Having served on the distinguished fellows nominating committee in the  
past, I can report without betraying any confidences that  
 
1. A whole host of criteria of evaluation can and do come into play in the  
committee's deliberations, among them  
 
a. Past scholarly work in the history of thought 
b. Past participation in the Society 
c. Promotion of knowledge and appreciation of the history of thought 
d. Training of students who go on to contribute to the history of thought  
 
 2. Committee members are often split on what weights to give to these  
criteria, and discussions about this are often spirited affairs. Getting 3  
past presidents of the Society to agree on anything is often difficult, as  
virtually all of them have strong opinions not just about the candidates  
but about their own  objectivity, intelligence,  and good sense.  
 
Bruce Caldwell