To set up or to join a thinking club there is only one qualification. That single qualification is motivation. You have got to be interested in thinking and you have got to want to do something about it.

There are many organizations which you cannot join unless you have the right degree or certificate or IQ level. This is not the case with the thinking clubs. Anyone may join if he or she is sufficiently motivated. In fact this makes things rather more difficult since genuine motivation is rare.

There are many people who say they are interested in thinking in a general sort of way but are not prepared to do very much about it. Motivation can be tested in two very practical ways. The first way is the 'cash-value' of that interest. Would you be prepared to spend the price of a cigarette every week on that activity? What about the price of a pack of cigarettes? What about the price of a meal out or an evening's entertainment? Any person can test his own motivation in that way.

The second test of motivation is to assess the 'priority-value' of an interest. Does that interest take precedence over other things? Would you make a point of going to a thinking club meeting on a regular basis, or only if there was nothing better to do that evening? At this point it is easy to see that although motivation is a qualification that is open to everyone, it is rather difficult qualification.

The purpose of the thinking club is to provide a time and a place for the enjoyment and practice of thinking. The formality of the occasion is the main advantage. Everyone knows what they are there or - otherwise they should not be there.