Philosophizing towards wisdom nurturing the tree of life in us

DOI: h ps://doi.o g/10.12795/HASER/2021.i12.05 HASER. Re is a In e nacional de Filoso ía Aplicada, nº 12, 2021, pp. 149-194 © Uni e sidad de Se illa, 2021 PHILOSOPHISING TOWARDS WISDOM AS NURTURING THE TREE OF LIFE IN US PHILOSOPHISING TOWARDS WISDOM ENTENDIDO COMO ALIMENTACIÓN DEL ÁRBOL DE LA VIDA QUE RESIDE EN NOSOTROS GURO HANSEN HELSKOG Uni e si y o Sou h Eas e n No way No way gu [email protected] ORCID: h ps://o cid.o g/0000-0003-3637-3776 RECEIVED: JULY, 15, 2020 ACCEPTED: NOVEMBER, 19, 2020 Abs ac : In his essay he au ho poses he hypo hesis ha he me apho “ o philosophise is o nu u e he T ee o li e in us” is a be e me apho han “ o philosophise is o cease li ing” when i comes o concep ualizing wha people migh expe ience when philosophising he so called “Dialogos Way”. Fi s , he au ho ou lines di e en usages o he T ee o li e me apho . In line wi h e lec i e p ac ice esea ch me hodology, she hen explo es how he me apho co esponds o he Dialogos app oach as a p ocess- and wisdom o ien ed o m o philosophical p ac ice. Fu he , h ough o iginal e lec ion, she na a es six examples om he expe ience as a philosophical p ac i ione . F om his, six hemes a e ex ac ed h ough c i ical e lec ion: aha-expe ience, peak-expe ience, hea - o-hea synch oniza ion, li e-guiding concep s, pla eau expe ience and plu alism. The hemes a e hen e lec ed upon heo e ically and gene ally. Summing up, he pa icipan s seemed o ha e expe ienced o ms o psychological g ow h a he han psychological su e ing and “dea h” h ough pa icipa ion in Dialogos dialogue se ies o wo kshops. The au ho concludes ha e en hough he long e m aim o philosophy migh well be o cope wi h dea h, and e en hough philosophising migh imply p ac icing “dying” h ough le ing go o one`s mo e o less well ounded opinions and s ances, his migh GURO HANSEN HELSKOG HASER. Re is a In e nacional de Filoso ía Aplicada, nº 12, 2021, pp. 149-194 150 lead o a new “bi h” and hus o psychological g ow h a he han psychological su e ing and dea h, suppo ing he ini ial hypo hesis. Key wo ds: Philosophical p ac ice, Philosophising he Dialogos Way, T ee o li e, Wisdom, Educa ion, Re lec i e p ac ice esea ch Resumen: En es e a ículo, la au o a plan ea la hipó esis de que la me á o a “ iloso a es nu i el á bol de la ida en noso os” es mejo que “ iloso a es ap ehende la ida” cuando se a a de concep ualiza lo que las pe sonas pueden expe imen a una iloso ía en endida como “Dialogos way” (camino dialógico) hacia la sabidu ía. La au o a desc ibe di e en es usos de la me á o a del á bol de la ida y explo a cómo és a se alinea den o del en oque Dialogos como una o ma de Filoso ía Aplicada o ien ada al p oceso. Más a de, se u iliza una me odología y es uc u a de in es igación de p ác ica e lexi a pa a na a ejemplos de Filoso ía Aplicada del au o . De ahí, se in e i án seis emas po medio de una e lexión c í ica: la expe iencia “ajá”, la expe iencia lími e, la sinc onización de co azón a co azón, los concep os que guían la ida, la expe iencia de mese a y el plu alismo. Pos e io men e, se e lexiona eó icamen e sob e es os emas. Los esul ados señalan que los pa icipan es del abajo pa ecen expe imen a o mas de c ecimien o psicológico en luga de su imien o psicológico y “mue e”. La au o a concluye que, en es e sen ido, aunque el obje i o a la go plazo de la iloso ía pod ía se a on a la mue e, y aunque iloso a pod ía implica p ac ica la “mue e” median e el abandono de las opiniones y pos u as más o menos undadas, es o pod ía lle a a un nue o “nacimien o” y, po lo an o, al c ecimien o psicológico más que al su imien o psicológico y la mue e; en consecuencia, se apoya la hipó esis inicial. Palab as cla e: Filoso ía Aplicada, Philosophising