Association or society for non-professional philosophy scholars or one that welcomes both

In my view, the American Philosophical Association, as an organization
is biased against non-professional philosophers. It is interesting
that the APA is a "professional association," when many great
philosophers in history were not professionals or professors in the
contemporary sense. Also, many thinkers produced scholarly work in
philosophy that has had significant impact when they were not formally
employed by or attached to a particular institution.

I am not opposed to professional philosophers as a group. But I do
strongly oppose the total professionalization of the discipline. I
believe we need a new entity designed to represent the interests of
independent philosophers or we need to unite to pressure the American
Philosophical Association for full recognition of independent,
non-professional thinkers.

By uniting, we can make philosophical research and writing done outside
the formal academic environment a real possibility for students who do
not choose to pursue graduate degrees usually required for professional
philosophers. Who knows? A great philosopher could be waiting to write
a paradigmatic philosophical work.

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