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WELCOME TO THE PHILO-PRACTICE AGORA!
The electronic meeting-place of philosophical practitioners from around the world
Philosophical Practice is an international movement of philosophers who believe that philosophy is relevant to everyday life and to the person in the street. Philosophical Practitioners work with individuals, groups, and organizations, as well as among themselves in order to reflect on basic life-issues and personal predicaments. The Philosophical Practice Agora website is designed to create a space for pluralistic dialogue among philosophical practitioners from around the world, as well as the general public.
EDITH STEIN
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Juan Jose Grande
21 March 2021
I stand in the kitchen, a song playing in the background, while I cook some delicious vegetables and...
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Alma
28 February 2021
My sister died after suffering for several months from breast cancer, and her daughter Christine hea...
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DEEP PHILOSOPHY versus PHILOSOPHICAL PRACTICE
People sometimes ask me: Is Deep Philosophy a kind of philosophical practice? My answer is: No. Both of them have a similar starting point, but from there they go in opposite directions. Let me start ...
Miranda and her Philosophical Trio (Chapter 2)
It’s the second weekly meeting of the Philosophical Trio, and Miranda is glad to see again her two new companions. Linda, the philosopher and facilitator, invites David and Miranda to share their expe...
The light that loved to illuminate
It happened a few months ago while I was on one of my business trips and had to kill time at the airport in Rome. I walked into a bookstore and browsed through some books here and there, when I found ...
THEAITETOS AND THE CORINTHIAN EPIDEMIC
SPANISH THEAITETOS AND THE CORINTHIAN EPIDEMICBEING AFRAID OF DYING IN A FARAWAY LAND The other day it was reported on TV that two Peruvian citizens who returned to Lima from Spain a few days ago died...
MIRANDA AND HER PHILOSOPHICAL TRIO (Chapter 4)
LETTING OUR BABY-IDEAS GROW For several days, Miranda continues thinking about the insight she had while contemplating on Bergson’s text. [See Chapter 3]. Bergson’s image of leaves on the water sugges...
Miranda and her Philosophical Trio (Chapter 7)
PHILOSOPHY AND THE MANY VOICES OF LIFE Every day, Miranda takes a few minutes to contemplate on a philosophical text. This morning she contemplates on a text by the Swiss thinker Max Picard [See Agora...
A new philosophy of man & humanism
A new philosophy of man & humanism 1. Old and new philosophy In the 21st century we need a new philosophy as opposed to the old philosophy: a philosophy of man or philosophical ...
4. IDEAS VERSUS THEORIES
In our search for realness, in Deep Philosophy we explore fundamental issues of life and reality. We work, in other words, with philosophical ideas. But philosophy, so it seems, is abstract and remote...
What is deep?
We often say: "This is a profound idea," or "She was lost in deep thoughts," or "It touched me deeply," or "He is a profound person," or "She had a deep spiritual experience," or "He is deeply attache...
WHEN VAGUE WORDS ARE MORE PRECISE THAN ANALYSIS
Sometimes, when I silently contemplate on a philosophical text, an inspired thought rises in my mind, like a bubble from the depths of a lake. It whispers in me a precious idea, pregnant with meaning,...
CONTEMPLATION - Letting the depth speak through us
What does “contemplative philosophy” mean? How can philosophy be contemplative? Philosophy is a search for the fundamental principles of life and the world, the deepest truths, the ground, the essence...
Do good arguments lead to good actions?
Is it possible that also our feeling of what is right and wrong is part of our animality? In this sense our sense of morality is not learned by culture nor reason, but it comes from the depth of our b...
Our "Deep Philosophy" Retreat
In February, our “Deep Philosophy” group met for our second philosophical-contemplative retreat. The retreat took place in the tiny village of Brando near Torino, Italy, in a large house that belongs ...
The chemical alteration of the brain.
[Maurizio Bisogno - introduction, second revision, 0817] Why do most humans use substances that alter their state of the mind? Why do humans have this need to get intoxicated? Is it due to human natur...
STAY WITH ME - LEVINAS
I stand in the kitchen, a song playing in the background, while I cook some delicious vegetables and wait for the lovely pie in the oven to finish baking. At the same time I wonder which food I should...
