Biography – Nikos Patedakis

Philosopher and Co-Director of the Haumea Ecoliteracy Programme

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Co-Director & Co-Facilitator of Haumea Ecoversity 

Nikos is an experienced philosopher and educator whose transdisciplinary work arises at the intersection of Nature and Culture—the sciences, the arts, and the wisdom traditions (particularly the traditions of the Ancient Greek, Roman, and Hellenic periods, Eastern philosophy, and Indigenous traditions). His research encompasses the traditional areas of ethics, epistemology, aesthetics, ontology, and metaphysics, but remains rooted in the ancient Western orientation of philosophy as a way of life, in which philosophy is seen as fundamental to the healthy transformation of self and society. This is the tradition of Western philosophy that influenced Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. His philosophical approach is also influenced by the principles of permaculture, and he gained his permaculture design certification (PDC) in June, 2021.

Nikos pioneered wisdom-based learning at two of the most diverse universities in North America: San Francisco State University and University of California, Santa Cruz. The wisdom-based approach provides a truly holistic, ecoliterate orientation incorporating contemplative practices and philosophical frameworks that lead to transformative experiences. This approach developed in part from his certification as a teacher of the Alexander Technique, which, as the great educational philosopher John Dewey put it, “bears the same relationship to education that education bears to all other human activities.” His pedagogical approach was refined not only at the university, but also during his time as a professional dance teacher, and as a negotiation trainer and consultant for Fortune 500 companies.

Nikos left academia to focus on helping professionals of all kinds learn to think the way nature works, by taking advantage of what he sees as the single greatest untapped cultural resource humanity has: The philosophical traditions of the world, and the storehouse of practical wisdom they contain for solving complex personal and global challenges.

Nikos sees art as having a special relationship with philosophy. Both philosophy and art seek to see the world with fresh eyes and an awakened heart, and they seek to offer this insight and inspiration to the culture at large, for the benefit of all citizens and the broader community of life. To bring about a more just and thriving culture in the most direct and intelligent manner, we need to empower the arts by making philosophy a way of life available to artists and arts education.

Nikos offers training to artists that transforms both their experience of life and their practice of creativity and art making.

For the Haumea Programme