What Does Clinical Philosophy Practice

Abstract

This paper describes several features of Clinical Philosophy, a new wave of philosophical thinking in Japan. In the first section, on-the-spot-ness of Clinical Philosophy is underlined, as it calls for philosophers to commit themselves ”on the spot” of various caring activities taking place at the ”bedside” of those who suffer. In the second section, I point out ”care of second order,” i.e. taking care of those who take care of others, as a characteristic operation of Clinical Philosophy. In the third section, the movement of Clinical Philosophy is classified into two types of networking: one as an organization (at Osaka University) integrating within itself diverse members with diverse intentions, and the other as a collaborative network of organizations and individuals oriented to philosophy in practice as a whole. In the forth and the fifth sections, I discuss various aspects of public dialogue Clinical Philosophy has been dealing with: philosophical cafe in its various forms, not few of them developed originally in our circle as well as ”Dialogue Components,” a dialogical tool enabling a macro-level intervention in social or political issues, which, conceived by Clinical Philosophers, could be implemented in the newly established Center for the Study of Communication-Design, Osaka University. Then in the sixth and final section, I report on philosophical dialogue sessions or workshops in educational settings organized by Clinical Philosophers in schools as well as at a detention center for juvenile delinquents, with a closing appeal for cooperation among philosophers with practical orientation in East Asia.