he Dialogos Way, á bol de la ida, sabidu ía, Educación, in es igación de p ác ica e lexi a In oduc ion In his essay «To philosophise is o cease li ing», Osca B eni ie 1 akes his poin o depa u e in Pla o`s wo ds ha hose who apply hemsel es o philosophy in he p ope way, a e doing no mo e no less han o p epa e hemsel es o he momen o dying and he 1 BRENIFIER, Osca : “To philosophize is o cease li ing”, a ailable in ob-cl.pd (bu .no) (las access Janua y 25 h, 2021). ON THE URGENT NEED FOR PHILOSOPHICAL PRACTICES HASER. Re is a In e nacional de Filoso ía Aplicada, nº 12, 2021, pp. 149-194 151 s a e o dea h. F om his, B eni ie p oposes ha i o philosophise is lea ning o die and lea ning how o die, i canno be done excep han by p ac icing dying. To him, his means ha o philosophise is ac ually dying, in o de o acqui e a eal expe ience o dea h. In p ac ice, i implies “ o o e u n es ablished ideas and induce uneasiness, a he isk o a bad conscience, a so o psychological su e ing and dea h”. Fo ins ance, when o cing people o ake opposi e s ances h ough his me hod o philosophising h ough an inomies 2 , he causes con usion and some imes ange and shame in many o his pa icipan s. This can be psychologically pain ul. I some imes o ces people o u n hei hinking upside down and inside ou , and o le go o some o hei mo e o less na ow opinions and poo ly g ounded s ances. To some, i is a shocking expe ience, a o m o killing o he ego, as i o ces people o gi e up a piece o hei iden i y, because people o en iden i y wi h hei opinions 3 . In his essay, I will ake a sligh ly di e en s ance. I ag ee wi h B eni ie ha coming o e ms wi h one`s own mo ali y in such a way ha one can ace dea h wi h a peace o mind simila o ha exp essed by Soc a es in he Apology 4 , migh well be a long e m ou come o philosophising. I also ag ee ha he sea ch o u h in ol ed in philosophising, mos likely implies o e u ning (some o ) one`s es ablished ideas and opinions. Howe e , I disag ee ha his necessa ily needs o imply “a so o psychological su e ing”, i.e. imply o ins ance ange o shame. On he con a y, he “dea h” 2 BRENIFIER, Osca : “Philosophising h ough an inomies”, a ailable in h p://www.p ac iques-philosophiques. (las access Feb ua y 11 h 2016). 3 My in e p e a ion bo h om eading B eni ie `s w i ings and om expe iencing and s udying his p ac ice since 2005. 4 PLATO: The Republic, a ailabe in h p://classics.mi .edu/Pla o/ epublic.h ml (las access Augus 21 h 2015) GURO HANSEN HELSKOG HASER. Re is a In e nacional de Filoso ía Aplicada, nº 12, 2021, pp. 149-194 152 o one`s opinions, s ances and pieces o iden i y migh lead o a “psychological new bi h” and “g ow h”. To nu u e such g ow h does no imply ha he e mus ha e been a pain ul “dea h o he ego” be o e he g ow h akes place. On he con a y. The ansi ion be ween he dea h o an opinion, o e en he anscendence o a wo ld iew, can happen h ough he smoo h low o dialogical exchange o e ime. In genuine dialogical encoun e s, people necessa ily anscend hei exis ing egos when aking he pe spec i es o o he s, c i ically examining hese as well as hei own pe spec i es. In he p ocess, an expansion and deepening and some imes change o hei ho izons o unde s anding and hus iden i ies necessa ily will ake place. A leas o a pe iod o ime a e such a gen le dynamic o “psychological dea hs” and “new bi hs”, people migh e en expe ience a sense o upli ed wellbeing and ul illmen . Hence, o his eason as well as o o he s, I will a gue ha he me apho “philosophising is o nu u e he T ee o li e in us” is a be e me apho han “philosophising is o cease li ing” when ying o unde s and wha people`s expe iences o philosophizing he Dialogos Way o e some ime. The T ee o li e – om a che ype o esea ch me hodology So a , I ha e no come ac oss anyone