Curiosity doesn't need credentials.
Expertise matters. But compelling questions can come from an academic laboratory, a workshop, a kitchen, or somebody's garage.
MERIDIAN / THE MISSION
A society,
not a specialty.
Built around independent inquiry and a conviction that life's more interesting when you share the discoveries.
WORKING FOUNDING PRINCIPLESMAXIMIZE WONDER. MAXIMIZE RIGOR.
✧WHAT WE'RE HERE
TO ACCOMPLISH.
TO ACCOMPLISH.
Advance knowledge.
Enjoy the pursuit.
Meridian's working mission is to advance knowledge through independent, interdisciplinary research, exploration, publication, and public education.
But that mission doesn't require us to be solemn about it. We're also building a place for the pleasure of learning alongside other curious people—on a trail, around a table, in a workshop, or eventually at our own bar.
Research and sociability are not competing priorities. For Meridian, they're the two halves of the proposition.
Neither does expertise excuse sloppy work.
Show your sources, distinguish observation from inference, and make it possible for someone else to tell you you're wrong.
The work belongs in public.
Our aspiration is open research, clear methods, accessible publications, and an editorial process worthy of trust.
Take the work seriously. Not yourself.
Arguments should be thoughtful, disagreements should be generous, and the person beside you should be more interesting than their business card.
Interesting work
is a social act.
A good society should give its members something worth thinking about and somewhere they actually want to be.
A public lecture, a lively salon, a small research grant, a weekend campout, a meal reconstructed from ancient sources, a machine shop open late: different expressions of the same curiosity.
We don't intend to turn Meridian into a gatekept credential society. We're interested in people who are curious, capable, generous with what they know, and willing to learn what they don't.
Explore the social side ↗
WHAT A SOCIETY COULD FEEL LIKEOUR NEXT CHAPTER IS UNWRITTENHelp us make
Help us make
it interesting.
Meridian remains in formation. Its corporate structure, membership program and permanent venue have not been finalized. We're beginning with the work, the programs, and the people.
Join the founding list ↗