CIPHER (the Center for Insight into Philosophic Health, Education and Renewal) will be holding its inaugural retreat to celebrate the beginning of the new millennium. The retreat will take place during the first full week of 2001--from Sunday, January 7th, to Saturday, January 13th--and will consist of a series of reading and discussion/application sessions on the topic:
Nietzsche once predicted it would take 200 years for the world to understand his ideas fully. The year 2001 marks the beginning of the second century after his death, so this is the ideal time to assess our understanding of this great philosopher at the "halfway" point. During the retreat, insights may be drawn from any of Nietzsche's works and/or from any secondary literature known to the participants; but the main focus will be on reading and sharing insights drawn from the content of Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra. If participants agree and are sufficiently motivated, a joint publication of some sort may be produced as a way of documenting and sharing the results of the week's proceedings.
CIPHER is a newly-formed organization sponsoring retreats aimed at encouraging balanced personal growth for all participants. Unlike academic seminars and conferences, the retreats aim at more than just enlightening the intellects of the participants. Complementing this focus on the mind is an emphasis on experiencing insights on the physical and spiritual levels--i.e., encouraging "health" and "renewal", as well as "education". For a more details on the nature and purpose of the center, see the CIPHER home page.
CIPHER retreats are held on a 10-acre parcel of forestland near Mendocino, California, five miles from the Pacific Ocean. A detailed description of the facilities, including photographs can be viewed by clicking on the highlighted words.
This inaugural retreat will be limited to twelve participants, selected by invitation of the organizer. Participants will be expected to commit themselves to participating in the entire retreat, which will probably consist of three group sessions each day, interspersed with free time for reading, on-site work (scholarly or otherwise--including site development for those interested in physical labor), and relaxation. A tentative schedule is given at:
http://www.hkbu.edu.hk/~ppp/CIPHER/0101retreatschedule.html
In selecting participants, the organizer will aim for a diversity of backgrounds. Nietzsche "experts" are unlikely to be invited, since this could stifle the goal of free and open discussion. There are no "minimum requirements" for participation, though participants should be (1) in good physical condition (as the terrain is somewhat mountainous), (2) interested in exploring deep philosophical issues, and (3) aware of and/or open to the spiritual side of life. There are still several places open, so anyone wishing to be considered for a place may contact the organizer at stevepq@hkbu.edu.hk. Please send a brief description of your background, along with a statement explaining the reason(s) you wish to participate in this retreat, what you would hope to gain from it, and what (skills, knowledge, etc.) you believe you could contribute to the group.
The idea of holding philosophical retreats arose as part of the "philosophical practise" movement, whose more well-known manifestations are the emergence of philosophy cafes, philosophical counseling, and consultant philosophers working for (usually big) businesses. The main thrust of this movement is to bring philosophy out of the Academy and back into the "public square". While retreats are not exactly "public", they are more so than academic conferences or seminars, in the sense that they are open to anyone who wishes to engage in open reflection on the topic under consideration.
As announced above, the formal topic of CIPHER's inaugural retreat is Nietzsche's philosophy (focusing on one of his books, probably Thus Spake Zarathustra), its actual influence on the twentieth century, and its projected influence on the coming century. (Thus, we'll seek to understand Nietzsche "halfway".) However, anyone who plans to participate (or is considering the possibility) should keep in mind that the actual topics we discuss are likely to be much more wide-ranging than this. It is, after all, a retreat, not a series of academic seminars. Our main purpose will be to practice philosophy, using Nietzsche as a springboard. Or, to use another metaphor, from Gestalt psychology, Nietzsche will supply us with the "background", while the "figure" that stands out will be supplied by whatever concerns are brought to the retreat by those who attend.
On the first evening of the retreat, participants will be given an opportunity to share their reasons for attending, what they hope to gain from attending the retreat, and any other concerns/issues they hope will be addressed. Although a tentative schedule has been worked out in advance, this will be adaptable by consensus according to the preferences of those who attend. That is, there will not be a rigidly fixed "program"; instead, the facilitator will seek to determine the best way of proceeding by assessing the interests and preferences of those who actually end up attending.
This means participants can expect to do much more than just "talk about Nietzsche". The format will be flexible in the hope that all who attend can practice philosophy in the way they deem most effective. Inevitably, we will have ample periods of philosophical conversation. But at a retreat, participants should feel free to "let their hair down", so to speak, and practice philosophy in less conventional ways as well. Our primary focus on what is sometimes called the "therapy" of philosophical conversation may be supplemented, for example, by recounting dreams (either literally or figuratively), spending time in quiet reflection while walking along the famous Mendocino Headlands or hiking on nearby forest paths, sharing musical talents, experiencing religious enlightenment, exchanging views on practical matters such as counseling techniques, etc. Nobody will be forced to participate in activities they regard as irrelevant or "unphilosophical", but it is hoped that all who attend will do so with a willingness to participate openly in a variety of modes of philosophical practise.