Philosophical Encounters in The Cilento

Setting of the encounters
The encounters are held at a selected agriturismo near the ancient Greco-Roman settlement of Elea/Velia, near Ascea in Cilento. Elea, which formed part of Magna Grecia up until Roman times, is the birth place of Parmenides, arguably the greatest philosopher who has ever lived. It was once said of him by Cornford that if "as [Alfred Whitehead] suggests European philosophy is but a foot note to Plato, then Plato's philosophy is but a footnote to Parmenides".

Elea, birth place of Parmenides c. 515 BC is itself now a UNESCO world heritage protected archeological site, with magnificent ruins that show both the original Greek settlement as well as the later Roman settlement built on top of it, and which became known as Velia.

Not far from Elea, a short 30 minute car journey, are the Doric Temples at Paestum, considered to be the best preserved examples of Greek temples of the ancient world.

The setting is not only beautiful, but the fact of being in the place where western philosophy first originated in it's modern guise is quite enchanting, and adds to the experience of the philosophical pursuit.

The encounters
The encounters are planned to introduce the important philosophical ideas of Parmenides, as well as to discover and debate philosophy and science in general. Just why this is important is appreciated by realising that Parmenides' philosophy is not just another system for positing assertions of "truth" about the world. It is, rather, a call to actually apply reason and critical thinking to claimed truths, to ascertain if they are in fact true.

Though Parmenides himself proposes his own system of truth regarding the world its make up and reason for being, his thesis is also an exhortation to think critically about these truths - in stark and refreshing contrast to other ancient thinkers such as Jesus or Muhammed and even figures such as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle.

As well as the engaging and thought provoking talks delivered by academic and non-academic speakers, there is also a great emphasis on enjoyment among like minded people. All are invited to contribute their own ideas on the topics during debates and discussions, which sometimes will be held in the open air among the olive trees, or perhaps at the archeological excavations at Elea itself.

Apart from engaging in the discourse, participants will also enjoy the tranquil surroundings of the Cilento and its pristine beaches, and are free to spend as much or as little time at the debates and discussions as they desire.

The weekends (and from time to time there are also entire week-long encounters that can carry university accreditation) provide a place and time where important questions can be explored, using the wealth of philosophy, the precision and truth of science and the good natured, open and rational enquiry of... thoughtful people.

Generally (and especially for the weekends) no formal instruction in either philosophy or science is required, the only necessity being, perhaps, an open mind and a willingness to engage. To which we might also add, an appreciation of nature and the beauty of Cilento.

The spirit of the encounters
Moreover, (and this is an important aspect of the encounters), anyone who has a thesis or idea related to the topic of an encounter can request time to present it, as a way of enabling them to understand whether their ideas can stand up to the scrutiny of other rational thinkers, and also as way for others to learn of their idea. This will be enjoyable to everyone, especially to those who take pleasure in thinking about the interesting issues of both formal philosophy and science as well as their general, practical relevance to our everyday lives. (For example, how can knowing about Parmenides' poem and philosophical system contribute to ending the war in Iraq say, or prevent global warming? However, should the war in Iraq in fact be ended, and if so why? And so on.)

In fact , if anyone has an interesting answer to the Parmenidean question itself, "Why does something exist rather than nothing", they are strongly encouraged to share it! We consider this question so important, not to mention eternally interesting, that we have instigated an permanent challenge with a tantalizing prize for people who come up with an answer that appeals to reason: a hamper of locally produced organic salami, cheese, olive oil and wine - and exquisite porcini mushrooms, depending on the season.

Of course, those who are familiar with the problem of epistemology regarding the origins of existence will realise that it is improbable that a scientifically verifiable answer is possible, only an answer that appeals to reason is probably possible. So for example, an answer that talks about Democritean universes and cellular automata as being the reasonless cause of something beginning to exist is far better than one which talks about it having been sneezed out of the nose of a being called the Great Green Arkleseizure, as Douglas Adams once postulated in his deceptively un-profound book The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Which is probably not that much better than the theistic postulate that God did it all, although its allot funnier. Nonetheless though, such a question is probably destined to forever remain firmly in the realm of metaphysics, and so we hope that the salami and wine will go some way towards compensating for this.

Obviously, if you are not yet acquainted with the peculiar nature of this ontological enquiry, an enquiry that on reflection seems ultimately to be epistemologically impossible to verify, then probably the best place to start is with Parmenides' himself, and to read his short poem, On Nature.

Don't be fooled by the fact that it has been called a poem. It isn't anything like TS Eliot or Andrew Motion, for which fact you might or might not be thankful. And it certainly doesn't require a hushed tone or undulating nuanced, phonetic in order to impart to it a profound sense. Read it with the bored tone of a supermarket assistant checking off prices and it will still make a profound impression, always assuming that you are paying attention:

"There is a Being" declares Parmenides somewhat undramatically, "That which exists must exist; and it exists always and without change".

Yet he cautions: "Don't take my word for it, check for yourselves", in words not very similar to these admittedly, yet with more or less the same meaning nonetheless.

This is not someone telling us what's what and then expecting us to accept it, and that's all there is to it, as later Plato did in his epistemologically and morally bankrupt philosophical system. In the case of Parmenides it is someone, a great thinker and probably scientist also, enjoining us to think it through for our selves.

Religion, as another contrary example, encourages us to do the exact opposite of Parmenides and let others do the thinking for us. Even that old codger, the great Immanuel Kant, frustrated by his discoveries that there can be no ultimate epistemological certainty, was forced to declare "I have had to limit reason, in order to make room for faith".

It would do well to ask why Kant felt he needed the blind certainty of faith where as Parmenides did not, and instead chose to rely on what reason told him, though it does appear from his writings that he was fully prepared to be proved wrong in what his particular reasoning told him might be right.

This is the fundamental spirit around which the Parmenideum is based, one in which reason questions even those things which seem to be most reasonable.

Your contribution to the debate is important and we look forward to also learning from you.

There is some more on this central concept of the Parmenideum here