Most philosophers would agree that philosophy is an activity to be "done", a skill to be practiced, rather than merely a set of ideas or theories to be memorized. The philosophers who contribute to this web site, however, go a step further by actually developing non-academic applications for a discipline that has for too long been regarded by many people as purely academic.
Because philosophers are free-thinkers, they tend to be relatively slow to agree with each other and fast to come up with their own original approaches to solving problems. As a result, this web site cannot claim to reduce all philosophical practice to one common denominator or universal formula, nor does it exclude new and as yet unexplored applications. Instead, it presents information about a wide variety of "centers" where philosophy is currently being practised in unique ways. These centers range in character from professional/academic associations devoted to various types of philosophical practice to individual initiatives to use philosophy in the service of counseling, drug rehabilitation, primary and secondary school education, beautification, religious or spiritual growth, etc.
To register at this web site, a philosopher or philosophical organization does not need to affirm any specific creed or code (i.e., a set of theoretical or practical principles defining what it means to practice philosophy), though registration does implicitly require a commitment to viewing philosophy as primarily a practical activity and an active intention to put this idea into practice. If you and/or an organization you represent fit(s) this description, please register here as a "cipher" (i.e., as an individual and/or social "center" for philosophical practice) by simply completing the online form we have designed for that purpose. But please read the information on this page first, to be sure you are willing to be affiliated with CIPHER. You may also wish to browse through the pages already listed on the Register, to see what other philosophers are doing in their CIPHERs.
1. "Cipher" can mean "zero" (as in, the empty point that stands in the very center, or origin, of the number line, between the infinite set of positive numbers and the infinite set of negative numbers); and it can refer to a person or thing that is or functions like a "zero"--i.e., a "nonentity" or a person/thing of no significance. By extension, the word "cipher" is also sometimes used to refer to any of the Arabic numerals. This may be because the zero is the one Arabic numeral that does not have an equivalent in the Roman numeral system.
2. A "cipher" is also a method of transformation, especially one that transforms a text from a known language into a secret code, so that its true meaning can be concealed from the untrained eye. The transformed (coded) message is also sometimes called a "cipher".
3. As a verb, "to cipher" (or more commonly, "to encipher") means to compute arithmetically. This meaning combines the mathematical connotations of the first meaning ("zero" being a number, albeit the only "empty" one) with the transformative denotation of the second meaning (an arithmetic equation being like a secret code, until the equation is "solved").
These definitions might at first sight seem irrelevant, or even counter-productive, to the practice of philosophy. However, with a little imagination, their significance for the philosophical practitioner should become clear (see the following section).
1. Just as the cipher (zero) is situated at the center of the number line, so also is this web site intended to serve as an international focal-point of the movement commonly known as "philosophical practice". And just as the cipher is (literally) nothing without the other numbers, so also the CIPHER web site is nothing without all of the participants. Just as each numeral can also be called a cipher, so also can each philosopher or philosophical society/organization described here be regarded, just as genuinely, as the center of the movement. The first word in the web site's title is therefore "Centers", not "Center".
2. The "I" stands for "Insight" because this term represents a goal that nearly all philosophers share. Just as insight is needed in order to cipher and decipher a code, so also the task of practicing philosophy can put the philosopher in highly perplexing situations that require deep insight. Another good "I" term, used by many philosophical practitioners, would be "Inquiry". However, this term is narrower and less specifically philosophical than "insight", for any genuine insight will be philosophical, yet there are many forms of inquiry that are quite opposed to philosophy. Ideally, the two should work together. To paraphrase Kant: inquiry without insight is blind; insight without inquiry is empty.
3. The term "Philosophic" is easy to overlook, on the assumption that we all know what it means, but very difficult to define. The word itself comes from Greek words meaning "love of wisdom". "Wisdom", in turn, is normally taken to refer to the ability to put knowledge into practice. Philosophers who take this broad, classical definition seriously often tend to regard philosophy as (at least potentially) inclusive of many other disciplines, from psychology or religion to politics or even physics. "Philosophical practice" for them is likely to include activities that others would not regard as "philosophical", according to a narrower definition. By registering with CIPHER, a philosopher is not subscribing to one predetermined definition of philosophy; instead, the registration form allows each participant to describe his or her own understanding of philosophical practice.
4. The three remaining words relate to the rather old-fashioned (but still meaningful) tripartite division of human nature into body, soul, and spirit. A "whole" (or philosophically-attuned) person will have or seek to have a healthy body, an educated/educable soul/mind, and a renewed/renewable spirit. Not all philosophical practitioners will be interested in exploring all three of these areas. Indeed, some may regard one or more of them as misleading or even meaningless terms. Even among those who accept all three, most will emphasize one more than the others. But this web site seeks to include as many forms of philosophical practice as possible. Including three such diverse terms in the name makes this goal explicit. One thing common to them all is that philosophical practitioners serve as ciphers in relation to those they attempt to serve. In a counseling situation, for example, the "cipher-like" function of the practitioner may come in the form of being willing to treat one's own beliefs as "nothing" and one's own self as "nobody" in relation to the client. Other philosophical counselors, by contrast, might take a more active role, seeing their task more in terms of helping clients encipher and/or decipher their own belief-system.
2. Email discussion groups. A number of email discussion groups are currently being run by various philosophical practitioners included in the CIPHER Register. Of these, the following are especially relevant to issues of philosophical practice: Lance Fletcher's "Phil-Counsel" list (to subscribe, send a "subscribe Phil-Counsel" message to listserv@freelance.com) and Steve Palmquist's "Philopsychy Society List" (to subscribe, send a "subscribe PPS-L" message to majordomo@listserver.hkbu.edu.hk).
3. Consultations, Conferences, Retreats, etc.. In order to be a genuine "cipher", this CIPHER web site will not be involved in organizing conferences or other modes of group philosophical practice. However, many of the centers run by the philosophical practitioners affiliated with CIPHER do sponsor such activities. Likewise, many of the individual affiliates organize, or are willing to conduct private counseling sessions or group consultations, organize on-location retreats or conferences for those who are interested in making use of their services, etc. For more information, consult individual entries in the CIPHER Register. As the movement progresses, reports on successful retreats will be posted in Section IV of this web site, so that others can benefit from the experience.
4. Journal. Some philosophical practitioners registered with CIPHER are currently considering the possibility of starting a journal for philosophical practice. An etext of the journal may eventually be included as part of the CIPHER web site. Anyone interested in knowing more about this possibility or assisting in it should contact Dennis Polis.
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II. List of philosophers registered with CIPHER
IV. Other information and links of interest to philosophical practitioners
Send comments to Steve Palmquist.
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This page was last updated on 22 June 2002.