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A Short History of the Ethical Society’s Men’s Forum

In 1988, some retired men drove their wives to a weekly Tuesday Women’s Association meeting at the Ethical Society. While waiting for their wives each week, the men came to know each other well in conversation. They also recognized that the time spent waiting might be used more creatively.

They knew that while retirement is beguiling - for no matter how much one loves golf or fishing or travel or whatever - the substantive use of the mind has it own reward: to perpetuate thought in the pursuit of understanding. That no one knows what the mind is does not deter the determined to train and direct their mind-energy to a single pursuit: to understand our world, our universe, including the very nature of being. Active-minded people do not waste away. They seek new paths of thought to the betterment of themselves and those around them.

• We meet every Tuesday in the Hanke Room (lower level, NW corner), between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. followed by a brown bag lunch.
• The average attendance is 12-22 members. There are no dues.
• Not all members are Ethical Society members.
• Retirees predominate. Average age is in the low to mid–70s.
• We are a mix of professions: former minister, engineers, artists, professors, teachers, lawyers, bankers and physicians among other fields.
• The discussions cover a subject spectrum taught on a university campus: the arts, humanities, science, psychology, philosophy, law, literature and poetry among others - including politics and religion!
• Each new member broadens the scope of our subject matter and opens new insights on old stories.
• We encourage active participation. We have an avid interest in how new members adjust to retirement. For instance, what tricks of healthy living do you nurture in the slow lane? Plan an hour presentation of your tale to break the ice and become a regular member, brown-bag and all.
• The Men’s Forum adheres to the Open Forum rule: we speak within the dictates of open expression on all sides of contending issues within the tenor of gentlemanly behavior.
• We cooperate with the Tuesday Women’s Association and their schedule of speakers that highlight international issues during the months of January through April each year.