Special Programs

Community Philosophy Programs

Philosophers love their categories…but some things just don’t fit into a box. From community endeavors like our Reeder’s Alley Summer Series to focus projects like our “Toward a Better Understanding of Homelessness” and “Thinking About Place” programs, our special programs refuse to be labeled anything other than special.

Community Endeavors

A SPECIAL PUBLIC PHILOSOPHY PROJECT DUO | SATURDAY, JUNE 6TH & SUNDAY, JUNE 7TH

Learn more about our 2026 Art as Transformation Project

A SPECIAL PUBLIC PHILOSOPHY PROJECT DUO | SATURDAY, JUNE 6TH & SUNDAY, JUNE 7TH

Learn more about our 2026 Building Community through Laughter Project

EXCITING NEWS

Inspired by our love of community & our belief in the importance of good reasoning, our Community Hubs project re-envisions the academy by re-centering the community as a place of learning.

This project has been percolating for some time & a dream of ours for years! We are delighted to accounce that we will be partnering with Nava Gardens to make this dream a reality. Thanks to the generosity and support of Rostam Zafari — Nava Gardens owner & Founder and Director of World Within — our project finally has the wings it needs to fly!
And with your help….we can get it off the ground.
More details coming soon!
Marisa diaz-waian, founder & director of merlin ccc

The project is scheduled to take place in the Summer of 2027.

15 scholars from across the United States. Research & discussion. Place-based educational outings. Masterclass workshops. Conversations & panel discussions. Informal gatherings.

Making living philosophically a live option. Expanding access to & providing platforms for engaging in humanistic inquiry. Developing strategies & sketches for community-centered learning.

The landscape of education & technology is rapidly shifting. Both have significant impacts on how we connect, think, and move through the world together. This project offers a solution for communities interested in responding to these changes by establishing unique and accessible platforms for continued learning together.

Thinking About Place

An Exploratory Sense of Place Project

Urban design and architecture are often called “place-making.” Save a bit of wildland or a fragile habitat and we’re saving a “special place.” Montana is the “last best place.”

But what’s “place”? What meaning does the word carry through all those roles? Is there a clue in that old term “sense of place”? What senses are in play & when they kick in, what’s going on?

These questions deserve our shared thought and that’s precisely what this on-going special project inspired & led by the late Dennis McCahon invites us to do.

Learn More About This Project

View Resources from This Project