The University Philosophical Society (commonly known as The Phil or The Auto-Phil) is a student paper-reading and debating society in Trinity College, Dublin. It has one of the largest memberships of any student society in Trinity College, with over seven thousand students on its books. The society meets every Thursday during term in the Graduates' Memorial Building to discuss a paper, debate a motion or hear an address. Debate (North American English) or debating (British English) is a formal method of interactive and position representational argument. ... Trinity College, Dublin, corporately designated as the Provost, Fellows and Scholars of the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I, and is the only constituent college of the University of Dublin, Irelands oldest university. ... Graduates Memorial Building, Dublin The Graduates Memorial Building (GMB) is located in Trinity College Dublin. ...

The Society

The Graduates' Memorial Building, home of the Phil.

The Phil is currently situated in the Graduates' Memorial Building of Trinity College, which it has shared with the College Historical Society (the Hist) and the College Theological Society (the Theo), since its construction in 1904. The Phil occupies three rooms in the building, the legal status of which was an area of conflict with College authorities in the past. Graduates Memorial Building, Trinity College Dublin File links The following pages link to this file: Graduates Memorial Building ... The College Historical Society (commonly known as The Hist or The Histicons) was founded in Trinity College in 1770 and traces its creation to the historical society founded by the philosopher Edmund Burke in Dublin in 1747. ... The College Theological Society of Trinity College, Dublin (commonly known as The Theo) was founded 1830. ... Year 1904 (MCMIV) was a leap year starting on a Friday (see link for calendar). ...

Like most other Irish debating societies, the University Philosophical Society is traditionally a paper-reading society, with a meeting consisting of responses to a paper rather than debate on a motion. Unlike those other societies, the Phil still keeps this tradition alive, though it now largely organises debates. In addition to debate, the Phil provides facilities for its members such as games and a conversation room, and organises traditional sporting events and blood drives.

The Phil has a number of traditions, like Trinity's other old societies. The lectern at which speakers stand symbolises the paper-reading tradition. Toasts are made to Society, College and Country at each Session's inaugural meeting, and at the end of each session, outgoing Council members drop their keys on the table and vacate their seats for the new Council at the end of the meeting (which always happens at "midnight", regardless of the actual time).

When making a 'point of information' at a debate it is customary to stand up with one hand on your head and the other stretched outwards. The outward hand symbolises the offering or a point while the hand on the head shows that the gesture is a peaceful one. Should the hand be placed at one’s side it would be considered a challenge as often the hand would be on one’s sword.

History

In 1843, the Dublin Philosophical Society was founded to cater for those Trinity College students too young to join other societies in Dublin (at the time, junior students were banned from many College societies and facilities). This became the Dublin University Philosophical Society in 1845 when it was recognized by the college. The target audience of undergraduates was deterred by the gradual take-over of the DUPS by older members of College. In 1853, the Undergraduate Philosophical Society was founded, with the Provost of the College as its Senior Patron. In 1860, the Dublin University Philosophical Society dissolved, and the Undergraduate Philosophical Society changed its name to the University Philosophical Society, incorporating both societies. This, claims the society, makes the Phil the oldest paper-reading society in the world, and the largest in Ireland. 1843 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1845 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1853 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... 1860 is the leap year starting on Sunday. ...

Bram Stoker, author and early President of the Society, who presented "Sensationalism in Fiction and Society" as his first paper.

The society served from its beginning as a popular arena of discussion and a training-ground for future notable Irishmen. Among the notable events held in its early years was the demonstration of an early telephone by Stephen Yeates in 1865. Presidents in the early years included students who would become classicist and Provost of the College John Pentland Mahaffy, poet Edward Dowden and Dracula author Bram Stoker. (In fact, the Society housed the Bram Stoker collection until the foundation of the Bram Stoker Society in the 1980s.) Bram Stoker This image is in the public domain in the United States and possibly other jurisdictions. ... The telephone or phone is a telecommunications device which is used to transmit and receive sound (most commonly voice and speech) across distance. ... John Pentland Mahaffy (1839- 30 April 1919), Irish classical scholar, was born in Switzerland on July 12 1839. ... Edward Dowden (May 3, 1843 - April 4, 1913), was an Irish critic and poet. ... Dracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker, and the name of its primary character, the vampire Count Dracula. ... Abraham Bram Stoker (November 8, 1847–April 20, 1912) was an Irish writer, best remembered as the author of the influential horror novel Dracula. ...

