A More Philosophical Model of Counseling

Abstract

Though science and technology had made some remarkable developments in the twentieth century, we are still suffering from a lot of mental problems and diseases. We are facing not only the paradox of material poverty in the midst of material plenty, but also the paradox of mental poverty in the midst of material plenty. Furthermore, there are many disciplines of counseling which have their own methods of counseling. As for philosophical counseling, the plurality of principles and methods of counseling may be thought of as a sign for the academic immaturity in the Kuhnian sense. That is, philosophical counseling does not reach to a normal science which has a definite paradigm and does not engage in problem-solving activities in an efficient way. In order to escape from this unfavorable situation, first of all, we have to establish the identity of philosophical counseling and to elucidate its main methodologies which can lead to achieve the genuine aim of philosophical counseling. The purpose of the paper is to suggest a way of constructing a more philosophical model of counseling. I shall suggest the theory of embodied mind as the best candidate theory for philosophical counseling. Second, I shall define the disease of mind as the main object of philosophical counseling. Third, I shall suggest the criteria of diagnosis and method which can make any philosophical counseling more philosophical.