The American Philosophical Society (APS), the oldest learned society in the United States (“founded in 1743 by Benjamin Franklin for the purpose of ‘promoting useful knowledge'”) has announced its newest class of members.

The American Philosophical Society Museum in Philadelphia

Of the 36 additions to the approximately 1,000 existing members, there are a few philosophers:

• Jonathan Lear, John U. Nef Distinguished Service Professor at the Committee on Social Thought and in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Chicago.
• Judith Jarvis Thomson, professor emerita of philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
• Patricia Williams, currently James L. Dohr Professor of Law at Columbia University but soon to be professor of Law and Philosophy at Northeastern University.

What does the APS do?

We honor and engage leading scholars, scientists, and professionals through elected membership and opportunities for interdisciplinary, intellectual fellowship, particularly in our semi-annual Meetings. We support research and discovery through grants and fellowships, lectures, publications, prizes, exhibitions, and public education. We serve scholars through a research library of manuscripts and other collections internationally recognized for their enduring historic value. The American Philosophical Society’s current activities reflect the founder’s spirit of inquiry, provide a forum for the free exchange of ideas, and convey our conviction that intellectual inquiry and critical thought are inherently in the best interest of the public.

You can see the full list of new members here.