CIPHER Retreat June 2003

CIPHER (the Center for Insight into Philosophic Health, Education and Renewal) will hold its fifth philosophical retreat later this month, scheduled to run from Monday afternoon, June 23rd through Friday morning, June 27th, 2003. The program will consist of a series of four discussion/sharing sessions on the topic:

Teaching Kant Creatively

Unlike the previous four retreats, this one will not center around any specified text. Moreover, all participants will be expected to be engaged in either teaching or research on Kant’s philosophy and to have ideas to share about the topic. For this reason, most of the retreat time will be “open”, on the assumption that participants will use this free time to read, reflect, or write on their own individual research projects. Some time can also be devoted to other leisure activities, including local sight-seeing, forest walks, etc., provided participants do not regard their stay as merely an excuse for an inexpensive vacation!

The four organized discussion sessions (required) will be held each evening and will focus (roughly) on the following themes:

Monday: Kant's biography, and development up to the first Critique

Tuesday: Critique of Pure Reason

Wednesday: The second and third Critiques

Thursday: Later religious and political writings

In order to insure participation in these sessions, all participants should arrive between noon and 6pm on Monday the 23rd and depart sometime on Friday morning, the 27th.

Aside from making a fair contribution to food costs and other minimal expenses, there are no fees for participation in the retreat.

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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 home page located at

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

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CIPHER retreats are held on a 10-acre parcel of forestland near Mendocino, California, five miles from the Pacific Ocean, and roughly four hours (by car) from San Francisco International airport. 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

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 participating in the entire retreat, which will begin with a 6pm dinner on Monday the 23rd and end with breakfast on Friday the 27th.

In selecting participants, the organizer will take into consideration the following factors: (1) experience teaching Kant, (2) evidence of research interests relating to Kant, (3) innovative ideas on how to teach Kant, and (4) order of receipt of application. 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.

As of the date shown below, there are still several places open, so anyone wishing to be considered for a place may contact the organizer (Steve Palmquist) at stevepq@hkbu.edu.hk. Please send a brief description of your relevant teaching experience and research interests, along with a statement specifying at least one innovative idea you have regarding the teaching of Kant.

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This page was placed on the web on June 8, 2003.

Return to the CIPHER home page.

Return to Steve Palmquist’s home page.