Phi Sigma Tau (, or PST) is an international

honor society In the United States, an honor society is a rank organization that recognizes excellence among peers. Numerous societies recognize various fields and circumstances. The Order of the Arrow, for example, is the National Honor Society of the Boy S ...

for

philosophers A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...

. Its essential purpose is to promote ties among philosophy departments in accredited institutions and students in philosophy nationally. In addition to providing a means of awarding distinction to students having high scholarship and interest in philosophy, Phi Sigma Tau also promotes interest in philosophy among the general collegiate public. The current membership requirements are variable from chapter to chapter, but in general,

undergraduate students Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, in the United States, an entry-l ...

are eligible for active membership if they have completed two semesters of college, rank in the upper 35% of their class, and have completed at least two semester courses in philosophy with an average overall grade which is greater than the second highest grade of the working scale.''Phi Sigma Tau Manual'', p. 7 The society also inducts

graduate students Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor's) degree. The organization and str ...

, professors, and non-affiliated personnel. There are currently 200 active chapters in the U.S. and Canada, with 31301 members.

History

The society was founded in 1930 at

Muhlenberg College Muhlenberg College is a private liberal arts college in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1848, Muhlenberg College is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and is named for Henry Muhlenberg, the German patriarch of Luthe ...

as "Alpha Kappa Alpha," with chapters in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

and

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean t ...

.''Phi Sigma Tau Manual'', p. 3 The society was incorporated as Phi Sigma Tau in 1955 and in 1958 the society was admitted to membership in the

Association of College Honor Societies The Association of College Honor Societies (ACHS) is a predominantly American, voluntary association that serves a number of functions with respect to national collegiate and post-graduate honor societies. ACHS coordinates member organizations, fac ...

. In 1991 PST became an international society with the installation of its first

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

chapter.

Purpose

The mission of Phi Sigma Tau is # To serve as a means of awarding distinction to students having high scholarship and personal interest in philosophy; # To promote student interest in research and advanced study in this field; # To provide opportunities for the publication of student research papers of merit; # To encourage a professional spirit and friendship among those who have displayed marked ability in this field; # To popularize interest in philosophy among the general collegiate public."''Phi Sigma Tau Manual'', p. 4

Publications

Since 1955, the society has published a biannual philosophy

journal A journal, from the Old French ''journal'' (meaning "daily"), may refer to: *Bullet journal, a method of personal organization *Diary, a record of what happened over the course of a day or other period *Daybook, also known as a general journal, a ...

called ''Dialogue'', which publishes articles from the entire field of philosophy, regardless of whether the contributor is a member of Phi Sigma Tau.''Phi Sigma Tau Manual'', p. 19 Articles are accepted from undergraduate and graduate students but not from those with

terminal degree A terminal degree is a college degree that is the highest level college degree that can be achieved and awarded in a specific academic or professional field. In other cases, it is a degree that is awarded when a candidate completes a certain amo ...

s. ''Dialogue'' appears in October and April of each academic year. Phi Sigma Tau also publishes a newsletter three times yearly, which provides for communication among chapters and members.

Traditions

The

emblem An emblem is an abstract or representational pictorial image that represents a concept, like a moral truth, or an allegory, or a person, like a king or saint. Emblems vs. symbols Although the words ''emblem'' and '' symbol'' are often use ...

of Phi Sigma Tau is in the shape of a

pentagon In geometry, a pentagon (from the Greek πέντε ''pente'' meaning ''five'' and γωνία ''gonia'' meaning ''angle'') is any five-sided polygon or 5-gon. The sum of the internal angles in a simple pentagon is 540°. A pentagon may be sim ...

; each of the five angles contains a symbol that represents one of the five streams of world thought: Chinese,

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

Islamic Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the ma ...

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

, and

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

. The seal of Phi Sigma Tau is the reverse side of the Athenian silver ''

tetradrachm The tetradrachm ( grc-gre, τετράδραχμον, tetrádrachmon) was a large silver coin that originated in Ancient Greece. It was nominally equivalent to four drachmae. Over time the tetradrachm effectively became the standard coin of the An ...

'', which bears the owl of

Pallas Athene Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarded as the patron and protectress of v ...

, the goddess of wisdom and rational inquiry, an olive spray, a small crescent, and the name of Athena in Greek. The margin of the seal bears the name of the society. The colors of Phi Sigma Tau are white and purple. The

motto A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. M ...

of Phi Sigma Tau is ''Φιλούντων σοφίαν τιμή'' (''Philoúnton sophían timé''), Greek for "the honor of those who love wisdom."''Phi Sigma Tau Manual'', p. 13

Notes

References

External links

National Phi Sigma Tau Website

ACHS Phi Sigma Tau entry

Phi Sigma Tau chapter list at ACHS
{{authority control Association of College Honor Societies Honor societies Philosophical societies in the United States Student organizations established in 1930 1930 establishments in Pennsylvania