OUR HISTORY
In 1876 Felix Adler founded the Ethical Culture Movement which proclaimed a vision of humanity united in common concern for ethical values. Our Ethical Societies are fellowships of people who seek a clarification of the values of life and a faith to live by. We cherish freedom of the mind and freedom of conscience. We assert the autonomy of ethics while we tolerate a plurality of philosophies.
Meetings of the Brooklyn Society began in 1905, formally organized with Leslie Sprague as leader in 1906, and incorporated on March 30, 1907. Ralph Jonas, a prominent Brooklyn attorney who had attended the New York Society, was a leader among the lay members that started the new group and was also a founder of Long Island University and the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce. In 1922, Leader Henry Neumann and his wife Julie founded Brooklyn Ethical Culture School.
OUR PHILOSOPHY
We believe all individuals have inherent worth and dignity, the potential to grow and change, a responsibility to strive for ethical growth, and a responsibility to create a better world.As an Ethical Community we are all part of something that transcends the individual experience and are enriched through our relationships with others. As such, we have responsibilities to each other, to the Society, and to the community.