who has used he T ee o li e as a me apho in li e a u e abou philosophical p ac ice. This is a he s ange, he T ee o li e being an a che ype ha can be ound in mos cul u es and spi i ual adi ions, indigenous as well as Judeo-Ch is ian-Islamic, Hindu-Buddhis and Daois . Fo ins ance, in he Judeo-Ch is ian adi ion we mee he me apho o he T ee o li e al eady in Genesis 2, 9: “The LORD God made all kinds o ees g ow ou o he g ound— ees ha we e pleasing o he eye ON THE URGENT NEED FOR PHILOSOPHICAL PRACTICES HASER. Re is a In e nacional de Filoso ía Aplicada, nº 12, 2021, pp. 149-194 153 and good o ood. In he middle o he ga den we e he ee o li e and he ee o he knowledge o good and e il” 5 . Mu phy's book T ee o Li e. An Explo a ion o Biblical Wisdom Li e a u e 6 has se ed as an in oduc ion o he wisdom li e a u e o he Bible since he ea ly 1990s. I includes he P o e bs, Job, Ecclesias es, and Wisdom o Solomon. Ano he example is Rabbi Law ence T os e who uses he me apho in his a icle P ese ing he T ee o li e: Wisdom T adi ion and Jewish Sus ainabili y e hics 7 . In he Ch is ian adi ion, he Re ela ions 22 e en ends wi h a e e ence o he ee o li e: Then he angel showed me he i e o he wa e o li e, as clea as c ys al, lowing om he h one o God and o he Lamb down he middle o he g ea s ee o he ci y. On each side o he i e s ood he ee o li e, bea ing wel e c ops o ui , yielding i s ui e e y mon h. And he lea es o he ee a e o he healing o he na ions. While he T ee o li e is a widely used me apho in Judaism and Ch is iani y, i ha a sligh ly di e en alou in he Qu an, whe e he e is only one ee men ioned, namely he T ee o immo ali y: "Abu Hu ay ah: The P ophe Muhammad said: "In Pa adise is a ee in he shade o which he s a s cou se 100 yea s wi hou cu ing i : he T ee o Immo ali y." 8 Ano he a ian o he T ee o li e me apho is also ound in he mo e han 5000 yea old Indian Yoga adi ion, howe e as a ee g owing upside down: “The e is an 5 Re ie ed 28.12.2020 om Genesis 2 NIV - Thus he hea ens and he ea h we e - Bible Ga eway 6 MURPHY, Roland: T ee o Li e. An Explo a ion o Biblical Wisdom Li e a u e, Doubleday. New Yo k, 1990. 7 TROSTER, Law ence: «P ese ing he T ee o li e: Wisdom T adi ion and Jewish Sus ainabili y E hics». In: Religions: A Schola ly Jou nal, Volume 2012, Issue 1, p. 43-49 8 WHEELER, B annon: P ophe s in he Qu an: An In oduc ion o he Qu an and Muslim Exegesis. Bloomsbu y Publishing, London, 2002, p. 24. GURO HANSEN HELSKOG HASER. Re is a In e nacional de Filoso ía Aplicada, nº 12, 2021, pp. 149-194 154 e e nal ee called he Ash a ha, which has i s oo s abo e and i s b anches below” 9 . Howe e , he T ee o li e is no only an a che ype in spi i ual adi ions. I is also used as a biological model and esea ch ool. As such, he common belie is acco ding o Gon ie 10 ha he T ee o li e is i s used by Cha les Da win in On he o igin o Species 11 o explo e he e olu ion o li e and desc ibe he ela ionships be ween o ganisms. Howe e , she demons a es ha ee diag ams as we know hem oday, a e he ou g ow h o ancien philosophical a emp s o ind he “ ue o de ” o he wo ld, and o map he wo ld “as i is” (on ologically), acco ding o i s ue essence. The ee a che ype was acco ding o he used o desc ibe e e y hing BUT biological e olu ion. Philosophe s such as Pla o and A is o le, inspi ed by Egyp ian and Asian eligions, began o de elop logical sys ems o classi ica ion based on he ee a che ype, she a gues. Thei goal was o ind o de and s abili y o knowledge in an e e - changing, con inuous wo ld o plen y. The T ee o li e diag am is oday mos commonly used o desc ibe biological e olu ion and ela ionships, acco ding also o Sch amm and colleagues 12 . They a gue ha “ eading e olu iona y ees is seen as a majo challenge o biologis s in lea ning abou e olu ion and i s applica ions in esea ch”. They subsume he skills needed o such eading, in e p e a ion, and cons uc ion unde he e m “ ee- hinking,” which hey di ide in o “ ee- eading” and “ ee- 9 DEUSSEN, Paul: Six y Upanishads o he Veda. Volume 1, Mo ilal Bana sidass Publishe s, Delhi,1997, p 269-273. 