Joining the Masons for intellectual discourse sounds a few centuries out of date. During the Enlightenment, Masonic lodges were rife with radical debate about science, philosophy, human rights and more perfect forms of government, though these days they’re mostly for elderly conservative small businessmen in provincial towns. (You even have to swear to believe in a supreme being to be a Mason, though someone apparently fudge this by defining a supreme being in a circular fashion.)
Joining the Masons for intellectual discourse sounds a few centuries out of date. During the Enlightenment, Masonic lodges were rife with radical debate about science, philosophy, human rights and more perfect forms of government, though these days they’re mostly for elderly conservative small businessmen in provincial towns. (You even have to swear to believe in a supreme being to be a Mason, though someone apparently fudge this by defining a supreme being in a circular fashion.)
I can assure you that the Masons are still primarily focused on intellectual discussion.