Camp Zero: Philosophy Camp

Hosted by Stuart Smithers, David Shapiro, Carl Lehmann-Haupt
Rubicon Foundation's annual philosophy, yoga, and meditation retreat is led by professors Stuart Smithers and David Shapiro. The name "Camp Zero" comes as a double reference: as philosophers, we constantly return to the fact that we begin with nothing, discarding all our current "knowledge" in favor of expanding questions. The "Zero" also refers to the Zen enso the calligraphic form symbolizing non-duality and Being, loosely. Camp Zero pits its students against challenging authors, including Kierkegaard, Rilke, Marcus Aurelius, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Emerson, Plato, Parmenides, Levinas, and Heidegger. Discussions are conducted freely, with no results, rules or techniques expected. The rural environment, daily yoga, and guided meditation shade the conversations, as well.