International Society for Philosophical Enquiry
Encyclopedia
The International Society for Philosophical Enquiry (ISPE) is a global scientific and philosophical high IQ society
founded in 1974. ISPE is dedicated to advanced enquiry, original research and original contributions. Members harness their abilities to enhance the growth and development of enlightened culture and progressive civilization.
expert who resides in Queensland
Australia. The 1966 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records
listed Dr. Harding as "The Smartest Man in the World." The Society is organised by voluntary elected and appointed Officers in accordance with its Charter.
The motto of ISPE is "Quaere Verum," which means "To Seek Truth." ISPE as an organisation does not hold any official political opinion or affiliation. Its goals focus on the harnessing of intellect for the betterment of society and on providing a forum for discourse and exchange intended to foster the intellectual development of its members.
The quarterly journal of the Society is Telicom (ISSN 1087-6456). This title is derived from "telic" (towards a principle or goal) and "communication". The journal publishes original artwork, poetry and articles "of interest to a broad segment of the membership." In particular, controversial matters eliciting a lively discussion are welcome.
) of cognitive ability as measured by accepted tests of IQ or aptitude in the general population. The ISPE is known informally as "the Thousand," the name first (and briefly) given to the society in 1974, because its admission level is one person in a thousand (3.09 standard deviation
s above the mean of a normal distribution). This works out to be a score of 149 for IQ tests with a standard deviation of 16, such as the Stanford-Binet, or 146 for tests with a standard deviation of 15, such as the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale
.
The Society is governed democratically by vote of full Members and above.
(ISBN 0-8069-0198-5) stated that the ISPE had "239 members, of whom all have mean IQ of 160, none below 148, and some above 183." (page 35). Another reference appears in the 1993 edition.
In April 2006, membership had grown to 583 members in 29 countries, although the majority (81.65%) resided in the USA in 45 states and the District of Columbia.
The 29 countries are Australia
, Belgium
, Canada
, China
(Hong Kong SAR
), Denmark
, Finland
, France
, Germany
, Hungary
, India
, Ireland
, Israel
, Italy
, Japan
, South Korea
, Mexico
, Netherlands
, Norway
, Russia
, Serbia
, Singapore
, Slovakia
, South Africa
, Spain
, Sweden
, Switzerland
, UK, and USA.
There is also a seventh, special, level of "Philosopher" (0.5%).
New members join at the Associate level and gain voting privileges upon advancement to Member. The first six levels can be achieved by demonstrating various accomplishments that put into practice the goals of the Society. The level of Diplomate requires approval from the majority of members voting when the candidate is nominated for advancement. Philosopher, the highest level, is rare and can be achieved only by appointment.
Additionally, Mentors (0.7%) and Honorary Members are distinguished people from outside the Society. Paul R. Ehrlich
became an Honorary Member in 1991.
High IQ society
A high IQ society is an organization that limits its membership to people who are within a certain high percentile of Intelligence quotient test results. The oldest, largest and best-known such society is Mensa International, which was founded by Roland Berrill and Dr. Lancelot Ware in 1946...
founded in 1974. ISPE is dedicated to advanced enquiry, original research and original contributions. Members harness their abilities to enhance the growth and development of enlightened culture and progressive civilization.
Background
ISPE was founded by Chev. Dr. Christopher Harding, a psychometricsPsychometrics
Psychometrics is the field of study concerned with the theory and technique of psychological measurement, which includes the measurement of knowledge, abilities, attitudes, personality traits, and educational measurement...
expert who resides in Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
Australia. The 1966 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records
Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
listed Dr. Harding as "The Smartest Man in the World." The Society is organised by voluntary elected and appointed Officers in accordance with its Charter.
The motto of ISPE is "Quaere Verum," which means "To Seek Truth." ISPE as an organisation does not hold any official political opinion or affiliation. Its goals focus on the harnessing of intellect for the betterment of society and on providing a forum for discourse and exchange intended to foster the intellectual development of its members.
The quarterly journal of the Society is Telicom (ISSN 1087-6456). This title is derived from "telic" (towards a principle or goal) and "communication". The journal publishes original artwork, poetry and articles "of interest to a broad segment of the membership." In particular, controversial matters eliciting a lively discussion are welcome.
Membership
Admission is generally limited to people in the top 0.1% (99.9th percentilePercentile
In statistics, a percentile is the value of a variable below which a certain percent of observations fall. For example, the 20th percentile is the value below which 20 percent of the observations may be found...
