Plato's elixir

Author: Lou Malinov
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2002-04-01
Features: The author introduces a new industry—the methods used in philosophical consulting. In the author's view, philosophy should not just be an academic discipline but should also be able to solve practical problems, helping people to understand themselves. Philosophical consulting, as an advisory practice for adjusting psychology and guiding life, relies on the crystallization of human wisdom over thousands of years. Whether it is Socrates, Plato, Hegel, Laozi, Confucius, or Zhuangzi, the wisdom and teachings they left behind can serve as references and inspirations for real-life situations. Moreover, philosophical consulting does not treat the consultee as a patient but as an uninformed individual—one who has conflicts in areas such as desires and goals, personality and social roles, and self and others. From a philosophical perspective, not understanding oneself is the greatest problem. Some conflicts may be intense, but this is not a disease; understanding oneself requires wisdom that belongs to the individual.