PP, time and wage labour
Another year is ending and what have I done during this time? I worked to keep a job and I worked to get a new one. I managed to do both. Unfortunately, although one of my jobs was related to philosop...
A NEW MAP OF PHILOSOPHY
For more than two years, AGORA has been presenting a short philosophical text every week. We now have almost 100 texts in Agora’s section “Philosophers about Life” and “Philosophical Topics.” For some...
Philosophy is not about truth (John Powys)
For me, philosophy is not about discovering THE TRUTH. Philosophy is about giving voice to the many different voices of life and reality. So last night I was delighted to find the following passage in...
The Poisoned Arrow: Why the answer is not always the solution
The Poisoned Arrow: Why the answer is not always the solution "Do we always have to know the cause of a problem in order to solve it?" I recently put this question to a client, who for more than a yea...
1. PILLARS OF DEEP PHILOSOPHY
The Pillars of Deep Philosophy are the essential ideas on which Deep Philosophy is based. Essential – because if any of them is missing, the practice is longer Deep Philosophy. You may formulate these...
HARMONY IN VINCI
Last summer I decided to spend my holidays in Tuscany, Italy, with my old friend Janet. We both had our personal reasons for this vacation. I was burnt out from work, and Janet was freshly divorced af...
ON DEEP THINKING
ON DEEP THINKING (Miranda and her Philosophical Trio) “Yesterday,” Miranda tells Linda, “I had a strange experience reading the philosophical text you gave us. A marvelous experience. I’m not s...
PHILOSOPHY AND DEEP PHILOSOPHY
Philosophy is a rich movement through history, and who can squeeze its many shapes into one simple definition? We may say, for instance, that philosophers investigate fundamental issues of life and re...
Contempt, Exclusion and Fear of the Other
The plight of the disposed The woman wanted others to know what it was like to live a life of desperation charred by the contempt of others; a life of deprivation; of fear for oneself, ones family, on...
Why is "Deep" so important?
In my book Handbook of Philosophical Companionships (2016), I say: “We contemplate because we treasure profound ideas and profound understandings in togetherness. We cherish the profound, just as in m...
Philosophical Practice, the limits of language, Plato & birds
Most philosophical practitioners seem to mistrust language. They don't accept at face value what people say, and they try to understand what stands behind the words. The philosophical counselor - the ...
CAROLINE’S BEAUTY ACCORDING TO PLATO
My sister died after suffering for several months from breast cancer, and her daughter Christine heard about her hopeless situation only when she was already sedated with morphine. About a month ago, ...
Filosofia Profonda
Filosofia Profonda (Deep Philosophy) Chi siamo: La DP (Deep Philosophy) è un network di filosofi praticanti, membri e non membri di varie associazioni di pratiche filosofiche nel mondo. Il nostro prop...
2. PHILOSOPHICAL CONTEMPLATION
In Deep Philosophy we contemplate. What is contemplation? Contemplation is a practice in which we direct our mind to think and understand from a deeper dimension of our being. What distinguishes it fr...
Dramatic Philosophy
Dramatic Philosophy Dramatic representations have long been conceived as provocations for philosophical engagement. From Plato and Hypatia through Brecht and Sartre, Beauvoir and Duras, they have prov...
6. RESONATING
In Deep Philosophy, we sometimes speak about connecting to our “Inner Depth,” while at other times we speak of listening to “voices” of reality. These two concepts, Inner Depth and Voices, use differe...
How Philosophy is Changing my Life
Philosophy has changed my life because for me, philosophy is not just abstract ideas. Abstract ideas can make me think abstract thoughts, but not much more. Philosophy can change life because philosop...
Il gruppo Deep Philosophy (2019)
Il gruppo Deep Philosophy (2019) La Deep Philosophy è un approccio contemplativo alla filosofia. In essa, i praticanti riflettono sui temi fondamentali della vita dalla propria profondità interiore e ...
INDIAN PHILOSOPHICAL PRACTITIONERS' ASSOCIATION
ALL INDIA PHILOSOPHICAL PRACTITIONERS’ ASSOCIATION (AIPPA) A network of philosophical practitioners working in India Philosophical Practice is a relatively new thing for India. The biggest challenge b...
PHILOSOPHICAL CONTEMPLATION ONLINE
INVITATION: PHILOSOPHICAL CONTEMPLATION ONLINE You are invited to participate in the online contemplation sessions of the Deep Philosophy Group! No background is needed – all are invited! For more det...
