Philosophical Counseling, Psychoanalysis, First-aid, and the Philosophical Café

Abstract

Outlined are several ways in which philosophical knowledge can contribute to personal and social well-being. In the introduction, ”What is Philosophical Practice, Counseling, and Psychoanalysis” I describe how the ancient philosophical tradition of care for the soul or self has been revived among philosophers and others in the last twenty-five years. The sections ”The Philosophical Counseling Hotline” and ”Personal Well-being and the Philosophical Cafe'” are accounts of specific applications of ideas of the contemporary German philosopher Gerd B. Achenbach, the founder of the international philosophical practice movement. In the conclusion ”Philosophical Benevolence” I argue for benevolence as a skeptical touchstone for philosophy in practice.