Precarity, Trauma, Addiction, and Love in Philosophical Counseling - (Philosophical Practice) by Ross Channing Reed (Hardcover)

About the Book

The expectations and living conditions of our society are uniquely unrealistic and destabilizing, producing a "techno-precarious performance self".

Book Synopsis

Language around trauma, anxiety, and burnout is pervasive in our current climate, where it seems like we need superhuman powers just to make it through the day.This book argues that the expectations and living conditions of our society are uniquely destabilizing, producing a "techno-precarious performance self" that markets itself as a product, gets addicted to almost anything, and drives itself to exhaustion. Navigating our way out of this zero-sum game, Ross Channing Reed maintains, will require nothing less than an exploration of our beliefs, values, goals, and the very meanings we attach to life itself. The dismantling of "techno-precarious performance society," a society rooted in systemic precarity and philosophical nihilism, is absolutely necessary to effectively address our epidemic of trauma and addiction.

Review Quotes

Reed has made an invaluable contribution to our understanding and healing of systemically-induced illnesses afflicting the developed world. He insightfully examines crises of precarity, stress, trauma, addiction, and meaninglessness that have attained epidemic proportions in our most affluent and technologically-advanced societies. This timely and well-written book provides perceptive analyses of the systemic problems from which these crises arise and propagate. Moreover, it also reinstates the central place of philosophy and its practice as a way of transcending the dehumanizing effects of mechanized health-care, among other soulless institutional providers of essential services.
Lou Marinoff, The City College of CUNY, USA

This book explains how and why most people in the world are now living in constant fear of disaster. In Precarity, Trauma, Addiction, and Love in Philosophical Counseling, Ross Channing Reed argues that much of this suffering is not due to the challenges of ordinary life circumstances; it's deliberately produced. By scrutinizing political control, economic manipulations, even religious prophecies, he shows how this is accomplished. Reed offers both certified data and personal anecdotes to demonstrate who benefits and who loses out. This is a very enlightening book.
Peter B. Raabe, Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, University of the Fraser Valley, Canada

This book makes a significant contribution to philosophical counseling by powerfully demonstrating philosophy's effectiveness in addressing everyday problems and the systemic pain prevalent in modern society. Drawing on extensive experience, Reed provides a unique, coherent narrative linking precarity, trauma, and addiction to societal structures influenced by nihilism. He argues that philosophical practice, particularly counseling, cultivates metanoia (expanded consciousness) and collective self-awareness, which are crucial for mitigating suffering and fostering a more humane society. This book offers hope by explaining that much suffering is contingent, not inevitable.
Kate Mehuron, Eastern Michigan University, USA

About the Author

Ross Channing Reed is a lecturer in philosophy at Missouri University of Science and Technology, USA.