Category: philosophical counseling
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On prescribing Aristotle: Show transcript and clarifications
Here’s a transcript of my live chat on philosophical counseling, “Prescribing Aristotle: Philosophical Counseling 101.” It is pared with the Washington Post story by Emily Wax,“Philosophical Counselors Rely on Eternal Wisdom of Great Thinkers.” — First off, thanks to Haley for guiding me through the chat. Thanks also to Emily for writing such a positive story…
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A few essays on philosophy as a way of life
We are entering an unsettled time when our previous ways of life have started to unravel but new ways of life have not taken root. The economy, civil society, the state, the family–all these are, in one way or another, undergoing world-historical changes. And these changes, in turn, are being reflected in our general uncertainty…
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Change your mind, change your well-being. It’s that simple. No, it isn’t.
Last night the subway was a beast. The air was hot, stagnant, bloody. Passengers bumping, kvetching. Connections glutted and tedious. Trains inching forward. You say the subway was not the beast. It is my conception of the subway that is beastly. Change your mind–DIY-style–and you change the problem. Belching into rose petals. Problem goes away.…
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To be free of mad love: philosophy as a way of life
In the darkness of night madness has seized Our glorious Ajax: he is ruined and lost. –Tecmessa from Sophocles’s Ajax — “I want to get rid of my feelings, to be free of this mad love.” In its essence, philosophy is not a tool but a practice. It is a practice in right thinking and…
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On Geoff Dyer’s unsatisfactory philosophy of life – Part 2
You can read Part 1 here. — If the question is whether Dyer is a great stylist, then answer is unequivocally yes. If it is whether he is a brilliant comic writer, the answer is also yes. However, if the question is whether he–that is, the Dyer of his writings, the persona contained therein–is a…
Andrew Taggart, Ph.D. 