The Moment I Understood Solovyov
The Moment I Understood Solovyov I knew your husband would die sooner than later, being a hopeless smoker all his life, having had already a heart attack, in addition to other health problems. You kne...
Miranda and her Philosophical Trio (Chapter 1)
Miranda is sitting alone in her room, holding the philosophical text which her philosophical practitioner had given her. Today, like always, she is extremely busy – work, family, cleaning, buying – bu...
Being a Wave in the Ocean - Philosophical Contemplation
A philosophical theory cannot touch human reality in the same way that human reality is real for me. Reality is real to me not as a theory. If I want to understand human reality as fully and deeply as...
MEXICO ICCP 2018: THE BOUNDARIES OF PHILOSOPHY
I have just returned home from Mexico City, from the 15th International Conference of Philosophical Practice. The conference was superbly organized by David Sumiacher and Paulina Ramirez, and we all h...
Pascal: Sobre los peligros de aspirar a la perfección en la virtud /About the danger of too much virtue
Blaise Pascal decía que el exceso de virtud es dañino para el hombre. En relación a esta idea de Pascal, a modo de broma, en la foto de la izquierda uno de estos trabajadores que descansa plácidamente...
Weaknesses and Awakening
Your vices are the leading line to your healing. "Why nobody confesses his defects? Because they are still fully immersed in them." In what age do you believe they have written this sentence? We will ...
"DEEP PHILOSOPHY" - OUR MANIFESTO
In the last day of our philosophical-contemplative retreat in Brando, near Torino in Italy (August-September 2017), only six of us remained: Michele Zese and Stefania Giordano (Italy), Monika Obermeie...
Philosophical voices of the human ocean
If we want to do deep philosophy, we must remember the philosophical voices of the past. The writings of deep philosophers throughout history are humanity’s attempt to address basic life-issues, which...
My Jacket, Coronavirus, Marcus Aurelius
I remember well the last time I strolled along the streets of New York, glancing casually at the store windows that tempted my senses. A well-cut suiting jacket caught my eyes and left me with th...
Sophia reflects about Camus after a philosophical café
Sophia is lying in her bed. The kids and her husband are sleeping, and finally she has a moment to think in peace without interruptions. Last Friday she went to the philosophical café. They discussed ...
What do all philosophical practices have in common?
SPANISH Philosophy in its early days, when written texts were not accessible to most people, used different techniques to spread its questions and ideas among people. They used rimes, aphorisms and di...
3. SELF-TRANSFORMATION
We practice Deep Philosophy because we want to get in touch with the depth during the session. But in addition, we may also have a long-term goal in mind: to transform ourselves and be connected more ...
RETREAT OF DEEP PHILOSOPHY (ITALY, 3.2020)
All are invited to a quiet retreat of Deep Philosophy, to cultivate our inner depth and our depth-understanding of basic life-issues. What is Deep Philosophy? In Deep Philosophy we contemplate from ou...
Stay Curious, Remain Humble and Think in Three-Dimensions - A Confucian Approach to Philosophical Counseling
How can perspectives from Asian philosophy be integrated into philosophical practice? In this and subsequent blog posts I will explore this issue alongside more general reflections on philosophical co...
THE SENSE OF THE SACRED IN PHILOSOPHY
Philosophical Contemplation is not just an intellectual exercise. When we contemplate a text or an idea, we must be able to appreciate what is precious, even sacred. The word “sacred” might create res...
New Book: GO WITHIN
I am delighted to announce the publication of my new book: DON'T GO ABROAD, GO WITHIN: VITRIOLUM.” Just a new book? This book stems from not knowing. It springs from being tired of my job, from the ne...
La filosofia fa ancora paura?
Convegno di Berlino, Ottobre 2017 [Sezione Italiana] La filosofia fa ancora paura? [Estratto] L’insegnamento illuministico di Kant si potrebbe riassumere così: “Ragiona, non obbedire!” e questa sembre...
MIRANDA AND HER PHILOSOPHICAL TRIO (Chapter 5)
MIRANDA DISCOVERS NEW MEANINGS After Miranda tells her Trio friends about her “bubble” of insight (See previous chapter), Linda, the philosophical facilitator, suggests thinking about this insight wit...
