| The Philodemic Society of Georgetown University | |
|---|---|
| Motto | Eloquentiam Libertati Devinctam (Latin for "Eloquence in Defense of Liberty") |
| Formation | September 25, 1830[1] |
| Type | Collegiate debate society |
| Legal status | Active |
| Headquarters | Healy Hall |
| Location | Georgetown University |
| Region served | Washington, D.C., USA |
| Membership | 60 |
| President | Andrew Dousette Marsh |
| Website | http://philodemic.georgetown.edu |
The Philodemic Society is a student debating organization at Georgetown University. It was founded in 1830 by Father James Ryder, S.J., in whose honor an award is given every Spring at the Merrick Debate. The Philodemic is among the oldest such societies in the United States and is the oldest secular student organization at Georgetown. The society's motto, 'Eloquentiam Libertati Devinctam' reminds its members that they are pursuing Eloquence in Defense of Liberty. After a period of inactivity beginning in 1970, the society was restored by students in 1989.[2]
Debates are held weekly on Thursdays at 8pm in the Philodemic Room in Healy Hall.
Though the modern Philodemic does not engage in inter-collegiate competitions, it does participate in the Winchester Cup, an annual competition with the Jefferson Literary and Debating Society of the University of Virginia, and the Columbia Cup, a debate with the Enosinian Society of The George Washington University. Additionally, the Philodemic maintains an intercollegiate friendship with the Demosthenian Literary Society of The University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia.
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In order to become a member of the Philodemic Society, a Georgetown undergraduate student must give three impromptu floor speeches over the course of one semester. The President of the Society must call on you if you are a non-member undergraduate. Alternatively, an undergraduate may give four speeches over the course of two or more semesters. Again, the undergraduate must be called on by the President. Once the required number of speeches has been achieved, the non-member undergraduate is placed on the Induction List that is maintained by the Membership Secretary of the Society. Once a month, the Society convenes for a Business Meeting and it is at this meeting that members debate and vote on which undergraduates on the Induction List will be invited to give a keynote address to the Society at a weekly debate.
Additionally, each undergraduate on the Induction List is assigned a mentor from within the Society to familiarize him or her with the traditions, practices and rules of the Philodemic Society and assist in the preparation of the induction keynote. Once the non-member undergraduate gives a keynote address to the Society, the lady or gentleman is inducted into the Society and gains full membership.
The Philodemic Society prides itself on maintaining a unique structure of debate that allows for a dynamic and interactive experience for all who attend. Two keynote speeches are given at the start of each debate, one speaker on the affirmation and the other in the negation of a resolution that had been previously selected by the Society at a Business Meeting. The number of keynotes may be doubled for the purposes of inducting new members into the Society. Much of the fall semester contains debates with four keynotes as many new members are inducted into the Society during this part of the year. The keynoters give prepared speeches for the purposes of laying the groundwork for the Debate and outlining the most relevant and pertinent arguments that are meant to be expounded upon by the Society at large during the following floor debate. Once the keynoters have finished making their remarks, the president reads the house rules, and opens the floor to the Debate.
The Philodemic room is quite literally divided in two - with the negation and affirmation sitting on opposite sides of the room. The president calls on speakers, alternating speakers between those speaking on behalf of the affirmation and those speaking on the side of the negation. Floor speeches are relatively short - under three minutes - and are meant to be an unprepared address that anyone attending is allowed to give. Little or no preparation is intended for these speeches as members and non-members alike are encouraged to use these opportunities to hone their speech giving skills and quick thinking abilities by giving on the fly, pertinent and sometimes, dramatic speeches. Preference is given to Society members in order of Seniority. At the President's discretion, he or she may call for a non-members speaking time during which the President will only call on non-member undergraduate speakers. This is usually when non-member undergraduates attain their three or four speeches. After several rounds of floor speeches that last for about one hour, the keynoters are invited back to give their closing remarks. Once they are finished, the President divides the room, and the keynoters physically count the people that are standing on their side of the room. Abstentions stand in the middle between to the two sides. Once the vote for the night has been announced, the President officially closes the debate. Then, one of two things will happen. If there are new members that have finished their keynote, non-members and guests of the Society are asked to leave the room while the members of the Society perform the Induction Ceremony, welcoming the new member into the ranks of the Philodemic . If there are no new members to be inducted at the close of the debate, the Society makes their weekly trip to Martin's Tavern, a long standing Philodemic tradition.
Despite the fact that the established structure of the Debate ends with the closing keynote speeches, the discussion is far from over. In many ways, the Philodemic distinguishes itself itself from other debate groups across America in that the Society strives to extend the conversation outside the Philodemic Room, encouraging its members to keep the debate alive in their daily lives and never forget to act and speak with the motto of the society, "Eloquence in Defense of Liberty', in mind.
Every Thursday, after the debate, the Society journeys to Martin's Tavern on Wisconsin Avenue to continue the discussion, meet new people and enjoy one another's company. Some of the best times and most memorable moments occur in the warm and friendly atmosphere of Martin's Tavern. This is a staple of Philodemic life and all undergraduate non-members and guests of the Society are encouraged to attend.
Arguably one of the longest standing traditions and most beloved activity by members of the Society, the weekly visit to Martin's Tavern after Thursday Debates is a must for anyone who attends a Philodemic Debate. New members, returning members and guests are all welcomed to join the Society at Martin's. Martin's is a wonderful venue for continued discussion, open debate, meeting new people and enjoying one another's company in a friendly and historic tavern.
