishing, the journal, the local groups and the philosophy courses. The last decade had had a tricky beginning, but the Society now appeared to be going from strength to strength, consistent in its aim of promoting the study of practical philosophy to the general public - a kind of philosophical kindergarten.