DiscoverGeorgetown UniversityPhilodemic Society
Philodemic Society
Georgetown University
The Philodemic Society is Georgetown’s historic undergraduate debating society, founded in 1830, making it the university’s oldest secular student organization and one of the oldest collegiate debating societies in the United States. Members gather for formal debates covering politics, philosophy, history, culture, ethics, and contemporary issues. Its debates traditionally take place in the Philodemic Room in Healy Hall, a space specifically associated with the society for generations. The organization emphasizes rhetoric, argumentation, public speaking, and intellectual discussion rather than competitive debate alone.