10 GONTIER, Na halie: Depic ing he T ee o Li e: he Philosophical and His o ical Roo s o E olu iona y T ee Diag ams. In E o Edu Ou each 4, 515– 538 (2011). 11 DARWIN, Cha les: On he O igin o Species. Random House, USA, 1859/2003. 12 SCHRAMM, Thilo, SCHACHTSCHNEIDER, Y onne & SCHMIEMANN, Philippe. «Unde s anding he ee o li e: an o e iew o ee- eading skill amewo ks». in E o Edu Ou each 12, 11. 2019. ON THE URGENT NEED FOR PHILOSOPHICAL PRACTICES HASER. Re is a In e nacional de Filoso ía Aplicada, nº 12, 2021, pp. 149-194 155 building.” Ano he example is Fisle e al. 13 , who in he pape The eeness o he ee o his o ical ees o li e compa e and ca ego ize his o ical ideas abou ees showing ela ionships be ween biological en i ies, using « he hie a chical s uc u e o he ee o es he global consis en o simila i ies among hese ideas». They de ine eeness as “ he deg ee o which sha ed ea u es among en i ies i o a oo ed hie a chical non-cyclic connec ed g aph (a « ee»)”. The T ee o li e me apho is also used in o he o ms o esea ch. Fo ins ance, Vi ian Es ada in he pape The T ee o li e as a Resea ch Me hodology 14 , p oposes a me hodology based on some o he alues and concep s embedded in he Ceiba o he “T ee o Li e” in he own Maya Indigenous cul u e. This b ings us o he me hodological app oach in his pa icula essay. Me hodology Danish his o ian o philosophy o science Kjø up 15 makes a dis inc ion be ween h ee o ms o knowing, namely knowing as esul s o empi ical esea ch, knowing as schola ship buil on he s udies o o ins ance classical philosophy and li e a u e, and knowing as awa eness aising. I is his la e o m o knowing we know (sic!) om he insc ip ion o e he en ance o he emple o Delphi: Gno hi Seau hon – know you sel . We also know i om Soc a es as we mee him in he dialogues o Pla o, in which he 13 FISLER Ma ie, CRÉMIÉRE Cédic, DARLU, Pie e, LECOINTRE, Gauillaume. «The eeness o he ee o his o ical ees o li e». In PLoS ONE 15(1) e0226567, 2020. 14 ESTRADA, Vi ian: “The T ee o li e as a Resea ch Me hodology”. The Aus alian Jou nal o Indigenous Educa ion, 34, 2005, 44-52. 15 KJØRUP, Sø en: Menneske i enskapene. Bind 1. Humanio as his o ie og g undp obleme . Roskilde uni e si e s o lag. Roskilde, 1996/2008. GURO HANSEN HELSKOG HASER. Re is a In e nacional de Filoso ía Aplicada, nº 12, 2021, pp. 149-194 156 claims ha « he unexamined li e is no wo h li ing» 16 . In his adi ion knowledge is hough o as some hing we a e bo n wi h and ha e access o, and which can be b ough o consciousness o ins ance by he Soc a ic me hod. This is o ins ance why we a e able o g asp ma hema ical p inciples, which we can no see in he empi ical wo ld. S ill, we can unde s and hem wi h ou minds. No wegian philosophe Lindse h 17 b ings o wa d one a ian o knowing as awa eness aising, namely an expe ience based o m o esea ch which he calls e lec i e p ac ice esea ch. He a gues ha expe ience based knowing is no so insecu e as some claim, no he leas because one h ough expe ience is capable o becoming awa e o and disclose when sel -in e es o con enience is he base o one`s ac ion. We can sense ha some hing is igh o w ong, good o less good, and disclose when expe ience based knowing is no hing less han unc i ical con o mism. I demands a c i ical igilance owa ds habi ual belie s and p ac ices, he a gues. This igilance is p omo ed and enhanced h ough a phenomenological basic a i ude and me hod. This a i ude can also be compa ed o he a i ude emphasised by Ba ad 18 . She a gues o an on o-epis em- ological pe spec i e in which being and knowing is in eg a ed: We know because we a e al eady embedded in he wo ld. Such a pe spec i e makes c i ical and heo e ical e lec ion upon one`s own expe iences and p ac ices aluable, as i migh inc ease he c i ical awa eness also o o he p ac ices and heo ies. In line wi h he me hodology o Lindse h abo e, I ha e chosen o e lec 16 PLATO: Apology, a ailable in The In e ne Classics A chi e (las access Ap il 30 h 2020). 