Philosophical Counseling in Search of Edification, par Ran Lahav

Since the birth of Western philosophy, some twenty-six centuries ago, philosophers have been discussing basic life-issues such as what is the good life, what is true love, what is morally right and wrong, or what makes life meaningful. One could therefore expect philosophy to be of interest not just to professional philosophers but to any thinking human being. Unfortunately, however, this expectation has not been fulfilled by mainstream philosophy. Contemporary philosophy tends to be abstract and general, and therefore remote from the concerns of the person in the street.

This gap between philosophical discourse and everyday life has not always been as deep as it is nowadays. In the ancient Hellenistic world, most philosophical schools attempted to guide individuals in their daily behavior and to help them in their search for the good life.1 The Stoics, the Epicureans, the Neo-Platonists, and others sought to incorporate philosophical principles in people’s everyday life with the help of philosophical self-reflection and a variety of philosophical exercises.

In later times, however, this practical orientation to philosophy has been largely neglected, and philosophy has become an abstract academic discourse. Nevertheless, in the past three decades, a new movement has been developing around the world – Philosophical Practice, which seeks to restore the ancient vision of philosophy as a practical activity. In this paper, I would like to examine this vision and articulate some of the principles on which it can be based.

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