CIPHER Retreat July 2002

CIPHER (the Center for Insight into Philosophic Health, Education and Renewal) will hold its fourth philosophical retreat from Sunday afternoon, July 14th through Wednesday afternoon, July 17th. It will consist of a series of reading/discussion sessions on the topic:

Rethinking Kant’s Philosophy of Religion

The text for the ten reading/discussion sessions will be the First Part of Immanuel Kant’s book, Conflict of the Faculties, tr. Mary Gregor (New York: Abaris Books, 1979). No prior reading is necessary. Copies of the selections will be provided upon arrival to all participants who are unable to bring along a copy of the book.

No meetings will be planned for Monday and Tuesday afternoons. Participants may use these two four hour periods to sight-see along the beautiful Mendocino Coast, to walk in the forest on (and beyond) the property, to do personal reading/writing, or (for those positively inclined toward manual labor) to assist with one of several on-going development projects on the property.

This retreat is intended mainly for contributors to the forthcoming book, Kant’s Philosophy of Religion Reconsidered—Again (ed. Christopher Firestone and Stephen Palmquist). However, if space is still available after all interested contributors have signed up, others interested in an in depth study of Kant’s text will also be invited to attend.

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CIPHER retreats are held on a 10-acre parcel of forestland near Mendocino, California, five miles from the Pacific Ocean. For a detailed “Photo Tour” of the grounds, see

http://www.hkbu.edu.hk/~ppp/CIPHER/phototour.htm

Further description of the facilities can be found at

http://www.hkbu.edu.hk/~ppp/CIPHER/facilities.html

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Due to the limited facilities in this early stage of the retreat center’s development, this retreat will be limited to a maximum of twelve participants, selected by invitation of the organizer. Participants will be expected to commit themselves to participate in the entire retreat, which will begin with a 5:30pm dinner on Sunday the 14th of July and end with dinner on Wednesday the 17th. A tentative schedule of meetings is given at:

http://www.hkbu.edu.hk/~ppp/CIPHER/0207schedule.htm

All participants should be (1) in good physical condition (as the terrain is somewhat mountainous), (2) interested in exploring Kant’s philosophy of religion in depth, and (3) aware of and/or open to the spiritual side of life. Participants with special dietary preferences should make these known when applying to attend. All structures are smoke-free: smokers are asked to limit their smoking to outdoor areas and to exercise adequate respect for the comfort of non-smokers.

Anyone wishing to be considered for a place may contact the organizer (Steve Palmquist) at stevepq@hkbu.edu.hk. If you have not already been invited to contribute to the book, please send a brief description of your background, along with a statement explaining the reason(s) you wish to participate in this retreat, whether or not you would be interested in writing a paper for the book (deadline July 31st, 2002), and (if so) on what topic.

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CIPHER is an organization originally conceived in late 1997, as a response to various ideas presented at the Third International Conference on Philosophical Practice, held in New York in July of that year. Its purpose is to sponsor retreats aimed at encouraging balanced personal growth through reflective reading and discussion. 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 more details on the original nature and purpose of CIPHER, see the (now somewhat outdated) home page located at

http://www.hkbu.edu.hk/~ppp/CIPHER/

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Return to Steve Palmquist’s home page.