The purpose of the Society for Machines and Mentality is to advance philosophical understanding of issues involving artificial intelligence, philosophy, and cognitive science.

Frequently Asked Questions

Categories

• Membership
• Journal Subscriptions
• Paying by Check
• Paying Electronically over the Web

Membership

When I sign up for a yearly membership, what are the dates of my membership?

Membership is for a calendar year, i.e., January 1 through December 31. This applies no matter what the date of your application is. Persons who join in November or December of any year, however, do have the option of specifying whether their membership will apply to the current year or the next year.

How long does it take for a membership application to be processed?

The Treasurer processes membership applications on or around the 15th of each month. If you have given a valid email address on your application, you will be notified by email when your application has been processed.

Journal Subscriptions

When I join the Society under the membership and subscription option, what volume of Minds and Machines do I receive?

You receive the volume for the membership year for which you've joined. For example, members for the 2008 calendar year may elect to receive a subscription to volume 18 of Minds and Machines (the year 2008 volume).

If I send in my membership form today, how long will it be before I receive my journal subscription?

If you have provided a valid email address on your membership form, you will be notified by email when your application has been processed by the Treasurer of the Society for Machines and Mentality. The Treasurer then forwards your information to Springer-Verlag in Heidelberg, where your subscription order will be entered into Springer's computer system. If you haven't received an issue of the journal within 4 weeks of the Treasurer's notification, please contact the Treasurer. (You may contact the Treasurer by using the Society's web contact form.)

May I order back volumes of the journal?

The special Society price of $62 USD per volume is applicable only for the current calendar year's volume and the immediately prior volume. After that, the volume price reverts to the “one year prior” institutional price. Contact the Treasurer of the Society if you wish to order a back volume of the journal. (You may contact the Treasurer by using the Society's web contact form.)

May I order single back issues of the journal?

The cost of a single issue is one-fourth of the institutional volume price; there is no Society discount for single issues. Single issue orders are processed directly by the Springer Distribution Center in Heidelberg <SDC-journals@springer-sbm.com>.

Is an electronic subscription to the journal available?

Individual electronic subscriptions are not available at this time.

Paying by Check

If I choose to pay by check, are there any restrictions on the bank I may use?

Your check must be both (1) drawn in US funds and (2) drawn on a bank with a branch in the USA.

Why do you only accept checks drawn in US funds on a bank with a branch in the USA?

Our bank charges a flat fee to process foreign bank drafts. Unfortunately, the fee works out to a hefty 500% of the yearly membership fee, which just doesn't make economic sense for us (or you!).

Paying Electronically Over the Web

Is a credit card transaction secure?

Yes. We use PayPal to process your credit card transaction. See the PayPal Security Center for detailed information about the security of transactions they perform. The Society never sees your credit card number. The other details of your transaction (namely, the date and amount of the transaction) are only available to us via a secure (https) connection to PayPal. No credit card data are stored on our web server.

Must I have my own PayPal account to pay the Society over the web?

In general, no. If you plan to pay by credit card, you will complete your transaction at PayPal's secure website, but you are not required to open your own PayPal account. If you already have a PayPal account, you can either use your credit card or use your PayPal account to transfer the payment to us.

In certain situations, you may be required to open a PayPal account. See the answer to the next question for more information.

PayPal is not accepting my credit card. What's going on?

There are several possibilities.

1. For people who do not have a verified PayPal account, PayPal places a limit on how much money can be sent using a particular credit card. This limit is tied to the credit card number, not the merchant, so even though your Society transaction is small, if you have performed other credit card transactions through PayPal or eBay, you may have reached this limit. Once the limit is reached, PayPal requires that you create an account and validate your information through them before you can make further payments using that credit card.

2. If your credit card fails address verification or card verification when going through the PayPal checkout process, you cannot complete the order. In order to use the card through PayPal, you will have to create a PayPal account and complete the validation procedures before you will be allowed to make a payment through PayPal.

3. The above are the most common reasons for PayPal rejecting a credit card, but there may be others. Please contact the Treasurer if you have a problem, and I'll look into the situation with PayPal.

What credit cards are accepted?

You may use Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express.

What is the “Shipping & Handling” charge that appears when I perform the PayPal transaction?

Credit card companies charge a merchant (in this case, the Society) a fee for processing a credit card transaction. The fee is a percentage of the total amount of the transaction. The “Shipping & Handling” charge added to your transaction covers the cost of this fee.

How will my Society transaction appear on my credit card bill?

Your transaction will be identified as “PAYPAL * SFMM”.

What is your refund policy?

Memberships in the Society are not refundable. Subscriptions to the journal Minds and Machines at the special member's price are not refundable.

More Questions?

If your question isn't answered on this page, feel free to submit a new question.