The Pari Center for New Learning is a non-profit educational center located in the village of Pari in

Civitella Paganico Civitella Paganico is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Grosseto in the Italian region Tuscany. It features agricultural land, the main economy of the region, interspersed with dense forest. It is home to a variety of plant and an ...

of the

Province of Grosseto The province of Grosseto ( it, links=no, provincia di Grosseto) is a province in the Tuscany region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Grosseto. As of 2013 the province had a total population of 225,098 people. Geography The Province of Gro ...

, Italy. The center was directed by F. David Peat, who co-authored the book ''

Science, Order, and Creativity ''Science, Order, and Creativity'' is a book by theoretical physicist David Bohm and physicist and writer F. David Peat. It was originally published 1987 by Bantam Books, USA, then 1989 in Great Britain by Routledge. The second edition, published ...

'' with theoretical physicist

David Bohm David Joseph Bohm (; 20 December 1917 – 27 October 1992) was an American-Brazilian-British scientist who has been described as one of the most significant theoretical physicists of the 20th centuryPeat 1997, pp. 316-317 and who contributed ...

. The center has hosted, with the support of its renowned ''fellows'' from

academia An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...

and the arts, the academy ''Accademia dei Pari''. It hosts international conferences on the role of trust and ethics in the world of economics and business, and conferences on the relationship between religion and science.

Origin and aims

It was created by F. David Peat and Maureen Doolan in 2000, with the support and assistance of external advisors, of the people of Pari, of Pari's village association Sette Colli and of the ''comune di Civitella-Paganico''. The center is dedicated to education, learning and research and fosters an interdisciplinary approach linking science, the arts, ethics and spirituality. Above all, the Pari Center for New Learning is dedicated to the principle of "the

spirit of place Spirit of place (or soul) refers to the unique, distinctive and cherished aspects of a place; often those celebrated by artists and writers, but also those cherished in folk tales, festivals and celebrations. It is thus as much in the invisible ...

".The Pari Center for New Learning
(downloaded 17 March 2012) Its location in a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

village provides a setting for visitors of the center to pause and think about the future and the values, meaning and direction of contemporary society. The founders intend the wooded countryside and traditional farming methods in the surroundings of the center to draw attention to the importance of

ecological Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps wi ...

considerations in comparison to progress and

consumerism Consumerism is a social and economic order that encourages the acquisition of goods and services in ever-increasing amounts. With the Industrial Revolution, but particularly in the 20th century, mass production led to overproduction—the su ...

. The Pari Center takes a "gentle" approach to learning, emphasizing human interaction in simple, pleasant surroundings without the intrusion of unnecessary technology. The underlying philosophy and approach is that of '' Gentle Action'' laid out in the book by David Peat of the same title.

Activities

The center's activities include residential courses and conferences that reflect the Center's philosophy, opportunities for scholars and researchers to spend extended periods in Pari as well as

mentoring Mentorship is the influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the personal and p ...

given by David Peat and other members of the Center's faculty. The center hosts several courses or seminars every year. It has hosted the ''Accademia dei Pari'', the name of which has a double meaning in Italian language, signifying both the ''academy of the people of Pari'' and ''the academy of equals''. The fellows of the academy include theoretical physicist

Basil Hiley Basil J. Hiley (born 1935), is a British quantum physicist and professor emeritus of the University of London. Long-time colleague of David Bohm, Hiley is known for his work with Bohm on implicate orders and for his work on algebraic descriptio ...

who collaborated over decades with David Bohm, art historian

Deborah Klimburg-Salter Deborah Klimburg-Salter is an art historian and emeritus professor for non-European art history at the Department of Art History of the University of Vienna. She was also director of the research platforCenter for Research and Documentation of In ...

who has studied the impact of the Sanghata Sutra, theoretical physicist Ignazio Licata, astronomer and space scientist

Roger Malina Roger Malina (born July 6, 1950) is an American physicist, astronomer, Executive Editor of ''Leonardo Publications'' by Leonardo, the International Society of Arts, Sciences and Technology (published by MIT Press) and distinguished professor of a ...

, physicist

Roy McWeeny Roy McWeeny (19 May 1924 – 29 April 2021) was a British academic physicist and chemist. McWeeny was born in Bradford, Yorkshire in May 1924. His first degree was in physics from the University of Leeds. He then obtained a D.Phil. in mathematic ...

and

Paavo Pylkkänen Paavo Pylkkänen (born 1959) is a Finnish philosopher of mind. He is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Skövde and a university lecturer in theoretical philosophy at the University of Helsinki. He is known for his work on m ...

who has published articles on

consciousness Consciousness, at its simplest, is sentience and awareness of internal and external existence. However, the lack of definitions has led to millennia of analyses, explanations and debates by philosophers, theologians, linguisticians, and scien ...

with Basil Hiley. It has run international conferences on the role of trust and ethics in the world of economics and business as well as conferences on the

relationship between religion and science The relationship between religion and science involves discussions that interconnect the study of the natural world, history, philosophy, and theology. Even though the ancient and medieval worlds did not have conceptions resembling the modern u ...

; one of these is documented in the book ''The Pari Dialogues: Essays in Science, Religion, Society and the Arts'' of 2008 by F. David Peat. In June 2008, the Pari Center for New Learning hosted a conference on ''The Legacy of David Bohm'', which included many collaborators and early students of Bohm as participants. Along with organisations in Berlin, London, Stockholm, Tromso and Lisbon, the Pari Center for New Learning is partner in the project ''UniGrowCity'', for which it hosted a members' meeting in November 2011. The project, intended to address experienced-based learning for a more

sustainable city The sustainable city, eco-city, or green city is a city designed with consideration for social, economic, environmental impact (commonly referred to as the triple bottom line), and resilient habitat for existing populations, without compromisi ...

of the future, was initiated by six organisations in six European countries and is part of the

Grundtvig programme The Grundtvig programme is a European funding programme that is part of the European Commission’s Lifelong Learning Programme 2007–2013 and aims to strengthen the European dimension in adult education and lifelong learning across Europe. The pr ...

on adult education. The center is associated with ''Pari Publishing'', a small

publishing house Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...

specialized in science, religion, society, psychology, linguistics and the arts, managed by Eleanor Peat.

Awards

Three times in 2003, 2004 and 2006, the Pari Dialogues hosted by the Pari Center for New Learning were awarded the ''Local Societies Initiative Supplemental Grant Award'' by the

Metanexus Institute The Metanexus Institute is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1997 to explore scientific and philosophical questions. The institute has organized the exchange of ideas through conferences, and published books. History With the help of Peter ...

.Pari Dialogues on Religion and Science, Pari Center for New Learning, Pari, Grosseto

References

* Steve Wright
Organisation report Pari Center for New Learning
Spirituality and Health International, Volume 4, Issue 2, pages 16–17, June 2003, {{doi, 10.1002/shi.155 (Wiley Online 29 March 2006)

External links

Pari Center for New Learning
Training organizations Educational institutions established in 2000 2000 establishments in Italy Civitella Paganico