Honest Science Workshop
Honest Science Workshop
Surba, Frankreich
Up to 20 in group
Sep 20 - 27, 2026
Retreat Highlights
- - 👥 10–20 participants (small enough for real intimacy, large enough for intellectual diversity)
- - �
- Morning contemplative practice (optional—yoga, meditation, walking in the Pyrenees)
- - ⚡ Lightning talks from every participant—the real version, not the conference version
- - 🔬 Structured research discussions: World Café, fishbowl conversations, collaborative mapping
- - 🌀 Self-organized collaboration sessions (Open Space format)
- - 📝 Work toward shared research outputs
- - 🍽️ Long lunches and evenings for the conversations that actually matter
- - 🧘 Mid-week contemplative day for integration and epistemic debugging
About this Retreat
Your Guides
I got my PhD in theoretical physics at MIT in 2019, working on complex systems, specifically looking for fundamental principles for origins of life - how inert matter can become intentional. Since then I continued that research independently, worked in AI, and branched into other fields. At the same time, starting in 2017, mindfulness and Eastern introspective practices became the focus of my life. After years of meditation retreats, travels, and monasteries, I still find truly bringing mindfulness into my intellectual work to be the greatest and most valuable challenge of all.
Details of this retreat
The Honest Science Workshop is an immersive group experience that explores what it means to engage with reality, knowledge, and perception in a truly honest way. It invites participants into a shared process of inquiry that bridges scientific thinking with direct lived experience.
Through a structured program of dialogue, reflection, and experiential exercises, the workshop creates a space where assumptions can be questioned, perspectives can be examined, and deeper understanding can emerge collectively.
Rather than focusing only on theoretical knowledge, the process emphasizes embodied learning, curiosity, and open-ended exploration. Participants are guided through interactive group formats that support both individual insight and collective intelligence.
The workshop offers a supportive environment for honest questioning, meaningful exchange, and the exploration of how we come to know what we know.
Through a structured program of dialogue, reflection, and experiential exercises, the workshop creates a space where assumptions can be questioned, perspectives can be examined, and deeper understanding can emerge collectively.
Rather than focusing only on theoretical knowledge, the process emphasizes embodied learning, curiosity, and open-ended exploration. Participants are guided through interactive group formats that support both individual insight and collective intelligence.
The workshop offers a supportive environment for honest questioning, meaningful exchange, and the exploration of how we come to know what we know.
Schedule
🔍 Facilitated group workshop sessions
🧠 Guided experiential exercises and inquiry practices
🗣️ Interactive group dialogues and discussions
📚 Thematic teachings and reflections within the Honest Science framework
🤝 Collective exploration and shared inquiry processes
🌿 Integration periods for reflection and assimilation of insights
💬 Open space for questions, exchange, and group feedback
🌕 Closing circles and group integration practices
🧠 Guided experiential exercises and inquiry practices
🗣️ Interactive group dialogues and discussions
📚 Thematic teachings and reflections within the Honest Science framework
🤝 Collective exploration and shared inquiry processes
🌿 Integration periods for reflection and assimilation of insights
💬 Open space for questions, exchange, and group feedback
🌕 Closing circles and group integration practices
Note: Schedule is approximate and may change
Getting Here
INTP, Surba, Frankreich
Directions
✈️ Nearest International Airport: Toulouse–Blagnac Airport (TLS)
Located approximately 1 hour from the retreat center. It offers numerous international and domestic flights. From Toulouse Airport, take a shuttle to Gare SNCF Toulouse Matabiau, then board a regional train to Tarascon-sur-Ariège (about 90 minutes). The retreat organizers can arrange a pickup from the train station.  
⸻
🛬 Alternative Regional Airports
• Tarbes–Lourdes–Pyrénées Airport (LDE)
Approximately 1 hour from the retreat center. This airport handles scheduled and charter flights from across Europe. 
• Carcassonne Airport (CCF)
Also about 1 hour away, offering flights primarily from European destinations.()
⸻
🚗 By Car
If you prefer to drive, you can rent a car from any of the airports mentioned above. From Toulouse or Carcassonne, take the direction of Foix and Andorra until Tarascon-sur-Ariège. Follow signs indicating Saurat & Surba (right on a large roundabout before entering Tarascon). Once you enter Surba, continue straight into the village.  
⸻
🚆 By Train
A night train runs directly from Paris Gare d’Austerlitz to Tarascon-sur-Ariège, which is the closest train station to the retreat center. From there, a pickup can be arranged. 
⸻
For detailed directions and maps, please visit the INTP Campus Directions Page.
Located approximately 1 hour from the retreat center. It offers numerous international and domestic flights. From Toulouse Airport, take a shuttle to Gare SNCF Toulouse Matabiau, then board a regional train to Tarascon-sur-Ariège (about 90 minutes). The retreat organizers can arrange a pickup from the train station.  
⸻
🛬 Alternative Regional Airports
• Tarbes–Lourdes–Pyrénées Airport (LDE)
Approximately 1 hour from the retreat center. This airport handles scheduled and charter flights from across Europe. 
• Carcassonne Airport (CCF)
Also about 1 hour away, offering flights primarily from European destinations.()
⸻
🚗 By Car
If you prefer to drive, you can rent a car from any of the airports mentioned above. From Toulouse or Carcassonne, take the direction of Foix and Andorra until Tarascon-sur-Ariège. Follow signs indicating Saurat & Surba (right on a large roundabout before entering Tarascon). Once you enter Surba, continue straight into the village.  
⸻
🚆 By Train
A night train runs directly from Paris Gare d’Austerlitz to Tarascon-sur-Ariège, which is the closest train station to the retreat center. From there, a pickup can be arranged. 
⸻
For detailed directions and maps, please visit the INTP Campus Directions Page.
Accommodation
accommodation
Program Price
Venue & Amenities
retreat center
Meals
Menu Types
Vegan
Vegetarian
Pescetarian
Ayurvedic
Includes Meat
Organic
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Nut Free
What's Included
- 🛏 Accommodation: Shared rooms (2 people). We'll try to accommodate special needs.
- 🥗 Meals: Vegetarian
- 🧠 Immersive group learning process exploring “Honest Science”
- 🔍 Guided experiential exercises designed to deepen inquiry and awareness
- 🗣️ Structured blend of dialogue, reflection, and embodied practice
- 🤝 Interactive group sessions supporting collective exploration
- 🔬 Facilitated integration of scientific thinking with lived experience
- 💬 Opportunities for shared inquiry and open discussion within a community setting
- 🌱 A supportive environment for curiosity, reflection, and experiential learning
What's Not Included
- 🚗 Transfers and transportation to the retreat location
- 🎟️ Additional activities or excursions outside the official workshop program
- 💸 Personal expenses (e.g. travel insurance, personal purchases)
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