The Hyperborean School of Phenomenology
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The Hyperborean School of Phenomenology
Zurück zum Anfang - Back to the Beginning
Every school needs an identity that unites and captures the spirit of the pedagogical community. Phenomenology, Husserl insists, is a science of essences (εἶδος). We are the Hperboreans (ὑπερβÏŒρεοι) that dwell far from the natural world and matters of fact. We take up a radical and new way of thinking to breathe the rarified air of suspension, abstraction, universality, and necessity.
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The Hyperborean School of Phenomenology is an in-person and zoom online course of five classes offered in the Seattle area during the Spring and early Summer of 2024. All are welcome, but the course is specifically targeted for those who want to fully engage with the philosophy of Edmund Husserl and to dive deep into Phenomenological methods and analysis. We will go back to the fundamental task of Phenomenology as envisioned by Husserl.
The guiding spirit of the school is a collaborative, scientific community of phenomenological researchers, all seeking to understand, utilize, and expand the idea of Phenomenology as a science. The goal is not only to learn, but to create and produce something lasting for others who are interested in Phenomenology. The primary text for the course is Husserl’s Ideas Pertaining to a Pure Phenomenology and to a Phenomenological Philosophy: First Book: General Introduction to a Pure Phenomenology (Ideen zu einer Reinen Phänomenologie und Phänomenologischen Philosophie: Erstes Buch: Allgemeine Einführung in die Reine Phänomenologie), published in 1913 and intended as an original introduction to Phenomenology. Each participant will also select a second Husserlian text to compliment the discussion of concepts and methods found in the primary text. This will allow us to crowd source a wide range of texts from the collected works. The final class session is dedicated to Phenomenological Contributions from participants that will apply phenomenological methods, technical language, and intentional analysis to specific mental activities.
Join me for this exploration of arguably the most important philosophical movement of the 20th century that resonates to this day. The Hyperborean School of Phenomenology is not affiliated with any other educational institution and all classes are offered free of charge.
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About Dennis
BA in Philosophy from the University of Missouri 1975
I attended the University of Missouri to study Journalism but somehow ended up with a degree in Philosophy. The prevalent Philosophical consensus taught at that time was Logical Positivism and the Analytic tradition. Reading the works of Wittgentstein, Quine, and A.J. Ayers just did not resonate with me. I was much more interested in ancient Greek philosophy, and the writings of Plato, Descartes, the British Empiricists Hume and Berkeley, as well as Hegel and Nietzche. I was introduced to Phenomenology and the texts of Edmund Husserl by my advisor Professor Joseph Bien. Husserl has been a life-long companion ever since.
MA in Philosophy from the University of Kentucky 1979
I attended the University of Kentucky in the fall of 1975 to study Husserlian Phenomenology under the mentorship of Professor Ronald Bruzina. Professor Bruzina was a highly respected scholar well known for his writings on Husserl and his collaboration with one of his assistants, Eugen Fink. Dr. Bruzina also introduced me to Martin Heidegger's Being and Time, but that is another story. I took a two-year hiatus from my graduate studies and returned to Missouri to get married and support my wife while she finished up her graduate studies. I returned to Lexington and finished up my degree in 1979.
Professional life
My wife and I moved to Seattle, sight unseen, in the Fall of 1979. We drove into town and were immediately drawn to the Space Needle. That first night we took the elevator to the top and had dinner in a restaurant that rotated with a glittering 360-degree view of the city and Puget Sound. We knew we had made the right choice. Of course, two days later we were rummaging between the car seats to scrounge up enough change to buy a couple of burgers and an order of fries at Dick's Drive-In, an iconic Seattle burger joint. New beginnings are always an adventure. We raised a family, and I developed a career in computing, eventually starting my own computer programming business developing information systems for corporate and government entities in the Pacific Northwest. I finished my career working for King County Information Technology. As it turns out, a degree in philosophy has practical value after all!
Husserl Studies
My professional life provided me with the means and the opportunity to pursue my interest in Phenomenology. I have attended seminars and conferences at the Center for Subjectivity Research in Copenhagen, the Husserl Archives in Köln, Kent State University, the University of Guelph, Freiburg University, and others. More than that, I have just continued to read, study, and engage with Husserl's work. Now that I am retired, I have the opportunity to share what I have learned with others.