The Phil suffered with the rest of Trinity College during the First and Second World Wars, though one notable President of the early 1940s was lawyer, Ugandan independence hero and Supreme Court Chief Justice Udo Udoma. The society admitted women in 1968 (after the resignation of the conservative President and Secretary), becoming the first mixed-sex debating society in Trinity College. A merger with the female-only University Elizabethan Society soon followed; this was a spur towards both increased female membership and increased debating in the Phil. Recent years saw the presidency of Niall Lenihan, son of then-Tánaiste Brian Lenihan, remembered as a defender of the Phil's rights of association and free speech during the visit of discredited historian David Irving. Combatants Allied Powers: Russian Empire France British Empire Italy United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary German Empire Ottoman Empire Bulgaria Commanders Nicholas II Aleksei Brusilov Georges Clemenceau Joseph Joffre Ferdinand Foch Herbert Henry Asquith Douglas Haig John Jellicoe Victor Emmanuel III Luigi Cadorna Armando Diaz Woodrow Wilson John Pershing Franz... Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom France Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Charles de Gaulle Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian... The Tánaiste[1] (plural: Tánaistithe), or, more formally, An Tánaiste, is the deputy prime minister of the Republic of Ireland. ... Brian Lenihan (17 November 1930 - 1 November 1995) was a Irish Fianna Fáil politician. ... David Irving, 2003 David John Cawdell Irving (born March 24, 1938) is a British writer specializing in the military history of World War II. He is the author of 25 books, including The Destruction of Dresden (1963), Hitlers War (1977), Churchills War (1987), and Goebbels — Mastermind of the...

The Dublin Philosophical Society

The Phil's age is a subject of controversy to this day. Phil members claim that the society dates from 1684 and the foundation of the Dublin Philosophical Society. However, this is unlikely. This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

Some Phil members claim that the society dates from 1684 and the original foundation of the Dublin Philosophical Society. They claim that although it, left the college, there was continuation through the setup of the Royal Dublin Society by Phil members. However, as the original DPS ceased to exist in 1731 (and existed only intermittently up to that point) this is unlikely. The Phil is, however, unquestionably one of the oldest societies in Ireland and one of its largest. The Royal Dublin Society (RDS) was founded in 1731 by members of the Dublin Philosophical Society in their Trinity College Dublin rooms as the Dublin Society. ...

The Trinity College Calendar lists two dates, 1684 and 1853, as foundation dates of the society. The society's "sessions" (year-long terms in which it holds meetings) date from 1683. The Society celebrates jubilee anniversaries of both the 1853 foundation of the UPS and the 1683 foundation of the DPS.

Debating

The Phil has a strong competitive debating record of late, especially in the domestic Irish Times and international Observer Mace and John Smith Memorial Mace competitions. The society first won the Mace (the premier British and Irish university debating competition) in 1997 when the all-Scottish team of Matthew Magee, Librarian, and Alex Massie, Steward, won the title. A second victory was claimed three years later by Fergal Davis and Robert Cuffe, President. The Irish Times is Irelands newspaper of record, launched in the late 1850s. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... The John Smith Memorial Mace (known between 1954 and 1995 as the Observer Mace) is the foremost student debating competition in the British Isles and Ireland. ...

The society runs internal debating competitions: the Eamon O'Coine Memorial Maiden Speaker's Competition, for first-time speakers in college, the satirically-titled Margaret Thatcher Memorial Debating Competition (or Maggies), a series of impromptu debates, and the John Pentland Mahaffy Memorial Mace. External competitions include an intervarsity debating competition, the Claire Stewart Trinity IV - Dean Swift Intervarsity, in association with the Historical Society, and a secondary schools' public speaking competition, the AIB Phil Speaks. Jonathan Swift Jonathan Swift (November 30, 1667 – October 19, 1745) was an Irish priest, satirist, essayist, political pamphleteer, and poet, famous for works like Gullivers Travels, A Modest Proposal, A Journal to Stella, The Drapiers Letters, The Battle of the Books, and A Tale of a Tub. ...

Notable Speakers

US Senator John McCain, Honorary Patron of the Society.

During its long history, the Society has recorded the presence of many notable guests, among them Frederick Engels, Karl Popper, and Bertrand Russell. File links The following pages link to this file: John McCain Categories: United States government images ... File links The following pages link to this file: John McCain Categories: United States government images ... Friedrich Engels Friedrich Engels (November 28, 1820 - August 5, 1895) was a German Socialist philosopher and the co-founder of modern Communist theory with Karl Marx. ... Sir Karl Raimund Popper, CH, MA, Ph. ... Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell OM FRS (18 May 1872 – 2 February 1970), was a British philosopher, logician, and mathematician. ...

