Philosophical Practice: Transformative Reflection on Life – serie

Language around trauma, anxiety, and burnout is pervasive in our current climate, where it seems like we need superhuman powers just to make it through the day. This book argues that the expectations and living conditions of our society are uniquely destabilizing, producing a "e;techno-precarious performance self"e; that markets itself as a product, gets addicted to almost anything, and drives itself to exhaustion. Navigating our way out of this zero-sum game, Ross Channing Reed maintains, will require nothing less than an exploration of our beliefs, values, goals, and the very meanings we attach to life itself. The dismantling of "e;techno-precarious performance society,"e; a society rooted in systemic precarity and philosophical nihilism, is absolutely necessary to effectively address our epidemic of trauma and addiction.

When higher education recenters philosophy, students can become more than skilled workers: they can be virtuous people who promote the flourishing of those around them.Narratives surrounding higher education, particularly in the United States, tend to reduce the value of post-secondary education to vocational or economic goods. As a consequence, STEM and pre-professional programs thrive, while programs in the arts and humanities continue to be diminished, at least in part due to their perceived “impracticality” and lack of obvious alignment with labor markets. Kristopher G. Phillips argues that reducing the value and aims of higher education to narrowly prescribed vocational or economic ends dehumanizes students, robs them of the opportunity to be transformed—personally, epistemically, and civically—by their education, and leaves them ill-prepared to address the distinctly human aspects of their lives. The solution, he argues, is to reconceptualize both academic philosophy and higher education generally; philosophy should return to its Socratic roots and focus on the cultivation of an excellent character. Phillips articulates a vision of a philosophically-grounded, transformational education that facilitates student flourishing. Drawing parallels between, and teasing out assumptions inherited from, the scientific revolution in 17th and 19th-century -Europe, Phillips demonstrates that education can and should help students become the sort of people who embody personal virtue and promote the flourishing of their communities.

How can the arts enrich philosophical practice and help us better investigate the complexities of human existence?This interdisciplinary edited collection delves into the interplay between philosophy and the arts, showcasing how their combination can inspire new ways of thinking, connecting, reflecting, imagining, and understanding. By discussing ways in which art forms—literature, music, drama, visual arts, and more—and arts-based methods can be integrated into philosophical practice, the book reveals how abstract ideas can be made tangible, and dense philosophical concepts can be expressed in accessible and profound ways. In the continual process of human self-examination, the arts have played and still play an important role as reflective, embodied practices in what it means to lead a human life, what it means to be a human being, and how humans relate to each other. Though the arts can be a mere distraction, they can equally engage the human mind and body in pondering the existential paradoxes and puzzles of being. The arts and philosophy share a mutual aim: to question life’s fundamental aspects without proposing final answers, embracing creativity, openness, and exploration. From discussing values and virtues to addressing human vulnerabilities, this book, edited by Jeanette Bresson Ladegaard Knox, illustrates how philosophical practice becomes vibrant and impactful when it engages with the emotional and sensory world of the arts. Through theoretical insights, practical applications, and creative interventions, it illuminates how the arts and philosophy can jointly enhance professional fields and contribute to the art of living.

What can right still mean in a world gone wrong?Gerd B. Achenbach is the founder of Philosophical Practice, now established across the world. Since opening the first Philosophical Practice in 1981, he has been advising and accompanying people in a wide variety of life situations and needs, creating a unique connection between the great traditions of philosophy and concrete life.On Right in Wrong is the second book (after Philosophical Praxis: Origin, Relations, Legacy (Lexington 2024)) to offer English-speaking readers the opportunity to discover Achenbach's life-oriented and life-affirming world of thought. The variegated chapters unveil a fascinating glimpse of the charms and challenges of human life that we are unable to embrace with self-righteous certainty but only, if at all, with a far-sighted forbearance, a joyfulness that redeems the serious.Michael Picard, who has been familiar with the author and his work for several years, has once again succeeded in producing a sensitive translation that brings out the intellectual and linguistic richness of the work while intimating the author's temperament. His careful editorial notes lend the text an enhanced transparency that facilitates and enlarges reader understanding.