The Philodemic Society maintains a formal dress code for all their debates. Proper attire for weekly debates is termed "Western Business Attire" by the Society, carrying on a tradition of dressing well and looking your best that has been handed down since the inception of the Society in 1830. For men, this means a minimum of a sports jacket or blazer, a button down shirt and tie, dress pants and shoes. If you do not have a jacket, a shirt and tie is permissible. Sneakers are not encouraged and are considered inappropriate. For women, this generally means a formal outfit consisting of a dress, skirt, or pants suit. While there is more variety in what women may wear, dressing appropriately for the venue should be kept in mind. If you are dressed in an obviously inappropriate manner, the President has the right to pass over you in favor of someone who is properly attired, regardless of your seniority within the Society.
Every year, early in the fall semester, the Philodemic holds the annual Hamilton Homecoming Debate that invites alumni of the Society to return back to campus and relive theirs days as undergraduates in the Society. The event is cherished by members both graduated and undergraduate as it gives them a chance to reconnect with old friends and see how the Society has progressed as an organization since leaving campus. It also represents an important opportunity for members of the Society to network with and learn from graduated peers that offer their invaluable insights, opinions and experience of life after college.
The Dean Gordon Debate stands out among debates as one night were the members of the Society collectively agree to forgo the normal rules of formality, poise and decency usually expected at Debates. Held in April each year, this debate reveals a side of the Philodemic usually seen only outside the austerity of the Philodemic Room. Instead of the usual serious resolution, the member of the Society decide on a resolution that is aimed at fostering a downright silly debate of witty remarks, ironic stories and hilarious banter made up of nonsense puns and whimsical comments. The goal is to get the most laughs as humanly possible. Members will constantly attempt to outdo each other all in the hopes to impress the audience with his or her clever speech and slick wordplay. It is an altogether lighthearted and humorous affair that is staple of life in the Philodemic.
Inaugurated in 1874, the Merrick Debate is the Society’s most prestigious event of the year. The resolution is itself debated by the Society at length months beforehand to ensure that the debate is both relevant to the world today, and has deep roots in the western philosophical tradition on which the Society was founded. The Merrick Debate is the crowning end of the Philodemic season and is held every year in April. The Society had held 136 Merrick Debates since the debate's inception.
Unlike the weekly debates in which there are two keynoters that are selected based on seniority, the four Merrick keynoters are selected by the Society during a competitive spring season of debate. At the conclusion of spring Merrick debates, the Society votes on the best speakers of the night and the speakers who get the most votes are awarded Merrick points based on how many votes they received. The members with the top four most points at the end of the season become the four members that give keynotes at the Merrick Debate. Being selected to keynote the Merrick Debate is among the most impressive achievements one can attain within the Society.
The actual debate is judged by guest judges. These judges have ranged from politicians, to civil rights leaders to famous journalists to members of faith. At the conclusion of the debate, the judges chose the keynoter they believe best demonstrated "Eloquence in Defense of Liberty" and award him or her the Father James Ryder, S.R. Medal, named after the founder of the Society. This is considered a particularly prestigious honor as this medal, to date, is the only decoration a Georgetown student may wear during graduation that is not awarded at graduation. Altogether, the Merrick Debate represents the finest example of what the Philodemic is as a debate society and it is an event well worth attending.
With the advent of the digital age, the Society seeks to digitize the 181 years worth of Philodemic archives and records that currently are kept in the Special Collections Office of Lauinger Library. The Society hopes that by digitizing the library, it will make the extensive and rich history of not only the Society but also of Georgetown University more available to current members, alumni, students and researchers. Additionally, digitizing the records will allow for reproductions that the Society will be able to store in the new Philodemic Library.
The Society is proud that after many years of negotiations with the university, the Philodemic Library is now up and running. The Society's Library was once a prized collection of works that helped Society member enrich themselves on a variety of topics. Before the Society disbanded in 1970, new inductees into the Society used to donate a volume to the library as part of their entry into the Society. This practice has been revived along with the revival of the Library.
A more recent practice in the history of the Philodemic, the Society uses its funds to hold weekly or monthly meals that welcomes all members and non-members to attend. The meals serve as a way for members of the Philodemic, so-called "Philodemicians," to get to know each other and facilitate advanced discussion about the weekly resolution. Members and non-members alike enjoy both President's Dinners and President's Brunches.
The Philodemic Society today stands alone as Georgetown's only debate society but through the last two centuries, the Society supported a number of other debate groups at Georgetown, fostering a spirited sense of competition and friendly rivalry between the groups during the Society's heyday in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Founded in 1839 as Georgetown's second debate Society, the Philonomosian Debating Society became the second largest debating society around 1912-1913 when demand for membership in both the Philonomosian and Philodemic Societies could not accommodate both lower and upper classmen. After this point in time, both Societies became exclusively upperclassmen and membership was capped at 40, a limit that called for the creation of the Philonomosian Society in the first place. This Society held its own special cup called the Philonomosian cup and debated regularly like the Philodemic until it was disbanded in 1935.
In 1912 the White Debating Society was founded in honor of Supreme Court Justice Edward White, a former Philodemician. This society functioned as one of the junior debate societies on campus whose purpose was to train underclassmen that would be recruited by the more senior societies on campus. The strength of this society lay in its concentration of extemporaneous speaking.
The Gaston Debating Society was founded in 1913 as Georgetown's second junior debate society for underclassmen. The motto of this society was, "advancing ourselves in love of knowledge and truth, and to make progress in eloquence". The motto bears a close resemblance to the current motto of the Philodemic Society.
Starting in 1831, the members of the Philodemic Society began electing honorary members and the electee would have to confirm his desire to become a member. "At that time and for years afterward it was considered a mark of especial distinction to be elected an honorary member of the society and some of the foremost men in public life at the national capital were so honored."[3] Honorary members include:
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