Philosophical Health - (Re-Inventing Philosophy as a Way of Life) by Luis de Miranda & Keith Ansell Pearson & Michael Ure & Daniel Conway

About the Book

"Bringing together leading international and interdisciplinary scholars, this ground-breaking volume examines the theory and practice of philosophical health in contemporary contexts of care broadly understood, care for the self, care for the other, and care for the world." --

Book Synopsis

Bringing together leading international and interdisciplinary scholars, this ground-breaking volume examines the theory and practice of philosophical health in contemporary contexts of care broadly understood, care for the self, care for the other, and care for the world.

But what do we mean by philosophical health? Whilst this book does not seek to provide a normative definition, as it explores disparate perspectives and encourages pluralism in philosophical ways of life, one may envision philosophical health as a state of creative coherence between a person's or a group's way of thinking and their way of acting, such that the possibilities for a good life are increased, and the needs for flourishing satisfied.

An idea central to philosophical health is the concept of 'possibility'. Without a sense of self-possibility and openness to the future, health loses meaning, and conversely, pathologies are defined by various kinds of impossibilities. As such, philosophical health reconsiders care as a process of cultivating or pruning the compossible in embodied, psychological, and social terms, of allowing things to re-generate, or in some cases to vanish.

Drawing on the history of philosophy, phenomenology, new materialism, post-colonialism but also a wide range of contemporary approaches to philosophical practice, Philosophical Health sheds light on the understudied philosophical dimension of care and the healing dimension of philosophizing. Advocating philosophy as a lived practice, it uncovers the increasing relevance of philosophical health to contemporary debates on well-being, well-belonging, counselling, and development.

Review Quotes

"Philosophy's foundational mission was to provide guidance about how to live flourishing lives, and ancient philosophers even conceived their craft as providing medicine for the soul. Long neglected, that ancient art is currently being revived and this rich volume of essay shows its great potential and promise." --Darrin M. McMahon, Mary Brinsmead Wheelock Professor of History, Dartmouth College, USA

"These essays are uniformly well-written and well-researched-and beyond that, perceptive about the human condition and how it can be improved. The engaged reader not only learns much about the developing field of philosophical health but begins to practice it, gathering insights from world philosophies that support one's ambitions for a fulfilled life" --Drew Leder, Professor of Philosophy and author of The Healing Body, Loyola University Maryland, USA

"This book shines a powerful light on the importance of philosophical health to human well-being. It offers creative suggestions on how to engage with various philosophies. These insightful essays peel back the layers of misguided beliefs hiding the fallacy that absolute individual freedom and autonomy are necessary for human flourishing." --Peter B. Raabe, Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, University of the Fraser Valley, Canada

About the Author

Luis de Miranda, PhD, is a Senior Research Fellow at the Philosophy Department of the University of Turku, Finland, and a Fellow of the Turku Institute for Advanced Studies (TIAS). A philosophical counsellor for individuals and institutions or corporations, he is also an Affiliated Research Fellow at the Stockholm School of Economics, Sweden, and the founder of the Philosophical Health International network.