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In 1999 the book "De terugkeer van de mens uit de ban van het cartesiaanse denken" (The return of man, freed from Cartesian thinking) was published by Boekencentrum, Zoetermeer, The Netherlands. Initiators and editors were Jan Willem Kirpestein and Bart Gijsbertsen. Sixteen people from various sectors in society describe the increasing superficiality in their field, but also relate their attempts to find new methods to combat loss of depth and increased nihilism. Contributors are e.g. Prof. A. van den Beukel: Wetenschap is niet alles (Science is not everything), Dr M. van Kalmhout: Het verdwijnen van de mens uit de psychologie (The disappearance of man from psychology), Dr C.P. Boele: Het metafysisch vacuüm in de economie (The metaphysical vacuum in economics), Dr A. Klink: Het uithoudingsvermogen van burgerzin (The endurance of the civic spirit) and Prof. A.C. Zijderveld: Universitaire waarden en deugden (Academic values and virtues). A large number of disciplines e.g. philosophy, economics, politics, health care, theology, psychology, law, music, natural science, is apparently being faced with one and the same question: how can we regain the human condition and how can a sense of wonder be recovered. After presenting an anthology from the work of the Jewish philosopher Abraham Joshua Heschel, the editors close with an appeal:
A movement will have to be set in motion, from within or from above, which will make people refuse to get locked up in systems detrimental to human nature. This requires a willingness for reflection and spiritual awakening.
Systems, models and methods are in essence merely tools to help us manage our existence. They must not have absolute authority. Human nature is more substantial and elusive. We shall have to remain aware of that fact.
The systems we have created will not grant us an opportunity to return to human standards. We shall have to take the matter into our own hands. We ourselves can opt for a course of action enabling us again to become human among humans.
Book and Appeal were presented at a Symposium at the Erasmus Universiteit in Rotterdam, The Netherlands on 3 June 1999. Three brief lectures were given. Prof. E.M.H. Hirsch Ballin, lawyer, spoke about `What does a human being need?`. Prof. A.C. Zijderveld, sociologist, about `Institutions and anthropological necessity`. And Dr H. Vreekamp, theologian, about `The return of homo timens`. The philosopher Dr Jan Bor opened the discussion. His reaction showed that it is anything but easy to comprehend other people`s language and intentions The symposium ended off with two questions:
"Is it possible to look beyond linguistic barriers?"
and
"Is a genuine encounter between people with different traditions and languages conceivable?"
After the Symposium a number of people came to agree upon the need for an existential dialogue
from heart to heart between representatives from the different philosophies of life. Among them were Prof. Ilse Bulhof, philosopher, and Dr Herman Wijffels, chairman of the Socio-Economic Coucil of the Netherlands.
Jan Willem Kirpestein and Bart Gijsbertsen went to Tübingen, Germany, for a meeting with Hans Küng about his Stiftung Weltethos (Global Ethic Foundation). This meeting boosted the idea for an independent Foundation in The Netherlands to devote itself to the creation of a global network to encourage encounter between people. An encounter between people who, while drawing from the source of their own traditions, are willing to listen to and learn from others. Board and Advisory Committee were set up and on Friday 28 April 2000 the organisation was statutory founded.
Encounter organised its first main conference titled 'Diving into the Deep: Towards a Mutual Understanding' in November 2002. During this conference it became clear how powerful it could be when 'Captains of Influence' dare to enter into dialogue from a personal, often spiritual, engagement. |
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