What is Philosophical Thinking?
Philosophical thinking tackles philosophical questions. Unlike other modes of intellectual activity philosophical thinking is fundamentally concerned with questions that inexorably arise at the very center of the labyrinth of human existence without allowing for definite and final answers. In short: philosophical thinking tackles philosophical questions.
Philosophical thinking looks behind the scenes of our lives’ riddles. It is precisely their capacity to generate ever new responses to abiding human concerns that makes philosophical questions so uniquely productive for our attempts to intensify and beautify our lives. The expanses of meaning revealed through the portals of philosophical questioning ceaselessly awaken our desire to look behind the scenes of our lives’ riddles.
Philosophical thinking essentially contributes to the good life. How we approach philosophical questions, how we respond to them profoundly shapes the way we live our lives. While the good life certainly depends on much more than the pursuit of philosophical thinking, the latter centrally contributes to it in that it teaches us how not to complicate and aggravate our daily lives unnecessarily by acting on the basis of misapplied reasoning. In particular, philosophical thinking countervails our tendency to confuse philosophical with non-philosophical questions and, hence, to look for the wrong kinds of answers in the wrong places: Attempting to answer a philosophical question non-philosophically (and vice versa) is like trying to slice a tomato with a hammer – the hammer is simply the wrong tool for the task at hand.
Philosophical thinking is Yoga for the Mind™. The promise of clarity, understanding, and insight held out by the pursuit of philosophy has revealed it, through the ages, as one of the most existentially profound and rewarding of human activities. Philosophy is not simply a body of doctrines or a treasure trove of ‘wisdoms’ ready for use on a need-to basis – but, rather, a constant and continual activity, a mode of living and thinking. You can only engage in it by actually doing it, by practicing philosophical thinking. It’s like Yoga – no one can do the poses for you. In philosophical thinking, however, the ‘poses’ consist in the continual attempt to meet the challenge of finding answers to questions of an all-encompassing existential significance.
Practicing Philosophical Thinking at the ICPT
At the ICPT, we strive to engage in philosophical thinking in its most immediate and palpable form, namely, in and through dialogue with each other and with those who have successfully traveled the road of philosophy before us. We consider it our primary task, as your philosophical guides, to diagnose, bring into focus, and assist you in articulating your metaphysical and existential needs
by helping you to lay bare your habits of thinking and casting them in a philosophical light
Philosophical thinking at the ICPT is practiced in small, subject-based Philosophical Salons structured along the pathways of the Meridians of Thought. Thematically tailored readings carefully chosen from across the history of thought will be supplied by the ICPT. If you prefer the personal conversation to the salon we offer individual Philosophical Walks or private sessions with the Upper West Side Philosophers. If you would like to host a philosophical event in your home or company, we will be delighted to plan and conduct such an event as part of our Order-in a Philosopher program.
