Cogito Ergo Convenire ...

The big question facing philosophy clubs is what kind of impact they can hope to have on our society. How can they exert the kind of influence of their 19th-century counterparts?
It is perhaps no accident that such clubs flourish during periods of economic and moral crisis. There’s a sense that the ruling elite can no longer be trusted to know where it’s going, so citizens have to become more active.

Gee, I thought the ruling elite was all over it.