17 LINDSETH, Ande s: “Fo skningens ei – F a li se a ing il en obse e ba e den og ilbake il li e s i ksomhe e . I Halås, Ca ine To bjø nsen, Ingje d Gå e Kym e & Ka i S eins ik ( ed.). Humanis iske o sknings ilnæ minge il p o esjonsp aksis. Gyldendal Akademisk, Oslo (No way), 2017 p. 15-37) 18 BARAD, Ka en: “Pos humanis pe o ma i i y: Towa d and unde s andning o how ma e comes o ma e ”. Signs: Jou nal o Women in Cul u e and Socie y, 28, 2003, 801-831. ON THE URGENT NEED FOR PHILOSOPHICAL PRACTICES HASER. Re is a In e nacional de Filoso ía Aplicada, nº 12, 2021, pp. 149-194 157 upon expe iences om he p ocess o de eloping he Dialogos app oach o philosophical p ac ice, ollowed by six examples o pa icipan eedback a e pa icipa ing in a wo kshop o dialogue se ies. Much o my esea ch can be ca ego ized as ac ion esea ch, and has had an eme gen design, ha is, a g ow h design compa ible wi h he T ee o li e me apho . As such, he Dialogos de elopmen - and esea ch p ocess om he mid-90s ill now can in i sel be iewed in ligh o he T ee o li e me apho . Mo e impo an in his essay, howe e , is he T ee o li e as a me apho ha can help desc ibe wha is going on inside o and be ween indi iduals pa icipa ing in philosophical dialogues o e some ime. The e o e, in his essay I will use a e lec i e p ac ice esea ch app oach a he han an ac ion esea ch app oach. Fu he s uc u e o he essay The essay is u he s uc u ed as ollows: In he nex sec ion, I na a e aspec s o he Dialogos de elopmen p ocess ha can be di ec ly linked o he me apho o he T ee o li e. Then I na a e six examples o people`s expe iences om philosophizing “ he Dialogos Way” wi h me. Bo h is done in a o m ha can be compa ed o Lindse h`s no ion “o iginal e lec ion”: I ha e ied o ind wo ds o expe iences ha Lindse h concep ualizes as expe iences “ ha could no be o go en because i dis u bed o made a special imp ession». Lindse h connec s he na a ion o he expe ience o he G eek pa hèsia – a o m o u h elling ha implies speaking om he hea , di ec ly om he gu s, wi hou paying a en ion o he o ical demands o poli ical co ec ness. This is he i s s ep in Lindse h`s model o e lec i e p ac ice esea ch. The nex s ep is wha Lindse h calls “c i ical e lec ion”. He e I ha e chosen o ocus on six hemes o quali ies ha became impo an o me in he e lec i e p ocess, namely aha-expe ience, peak-expe ience, hea - o-hea synch oniza ion, pla eau GURO HANSEN HELSKOG HASER. Re is a In e nacional de Filoso ía Aplicada, nº 12, 2021, pp. 149-194 164 as Philosophy o Child en (P4C)-inspi ed philosophising 29 , Soc a ic dialogue inspi ed philosophising 30 , con empla i e philosophising 31 , Daimonic Dialogues 32 , Osca B eni ie -inspi ed philosophising 33 , o compa a i e dialogues 34 . Howe e , ega dless o dialogue o ma s included, he essence o philosophising he Dialogos Way is connec ing subjec ma e o pe sonal li e and ice e sa on he one side, and p o ound encoun e s be ween pa icipan s in hea o hea dialogues wi h each o he abou sha ed subjec ma e on he o he . Fo ins ance, when wo king wi h one o he many opics and exe cises c ea ed 35 , such as he 29 LIPMAN, Ma hew: Thinking in Educa ion. Camb idge Uni e si y P ess, Camb idge (England), 2003. 