Blackheath Philosophy Forum was conceived in 2002 by Lis Bastian, then a newcomer to Blackheath, in conjunction with two long-time residents: Peter Baldwin, a former member of Federal Parliament, and Jean Curthoys, formerly Senior Lecturer in the Philosophy Department of the University of Sydney. They were interested in holding regular discussion forums on philosophical topics. Foundation members of the Forum committee were Carl Harrison-Ford and Barbara Hilliard. They were later joined by John Stephenson, Jim Silkman and Vera Hartley. Peter Baldwin acted as the Chair of the Forum until he stood down in 2005. Babette Smith replaced him as Chair. Trish Davies and Sandra Darroch joined the committee in 2005. Members of the committee come from a variety of backgrounds. Some have a background in academic philosophy, others do not. What we have in common is an abiding interest in the subject, and a commitment to making its insights and debates available to a wide audience.