In more recent years guests have included all Irish Taoisigh since Charles Haughey, John Kenneth Galbraith, Salman Rushdie, FW De Klerk, Newt Gingrich, Peter Arnett, Mary Robinson, John Hume, David Trimble, Dr. Seamus Heaney, The Edge & Bono of U2, Peter Sutherland, George Galloway, Germaine Greer, Spike Milligan, Rory Bremner, Barry Norman, Chris Eubank ,Ron Jeremy, Vivienne Westwood, David Irving, Bob Geldof, Greg Palast, John Simpson, Desmond Tutu and Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham. The Taoiseach ( or [1]) — plural: Taoisigh ( or [1]) — or, more formally, An Taoiseach[2], is the head of government of the Republic of Ireland and the leader of the Irish cabinet, the rough equivalent of a prime minister under the Westminster System. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... John Kenneth Galbraith John Kenneth Galbraith (October 15, 1908–April 29, 2006) was an influential Canadian-American economist. ... Salman Rushdie (born Ahmed Salman Rushdie, on June 19, 1947, in Bombay, India) is a British-Indian essayist and author of fiction, most of which is set on the Indian subcontinent. ... President F.W. de Klerk Frederik Willem de Klerk (born March 18, 1936) is a former President of South Africa, serving from September 1989 to May 1994. ... Newton Leroy Gingrich (born 17 June 1943) served as the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999. ... Peter Arnett (born November 13, 1934 in Riverton, New Zealand) is a New Zealand-American journalist. ... Mary Robinson (Irish name Máire Mhic Róibín; born 21 May 1944) was the first female President of Ireland, serving from 1990 to 1997, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, from 1997 to 2002. ... John Hume (born 18 January 1937) is a Northern Irish politician, and co-recipient of the 1998 Nobel Peace Prize, with David Trimble of the UUP. He was the second leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party, a position he held from 1979 until 2001. ... The Lord Trimble William David Trimble, Baron Trimble, PC (born 15 October 1944), known as David Trimble, is a Northern Irish politician who served as leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) and the first First Minister of Northern Ireland. ... Seamus Heaney Seamus Heaney (IPA: //) (born 13 April 1939) is an Irish poet, writer and lecturer from County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. ... For other persons named David Evans, see David Evans (disambiguation). ... This article or section may be confusing or unclear for some readers, and should be edited to rectify this. ... This article is about the Irish rock band. ... Peter Denis Sutherland (born April 25, 1946) is an Irish businessman and former politician, associated with the Fine Gael party. ... George Galloway (born 16 August 1954) is a British politician noted for his socialist views, confrontational style, and rhetorical skill. ... Germaine Greer (born January 29, 1939) is an Australian academic, writer, and broadcaster, who is widely regarded as one of the most significant feminist voices of the 20th century. ... Terence Alan Milligan, KBE, CBE (16 April 1918–27 February 2002), known as Spike Milligan, was an Irish writer, artist, musician, humanitarian and comedian. ... Rory Bremner Rory Bremner FKC (born April 6, 1961, Edinburgh, Scotland) is a British impressionist and comedian, noted for his political satire and is widely regarded as being the master of impressionist comedy. ... Barry Norman (b. ... This article or section seems not to be written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopaedia entry. ... Ron Jeremy (born Ron Hyatt on 1953-03-12) is an American adult film actor currently residing in Long Island, New York. ... Dame Vivienne Westwood DBE (born Vivienne Isabel Swire in Tintwistle, Cheshire, on 8 April 1941) is an English fashion designer largely responsible for modern punk and new wave fashions. ... David Irving, 2003 David John Cawdell Irving (born March 24, 1938) is a British writer specializing in the military history of World War II. He is the author of 25 books, including The Destruction of Dresden (1963), Hitlers War (1977), Churchills War (1987), and Goebbels — Mastermind of the... Robert Frederick Zenon Bob Geldof, KBE (born 5 October 1954) [1] is an Irish singer, songwriter, actor and political activist. ... Gee Dogsbody, whats the matter? Dont you like freedom of the press? Greg Palast is a New York Times-bestselling author and a journalist for the British Broadcasting Corporation as well as the British newspaper The Observer. ... John Simpson has been World Affairs Editor for BBC News since 1998. ... The Most Reverend Desmond Mpilo Tutu (born 7 October 1931) is a South African cleric and activist who rose to worldwide fame during the 1980s as an opponent of apartheid. ... John Sidney McCain III (born August 29, 1936) is an American politician. ... Lindsey Olin Graham (born July 9, 1955) is an American politician from South Carolina. ...

