Philosophical Practice

What is philosophical practice?

Philosophical practice is a term encompassing three main areas of philosophical activity: client counselling, group facilitation and organizational or business consultation. The term “philosophical practice” was developed in an attempt to describe the proactive application of philosophical insights, techniques and methods to a variety of life’s problems. It is hoped that such an approach, embracing a long tradition of some of the world’s greatest thinkers, can contribute to the resolution, dissipation and management of difficulties that arise in everyday life. Philosophical practitioners distinguish themselves from purely academic philosophers. The latter often work in isolation in academic institutions, engaged in abstract theorizing on opaque problems that, while interesting in themselves, have little or no application to world.

Philosophical consultants assist organizations in developing codes of ethics for the practice of business and help to bring philosophical clarity to the structure, foundation and telos of the company. Philosophical facilitators often work with groups for the purposes of philosophical exploration on a particular theme of philosophical interest. Philosophical counsellors engage in a one-to-one dialogue with individual clients, or interlocutors, about problems that can be framed philosophically. Such a frame includes issues of meaning, purpose, fulfilment, value, belief, religion, morality, ethics, existential crises, conflicts of interest, interpersonal relations, and any topic that requires logical clarity or is amenable to philosophical reflection. In antiquity, the time of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, philosophy was not a discipline divorced from life, but was an activity intended to discover the nature of the ‘good life’, the 'real', and 'authentic being'. Philosophical counsellors assist the client to engage in a similar pursuit. Philosophical counselling does not replace psychiatry or psychology, but rather, complements them as a profession of personal counsel.

Philosophical Counselling

What is philosophical Counselling?

Philosophical counselling is a form of personal counsel. The purpose of philosophical counselling is simply to dialogue philosophically about issues that are meaningful to the client, or interlocutor. It is a form of dialogue that attempts to put everyday problems into a philosophical framework. Socrates, in ancient Greece, hoped that his philosophical interlocutors, those with whom he conversed, would in some respect improve, either their character or their situation in life, through philosophical discussion. Similarly, the philosophical counsellor attempts to facilitate clarity for the interlocutor by addressing problems that are amenable to philosophical reflection.

The term “philosophy” has its roots in two Greek words philo and Sophia, meaning “love” and “wisdom” respectively. The philosopher is someone who has a love of wisdom. The philosopher uses many tools in his attempts to discover wisdom, and such tools are readily applicable to problems that face us all in our everyday affairs. Problems suitable for philosophical counselling include, but are not confined to, issues of meaning, purpose, religion, ethics, morality, fulfilment - conflicts of interest, work related difficulties, interpersonal relations, existential matters, and any further topic that requires logical clarity or is amenable to philosophical reflection.

The role of the philosophical counsellor is threefold. First, it is his role to provide a non-judgmental, warm and trusting environment within which the interlocutor may feel comfortable and capable to dialogue openly. Second, and insofar as the philosophical counselling process is educative, it is the role of the philosophical counsellor to help the interlocutor “think for themselves”. Thinking for oneself in the philosophical context amounts to:

Is Philosophical Counselling for you?

Is philosophical counselling for you?

First and foremost, philosophical counselling is for everybody. Each one of us engages in philosophical matters everyday; not necessarily through abstract reflection, but through our actions, our judgements and our choices. No action, choice or judgement occurs in a vacuum; there is always a context. Implied in this context, or framework, is one’s philosophy. It may not be a well defined or even coherent philosophy, but it does hold together, positively or negatively, the framework within which we live our lives. Everybody philosophizes; the question is, how well do we do it?

Considering this to be so, everybody can benefit from some form of philosophical counsel. We find counsel in many places: friends, family, books, etcetera. All these can be useful sources to challenge and promote self- reflection. Often, however, it can be difficult to find space to be listened to; to be heard and to be heard without judgement. It can sometimes be frustrating discussing matters with friends and family who find it hard to see past their own prejudices and conditioning. Even to those wishing us well, philosophical depth and insight are not always readily available.

Philosophical counselling does not pretend to be the answer to all that besets the human condition. It does not propose to “diagnose” “treat” or “cure” life situations that are found difficult. It is an exploration of life; both the wonders and the problems that face us. Embracing a two and a half thousand year old tradition starting with the ancient Greeks, it is a process of dialogue embracing both reason and relationship; philo and Sophia.

Anybody that is capable of discussing their situation in a rational and open manner is suitable for philosophical counselling. If you are uncertain whether you consider philosophical counselling to be suitable for you, you can e-mail or call to discuss your concern further. All the information is in the “Contact Us” tab on the front page.

If you are uncertain about what kind of counsel you think would be suitable, whether it is some form of psychotherapy, psychiatry, or helping profession, it can often be of help to discuss the benefits of such therapies with a philosophical counsellor so as to identifying more clearly the path to choose. I have a strong referral list for matters not falling under the purview of philosophical counselling. Philosophical counselling does not have all the answers, but it can help to refine and ask the right questions.

My Biography

My Biography

My name is Micheál Lacey and I’d like to welcome you to Philosophical Counselling Ireland. Philosophical counseling is a relatively new phenomenon in Ireland, though of course its roots go all the way back to Ancient Greece circa 500BC. A German philosopher by the name of Gerd Achenbach is accredited with re-inventing philosophical counselling as a discipline in its own right. He created his own practice in 1984 and his initiative has spread throughout the world and has affected all those philosophers disenchanted with academic philosophy as a way of life.

I am one such philosopher affected by this movement. From a young age I was interested in questions of authenticity and truth and I had a proclivity for using logical reasoning in the resolution of problems that faced me. I entered Milltown Institute of Theology and Philosophy in September of 1999. In this college, I was exposed to some of the greatest thinkers over a two and a half thousand year tradition: Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Friedrich Nietzsche, Jean-Paul-Sartre, Immanuel Kant, David Hume, Martin Heidegger to name just a few. Though it was an academic environment and a pure philosophy course, due to small class sizes and a relaxed relationship between lecturers and students, the true nature of philosophy was allowed to flourish. Philosophy was never simply an academic subject to master and attain accolades, it was a challenge to live more fully an examined and authentic life.

On finishing my degree, I had planned to pursue psychoanalysis. I had been strongly influenced by Jonathan Hanaghan’s interpretation and development of Freud’s theories. Hanaghan interjected a spiritual component to the otherwise deterministic and biological reductionism of traditional psychoanalysis. Not being old enough for the criteria laid out by the various psychoanalytic institutions (I was 24 and the minimum age of entry was 26) I decided to pursue a philosophy MA to analyze the philosophical foundations of Freudian psychoanalysis. It was intended that this would take me through two years of academic research.

The title of my MA was ‘The Scientific Status of Freudian Psychoanalysis: A Philosophical Perspective.’ After my first year of research, I became disenchanted with Freud’s theories of psychology. I required a new director after the first year which extended my research and in the following years my research, mostly epistemological (the study of knowledge) in nature, ended in an in-depth analysis of the issue at hand and I attained the highest mark awarded for my efforts.

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