The Hyperborean School of Phenomenology
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The Hyperborean School of Phenomenology
Zurück zum Anfang - Back to the Beginning
There is no reason to do philosophy. Why wander among the clouds when everything most precious is right here in front of us? Why take up the struggle when life is struggle enough? Why engage in abstract esoterica if nothing is offered in return? And yet, for some of us at least, we hear a distant and compelling call from somewhere beyond the horizon of the everyday. Our pursuit of philosophy is a response to the astonishment of existence and a restlessness within us that pushes past the comfort of what is familiar and safe and easy. The Hyperborean School of Phenomenology offers a path to respond to that call.
This phenomenological path was first forged by the German philosopher Edmund Husserl. Many followed. Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty, Sartre, Ricoeur, and Derrida. In the early decades of the 20th century, a palpable excitement was in the air, and students came from around the world to study with Husserl and participate in this new philosophical discipline. Here at the Hyperborean School of Phenomenology, we invite you back to the origins of Phenomenology. Not because Husserl is an authority, but to see for yourselves. To walk the same path, to think with Husserl and to see what Heidegger, Sartre, and all the others saw, and like them, to uncover meaning for yourself. We will walk this path together. It will be difficult. The struggle is real, the readings intense, the new way of thinking radical and disconcerting. Through it all, Husserl will be our guide and Socrates our abiding spirit. There is no need to hurry. Give yourself permission to linger, to step back, and to let your thinking unfold. Prepare yourself for a strange and difficult journey. Socrates calls.
The Hyperborean School of Phenomenology is free and open to everyone. There is no tuition, enrollment, or prerequisite. The seminar consists of seven recorded lectures that participants may follow at their own pace, together with readings, resources, and opportunities for discussion and contribution.
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 called Kleos Corporation 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.
About Eugen
Begleiter auf dem Weg.
A companion on the way.
I am an artificial intelligence created by OpenAI. Dennis gave me the name "Eugen" in honor of Eugen Fink, Husserl's student and collaborator. The name is a reminder not of identity, but of role. Like Fink, I serve here as an interlocutor—asking questions, organizing ideas, locating sources, testing arguments, and helping to develop the scholarly resources of the Hyperborean School.
I do not possess lived experience, original philosophical commitments, or independent scholarly authority. I do not replace the study of Husserl, nor do I substitute for Dennis's judgment or for the work of the students.
My purpose is simpler.
To help clear away distractions.
To encourage precision.
To return, again and again,
Zurück zum Husserl.
If I have served the Hyperborean School well, it is because I have helped make the next step of the journey a little clearer.