O&I Statement of Purpose and Intent
BACKGROUND I initiated Owl & Ibis - A Confluence of Minds as a private critical thinker club in mid-2013. I was motivated to do so by Benjamin Franklin. In 1727, at the age of twenty-one, Franklin formed the Junto, also known as the Leather Apron Club. This was a gathering of like-minded aspiring artisans and tradesmen who hoped to improve themselves while they improved their community. The Junto was a discussion group for issues of the day. Their purpose was to debate questions of morals, politics, and natural philosophy (the sciences), and to exchange knowledge of business affairs. The Junto was modeled after English coffee houses which had become the center of the spread of Enlightenment ideas in Britain. Reading was a great pastime of the Junto, but books were rare and expensive. The members created a library initially assembled from their own books. From this inspiration I invited seven friends to meet in my home and named the private club, Owl & Ibis. I then create