The New Philosophy Lehrhaus
It's time for a learning that no longer begins in books and leads to life, but begins in life, and leads … who knows where?
A new learning, said the Jewish philosopher Franz Rosenzweig, is about to be born - rather, it has already been born.
It is a learning in reverse order, he said. A learning that no longer starts from the Torah and leads into life, but the other way round: from life, from a world that knows nothing of the Law, or pretends to know nothing, back to the Torah.
And thus was the Freie Judische Lehrhaus (Free Jewish House of Learning) launched in October, 1920.
The Lehrhaus was Rosenzweig’s attempt at creating the conditions and the space that would allow the new learning to emerge. It was short-lived but immensely successful. From a standing start, it grew to 1100 students by 1923, and it engaged teachers such as Martin Buber, Gershom Scholem, Leo Strauss, Erich Fromm, and Marc Chagall.
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I am writing to announce the launch of the New Philosophy Lehrhaus.
What is this funny sounding thing?
Well, on one level, the New Philosophy Lehrhaus is a program of happenings - groups, one-off events, courses. (Some details below, and more in emails to come).
On another, the New Philosophy Lehrhaus is a community. I’ve set up an online infrastructure (a forum, basically, with some bells and whistles). As soon as you participate in a Lehrhaus event, you get a link to join the community.
And on yet another, the Lehrhaus is a dream. It is a dream of a space in which a form of love is practised - the love that arises when people truly listen to each other, when they are present to each other, when they come together to search for truth and wisdom about things that matter.
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Here’s the program as it currently stands:
- The salon (possibly 2, depending on interest and if I can find the time)
- Magic sessions season 2
- A reading group on Charles Taylor’s Sources of the Self
- A course on ‘The Global and the Local’, offered by Bharath Vallabha, a former professor of philosophy
There will likely be 1-2 things added to this soon, I’ll keep you posted.
I’ve also started a public calendar that a) I hope works and b) will fill up with more dates and events: https://tinyurl.com/c3zp5s7p
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Over the next few weeks, I’ll write with more details and announcements. There will be more information about the various events and opportunities to sign up for them.
But even before then, please do email me if you’re interested in participating in any of the events I mentioned - the earlier you say so, the more likely you will be to get a place.
It’s kind of mental, really. I think we might be founding a university?
