the philomathean society of the university of pennsylvania is a collegiate literary society, the oldest student group at the university, and a claimant to the title of the oldest continuously-existing literary society in the united states. founded in 1813, its goal is "to promote the learning of its members and to increase the academic prestige of the university." "philomathean" is derived from the greek "philomath", which means "a lover of learning." the motto of the philomathean society is "sic itur ad astra" (latin for "thus we proceed to the stars"").