Guests in the past year include conservative thinker, former head of the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard Prof. Joseph Nye, Deputy Director of the IMF - Anne Krueger, former New York Times journalist and former RNC communications officer Clifford D. May, former British Ambassador to Uzbekistan Craig Murray, controversial English peer Jeffrey Archer, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Mark Malloch Brown, Globalisation expert Prof. Dani Rodrik, former White House Chief of Staff John Podesta, talk show host Michael Parkinson Financial Guru Eddie Hobbs and Chief Economist & Vice President of the World Bank François Bourguignon. Joseph Nye (born 1937) is the founder, along with Robert Keohane, of the international relations theory neoliberalism (international relations) developed in their 1977 book Power and Interdependence. ... Anne O. Krueger has been the First Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund since September 1, 2001. ... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... Bush/Cheney, 2004 campaign manager Ken Mehlman is the current chairman of the RNC. The Republican National Committee (RNC) provides national leadership for the Republican Party of the United States. ... Clifford May is the president of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies and Chairman of the Policy Committee of the Committee on the Present Danger (CPD). ... Craig Murray (born October, 1958)[1] is a writer and broadcaster[1] and was the United Kingdoms Ambassador to Uzbekistan. ... Jeffrey Howard Archer, Baron Archer of Weston-super-Mare (born 15 April 1940) is an English author and former politician. ... The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress and human rights issues. ... Mark Malloch Brown (born 1953), a British national, is Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations as of 1 April 2006, succeeding Louise Fréchette. ... Dani Rodrik is professor of international political economy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. ... Joshua B. Bolten, the current White House Chief of Staff. ... John Podesta John David Podesta (b. ... Michael Parkinson CBE (born March 28, 1935) is a British journalist and television presenter. ... Eddie Hobbs (born 1962) is an Irish television presenter. ... The position of World Bank Chief Economist is one of the most influential in economics. ... François Bourguignon is the Chief Economist of the World Bank. ...

Already in the academic year 2006/2007 The Phil has hosted Oscar Winning Film Director Oliver Stone, Baywatch TV Star David Hasselhoff and Perrier Award Winning Comedian Tommy Tiernan. Al Pacino became an Honorary Patron of the Society on November 22nd 2006. William Oliver Stone (born September 15, 1946), known simply as Oliver Stone, is a three-time Academy Award-winning American film director and screenwriter. ... David Hasselhoff at the 2005 San Sebastian International Film Festival David Michael Hasselhoff (born July 17, 1952 in Baltimore, Maryland), nicknamed The Hoff, is an American actor, singer and songwriter who is best known for his lead roles on Knight Rider and Baywatch. ... Tommy Tiernan Tommy Tiernan is an Irish comedian, actor and writer, born in 1970, in Navan, County Meath. ... Alfredo James Al Pacino (born April 25, 1940) is an Academy Award, Emmy Award and Tony Award-winning American stage and film actor. ...

Controversies

The Phil has been involved in several controversies relating to the balance between free speech and harm minimisation. In 1988, the Society invited then-Holocaust denier David Irving to speak. A large protest by students, staff, Jewish groups, socialists, and anti-Nazi activists resulted in the meeting being relocated to a hotel conference room and held in the small hours of the morning. The traditional vote of thanks to Mr Irving for his paper was defeated, which is rare in the society's history. Unlike both The Oxford Union and the UCC Philosophical Society, Mr. Irving managed to speak at a meeting of the society, despite the protests. Richard Harwoods Did Six Million Really Die? Holocaust denial is the claim that the mainstream historical version of the Holocaust is either highly exaggerated or completely falsified. ... David Irving, 2003 David John Cawdell Irving (born March 24, 1938) is a British writer specializing in the military history of World War II. He is the author of 25 books, including The Destruction of Dresden (1963), Hitlers War (1977), Churchills War (1987), and Goebbels — Mastermind of the... The Oxford Union Society, commonly referred to simply as the Oxford Union, is a private debating society in the city of Oxford, whose membership is drawn primarily but not exclusively from the University of Oxford. ... The UCC Philosophical Society the Philosoph is the largest debating society at University College Cork, Ireland. ...