) of cognitive ability as measured by accepted tests of IQ or aptitude in the general population. The ISPE is known informally as "the Thousand," the name first (and briefly) given to the society in 1974, because its admission level is one person in a thousand (3.09 standard deviation
Standard deviation
Standard deviation is a widely used measure of variability or diversity used in statistics and probability theory. It shows how much variation or "dispersion" there is from the average...
s above the mean of a normal distribution). This works out to be a score of 149 for IQ tests with a standard deviation of 16, such as the Stanford-Binet, or 146 for tests with a standard deviation of 15, such as the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale
The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale intelligence quotient tests are the primary clinical instruments used to measure adult and adolescent intelligence. The original WAIS was published in February 1955 by David Wechsler, as a revision of the Wechsler-Bellevue Intelligence Scale...
.
The Society is governed democratically by vote of full Members and above.
Scope of activities
In 1981, the Guinness Book of World RecordsGuinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
(ISBN 0-8069-0198-5) stated that the ISPE had "239 members, of whom all have mean IQ of 160, none below 148, and some above 183." (page 35). Another reference appears in the 1993 edition.
In April 2006, membership had grown to 583 members in 29 countries, although the majority (81.65%) resided in the USA in 45 states and the District of Columbia.
The 29 countries are Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
(Hong Kong SAR
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
), Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, UK, and USA.
Levels of membership
ISPE features a system of advancement designed to encourage members to use their abilities for the benefit of humankind. There are six ordinary levels of membership:- Associate Member (66.7%)
- Member (14.1%)
- Fellow (7.4%)
- Senior Fellow (4.6%)
- Senior Research Fellow (3.3%)
- Diplomate (2.7%).
There is also a seventh, special, level of "Philosopher" (0.5%).
New members join at the Associate level and gain voting privileges upon advancement to Member. The first six levels can be achieved by demonstrating various accomplishments that put into practice the goals of the Society. The level of Diplomate requires approval from the majority of members voting when the candidate is nominated for advancement. Philosopher, the highest level, is rare and can be achieved only by appointment.
Additionally, Mentors (0.7%) and Honorary Members are distinguished people from outside the Society. Paul R. Ehrlich
Paul R. Ehrlich
Paul Ralph Ehrlich is an American biologist and educator who is the Bing Professor of Population Studies in the department of Biological Sciences at Stanford University and president of Stanford's Center for Conservation Biology. By training he is an entomologist specializing in Lepidoptera , but...
became an Honorary Member in 1991.
ISPE goals
The Charter of the ISPE lists nine ISPE Goals:- To encourage written communications between members with similar interests and intellectual levels of ability, for the purpose of exchanging thoughts, ideas, and discoveries. To nourish the inherent curiosity of our members by thoughtful enquiry and response, while broadening their horizons of knowledge and wisdom.
- To encourage members toward personal accomplishments in the provision of service to the Society and contributions to humanity in general.
- To provide a channel for individual initiative and to offer members the opportunity to advance in the Society and to become officers and serve in executive or leadership posts in which they can benefit the Society while enriching their own experiences.
- To offer members in positions of responsibility outside the Society the opportunity to help other members further their potential.
- To continue to expand the membership roll of our Society by encouraging members to seek out and propose qualified individuals for testing of their range of potential abilities for the purpose of joining the Society, thus enlarging its pool of able people and broadening the horizons of all of them.
- To accumulate a natural resource of talentSkillA skill is the learned capacity to carry out pre-determined results often with the minimum outlay of time, energy, or both. Skills can often be divided into domain-general and domain-specific skills...
and ability, and to help our members achieve the success and recognition they are equipped to earn. - To provide a correspondence-type consulting service for members who may seek it in their educationEducationEducation in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
, present vocation, and life's work. To make available the guidance and advice of more seasoned and experienced members to other members who may benefit from their knowledgeKnowledgeKnowledge is a familiarity with someone or something unknown, which can include information, facts, descriptions, or skills acquired through experience or education. It can refer to the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject...
. - To link all members together and cement their relationships through the monthly journal, Telicom, which will keep them informed of Society activities and from which they can benefit through sharing experiences with other members. Contributions of material and biographical or autobiographical sketches of members who have earned advancement within the Society, or who have made some outstanding contribution either within or outside the Society, shall be sought and published, for the edification of and stimulation of ideas among other members.
- To extend our potentials through health and longevity.