Miranda and her Philosophical Trio (Chapter 3)
Chapter 3: MIRANDA DECIDES TO CHANGE In the morning, after breakfast, Miranda sits in her armchair, holding a page in her hand. This is what Linda, the philosophical facilitator, had asked them to do ...
THE MUSIC OF REALITY AND OF IDEAS
In philosophical contemplation, we don’t try to reach a conclusion. We contemplate an idea or a text, and we don’t wait for a bottom line, we don’t expect a product – a final decision, an answer, a th...
AGORA’S NEW SISTER-WEBSITE, AND INVITATION TO ONLINE SESSIONS
Dear Friends of Agora, We are excited to announce a new website: Deep Philosophy ( http://DPhilo.org), a sister-website of Agora. It is directed by Ran Lahav and the Deep Philosophy Group. Please...
The Hunter’s Reverence for Life
Being locked down at home during the Covid-19 epidemic, I had a lot of time to clean forgotten corners of my house. One afternoon I found myself sitting on the basement floor and going through old pho...
THE FACE OF COMPASSION – UNAMUNO
My sister died after suffering for several months from breast cancer, and her daughter Christine heard about her hopeless situation only when she was already sedated with morphine. My sister’s situati...
Being Delusional
By Maurizio Bisogno What does being delusional really mean? “Totally delusional.” Why would you say that? I don't believe I can do what I falsely believe I can do. Usually we understand delusion on it...
Contemplating in the Queen's palace
Before we start with philosophical contemplation, we must prepare ourselves to encounter what is precious, profound, even sacred. We are going to meet inner reality – the Queen, so to speak – and befo...
Introducing philosophy into politics
Since we began our weekly philosophical cafés in 1998, most of our participants have been political activists, or at least people interested in the political sphere. As a rule, in each meeting our par...
Montaigne’s Chains
A few days ago I got a phone call from an editor of a prestigious magazine. “Hey Alma, I’ve got a new assignment for you: An article on Michel Montaigne. A thousand words.” “You mean Montaigne the Ren...
Sophia on her way to Camus
Sophia is sitting again in the kitchen preparing a cup of coffee after work. Today again she talked to her friend Miranda, who is now regularly meeting her two philosophical companions. Sophia feels t...
Precious texts on Agora
I look at Agora’s “Topics” section – it has so many beautiful philosophical texts from 2500 years of Western philosophy. I go through the monthly pages, month by month, and I see texts by famous philo...
MIRANDA AND HER PHILOSOPHICAL TRIO (Chapter 6)
THE “LANGUAGE” OF MY YEARNING In the days that follow the Philosophical Trio meeting [see previous chapter], Miranda is full of thoughts. The Trio had identified several concepts in Miranda’s way of t...
Sophia returns to philosophy
Sophia is sitting in the kitchen preparing a cup of coffee after work. Today again she talked to her friend Miranda. Usually they just worked and worked together day after day and they seldom talked. ...
PHILOSOPHY AND SELF-TRANSFORMATION
Throughout the history of Western philosophy, we find important philosophers who believed that philosophy can transform our lives. An obvious example is Plato, who writes that philosophy can take us o...
Marcel in Philosophical Practice: a proposal
How can we use the ideas of a philosopher as a starting point for our own thoughts? In the spirit of philosophical practice I am sharing here some personal thoughts that this text of Gabriel Marcel pr...
The synecdoche, Me – a philosophical dream
The synecdoche, Me – a philosophical dream In this short article I will show you how, starting from a dream, we will reach a philosophical understanding, although partial. The Dream: a man, perhaps en...
Plato and Pericles: How can philosophy change our lives?
Español. How can philosophy change our life? How strong are the influences of our social habits and personal psychological tendencies and of concrete external limitations and threats? I sit in our apa...
Philosophical Practice and social violence
ESPAÑOL What should we do as philosophers when we encounter violence? Should we address the issue or should we avoid it in order to avoid a trivial exchange of opinions? Should we intervene or should ...
Philosophy and self-transformation
Throughout history, many important Western philosophers discussed how philosophy can help transform our lives. Plato, Marcus Aurelius, Spinoza, Rousseau, Nietzsche, Bergson, and many many others – the...
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