In Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography he describes a group he
created called the Junto: I should have mentioned before, that,
in the autumn of the preceding year,  I had form'd most of my
ingenious acquaintance into a club of mutual improvement, which
we called the Junto; we met on Friday evenings. The rules that I
drew up required that every member, in his turn, should produce
one or more queries on any point of Morals, Politics, or Natural
Philosophy, to be discuss'd by the company; and once in three
months produce and read an essay of his own writing, on any
subject he pleased. Our debates were to be under the direction
of a president, and to be conducted in the sincere spirit of
inquiry after truth, without fondness for dispute or desire of
victory; and to prevent warmth, all expressions of positiveness
in opinions, or direct contradiction, were after some time made
contraband, and prohibited under small pecuniary penalties. I
usually teach the Autobiography once a year and I always make a
point of emphasi