More recently, the invitation to Austrian politician Jörg Haider to address the society in the Graduate Memorial Building (GMB) in late 2002 led to a protest by anti-Fascist activists, which continued through the debate, with noise being made outside the chamber and interjections in the society's proceedings within. An invitation to BNP official Tony Wentworth was revoked by Trinity College officials after threats of physical action by leftist groups. Jörg Haider in Carinthia (promotional photo) Jörg Haider (born 26 January 1950) is an Austrian politician. ... This article is about the modern party. ...

Another guest to generate controversy was Islamist Anjem Choudary, who hailed the 9/11 terrorists as martyrs. The former Irish Taoiseach John Bruton threatened to withdraw from a Phil debate later that year over this invitation, which was not withdrawn. Mr Bruton is now an Honorary Patron of the Society, and Anjem Choudary has spoken at the Phil's lectern several times. Islamism is a political ideology derived from the conservative religious views of Muslim fundamentalism. ... Anjem Choudary (also Anjum Choudhury, Anjem Choudhary, Choudury, Choudray, Chaudhary, etc. ... A sequential look at United Flight 175 crashing into the south tower of the World Trade Center The September 11, 2001 attacks (often referred to as 9/11—pronounced nine eleven or nine one one) consisted of a series of coordinated terrorist[1] suicide attacks upon the United States, predominantly... John Gerard Bruton (born May 18, 1947) was the ninth Taoiseach (Prime Minister) of the Republic of Ireland. ...

One of the most recent controversies to have taken place within the Phil was a series of events which occured during the Phil's annual expedition to Cork. The Phil's antics in Cork during the Cork Inter-Varsity Debates became legend after several members of the society were accused of inflicting damage upon the Cork International Hostel. However members claim that this was indeed untrue and that the real damage had been the fault of Hist members or perhaps even the UCD Law Society. To this day the real series of events which took place on that fateful are unknown outside the societies. This article is about the city in Ireland. ... This article is about the city in Ireland. ... Hist is a mythic race from the Elder Scrolls universe. ...

Notable Former Presidents and Members

• John Pentland Mahaffy
• John Butler Yeats
• Oscar Wilde
• Bram Stoker
• Samuel Beckett
• Ernest Walton
• Mary Robinson & Nicholas Robinson
• Senator David Norris

Other notable former council members of recent years include ex-President of the Law Society of Ireland Geraldine Clarke, food critic Tom Doorley, journalists Mary Ellen Synon, Marc Coleman, Paul Gillespie, Sarah Carey Alex Massie and Matthew Magee, and broadcasters Ruth McAvinia, Ken Early, Ger Gilroy and Colm O'Mongáin. John Pentland Mahaffy (1839- 30 April 1919), Irish classical scholar, was born in Switzerland on July 12 1839. ... John Butler Yeats (Born Tullylish 16 March 1839, died 3 February 1922) was an Irish artist and the father of William Butler Yeats and Jack Butler Yeats. ... Oscar Fingal OFlahertie Wills Wilde (October 16, 1854 – November 30, 1900) was an Irish playwright, novelist, poet, short story writer and Freemason. ... Abraham Bram Stoker (November 8, 1847–April 20, 1912) was an Irish writer, best remembered as the author of the influential horror novel Dracula. ... Samuel Barclay Beckett (13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish dramatist, novelist and poet. ... Ernest Thomas Sinton Walton (October 6, 1903 – June 25, 1995) was an Irish physicist, the winner of the 1951 Nobel Prize for Physics along with Sir John Douglas Cockcroft. ... Mary Robinson (Irish name Máire Mhic Róibín; born 21 May 1944) was the first female President of Ireland, serving from 1990 to 1997, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, from 1997 to 2002. ... Nicholas Robinson is husband of Mary Robinson, the former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and former President of Ireland. ... Senator David Norris David Patrick Bernard Norris (b. ... Mary Ellen Synon (born 1951) is an Irish-American journalist, currently writing for the Ireland on Sunday and the Irish Daily Mail. ... Marc Coleman is the Economics Editor of The Irish Times. ...

References

• Stephen Yeates's telephone
• Clifford May syndicated article on his appearance at the Phil
• US Amb Bill Harropp on his visit to the Phil
• Al Pacino on RTE News
• Pacino enacting a part from Salomé
• An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern's speech at the society

External links

• University Philosophical Society
• Trinity Debating Intervarsity

See also

UCC Philosophical Society The UCC Philosophical Society the Philosoph is the largest debating society at University College Cork, Ireland. ...