Dear Curious Souls,
We're gearing up for our second Existentialism workshop, where we'll dive deeper into the thought of Friedrich Nietzsche.  We'll be reading from his Genealogy of Morals, and investigating where different moral values come from and what kinds of life they support.

In his Genealogy, the great unmasker interprets what he calls "noble" and "slave" moralities, tracing back the physiological and psychological energies that motivate them.  The text gets us to ask ourselves, perhaps for the first time: What is the value of my values? Are they encouraging me to become stronger and overcome my weaknesses? Do they pave a path of creativity? Do they help me to love life? Or might they be an expression of my fatigue? Do I use them as a kind of crutch to compensate for my weaknesses? Are they a sign of my jealousy or resentment?  We will also follow Nietzsche in unpacking the origin of responsibility, the experience of guilt, and the function of punishment. Get ready for a radical new perspective!

I hope to see you at our next workshop!

Come with us to:

• Examine the value of your values
• Rethink the purpose and effects of guilt
• Unmask the meaning of different moral ideals

Three Saturday afternoons, November 4, 11, 18, 2017
2:30-4:30 p.m. at World Cup Coffee, 1740 NW Glisan, Portland, OR
Learn more and register for our second existentialism workshop on Nietzsche.

Dear Curious Souls,
I'm excited to announce our next round of workshops on Existentialism! We will continue our theme of studying thinkers that see philosophy as a way of life, and finding ways to apply their insights to our daily practices.

In our introductory workshop on existentialism we will consider our  freedom and responsibility to create meaning and purpose in life. We will also consider the open ended nature of personal identity, and the way we "become who we are" through our actions.   

After developing the major themes of existentialism, we will turn to Friedrich Nietzsche, godfather of the existential tradition, radical philosopher, and genius psychologist.  We will grapple with his announcement of the death of God and his warning about the threat of nihilism.  We will also consider how we can become great artists and affirmers of life.  Finally, we will work through Nietzsche's notion that all knowledge is perspectival, and that "there are no facts, only interpretations."  This is of special contemporary relevance, as we've started to hear in the news that we are living in a post-truth, post-fact world.  Is Nietzsche's critique of pure, non-interpretive objectivity behind it? Is there still room for some form of objectivity in Nietzsche's perspectivism ? What might that look like? Let's try to figure it out.

I hope to see you at the next workshop!

Join us to:

• Try on for size living without absolutes (e.g., absolute meaning, absolute purpose, absolute truth, absolute good and bad).
• Begin to uncover the perspective behind your own beliefs (i.e., where did these beliefs come from, and what do they serve?).
• Consider the meaning and purpose you might make for yourself
• Experiment with affirming all of life

Saturdays: Oct. 14, 21, 28 (2:30-4:30) at Palio Espresso and Dessert House in SE Portland.
Learn more and register for our existentialism workshops.