30 NELSON, Leona d. “The Soc a ic Me hod” in SARAN, René and NEISSER, Ba ba a (eds) Enqui ing Minds –Soc a ic Dialogue in Educa ion.T en ham Books, Ches e , 1922/2004; HECKMAN, Gus a : “Six pedagogical measu es and soc a ic acili a ion.” In SARAN, René and NEISSER, Ba ba a (eds): Enqui ing Minds – Soc a ic Dialogue in Educa ion, T en ham Books, Ches e , 2004/1981. 107–120; K ohn, Die e : “Theo y and p ac ice o Soc a ic dialogue”. In SARAN, René and NEISSER, Ba ba a (eds): Enqui ing minds: Soc a ic dialogue in educa ion. S oke on T en , UK: T en ham Books, 2004, p. 15–24. 31 LAHAV, Ran: Handbook o Philosophical-Con empla i e Companionships: P inciples, P ocedu es, Exe cises. Loye Books, Ha dwick, VT (USA), 2006. 32 WEISS, Michael Noah: Daimonic Dialogues - Philosophical P ac ice and Sel - o ma ion. A Resea ch Repo on a Se ies o Philosophical Guided Image ies Ca ied ou a a No wegian Folk High School. LIT Publishing, Vienna, 2021 (in p ess). 33 BRENIFIER, Osca : “Philosophising h ough an inomies”, a ailable in h p://www.p a iques-philosophiques.com/en/english/ ex s/46-an inomies (las access Feb ua y 11 h 2016). 34 HELSKOG, Gu o Hansen. Philosophizing he Dialogos Way Towa ds Wisdom in Educa ion. Be ween C i ical Thinking and Spi i ual Con empla ion. Rou ledge, Abingdon-on-Thames, 2019. 35 HELSKOG, Gu o Hansen. Philosophizing he Dialogos Way Towa ds Wisdom in Educa ion. Be ween C i ical Thinking and Spi i ual Con empla ion. Rou ledge, Abingdon-on-Thames, 2019; Helskog, Gu o Hansen and Ribe, And eas: Dialogos- P ak isk iloso i I skolen. Ele bok. Fag og kul u , Oslo (No way). 2008. ON THE URGENT NEED FOR PHILOSOPHICAL PRACTICES HASER. Re is a In e nacional de Filoso ía Aplicada, nº 12, 2021, pp. 149-194 165 opics “ca e o ou neighbo s”, “sus ainable de elopmen ” o “ o gi eness”, ques ions conce ning one`s indi idual esponsibili y, and he limi a ions o his, could be ex ac ed, o mula ed, a gued and e lec ed upon. By his, connec ions a e made be ween con en and concep , he pe sonal and he uni e sal, he conc e e and he abs ac , and he p i a e and he public, he con ex ual and he uni e sal. Pa icipan s can g adually see how hei li es a e imme sed in complex cul u al, his o ical and social s uc u es, while a he same ime connec ing o hemsel es on a deepe le el. This p ocess will, when e ol ing a i s bes , nu u e wisdom (and hus he T ee o li e) in pa icipan s. Howe e , only a e wa ds can we look back and y o make sense o he p ocess and i s “ ui s”. In his essay, I ha e picked six “example ui s 36 ” ha will be in ocus. This leads us o he nex o iginal e lec ion sec ion. O iginal e lec ions: Six example ui s In his sec ion I will na a e six example ui s d awn om he p ocess o ying ou he Dialogos app oach in pedagogical philosophical p ac ice in he pe iod 2005-2020. I ha e chosen he example ui s because hey ha e made deep imp essions on me, and p o oundly impac ed my u he wo k. Mo eo e , hey a e examples o wha migh be possible ui s o a philosophical p ocess. F ui s II, III, IV, and VI, a e al eady analyzed in o he publica ions 37 , howe e hen in di e en con ex s and in dialogue 36 The choice o « ui » as a main me apho in his sec ion is o cou se di ec ly linked o he me apho o « he T ee o li e». 37 HELSKOG, Gu o Hansen: "The healing powe o Dialogos dialogues: T ans o ma i e lea ning h ough dialogical philosophizing." Open Jou nal o Social Sciences 2 (11) p.79-83; HELSKOG, Gu o Hansen: “Mo ing ou o Con lic in o Reconcilia ion. Bildung h ough Philosophical Dialogue in In e cul u al and In e eligious Educa ion”. Educa ional ac ion esea ch 3:340- GURO HANSEN HELSKOG HASER. Re is a In e nacional de Filoso ía Aplicada, nº 12, 2021, pp. 149-194 166 wi h o he heo e ical pe spec i es. F ui I and V a e no desc ibed elsewhe e. Toge he , he ui s also documen aspec s my own de elopmen as a philosophical p ac i ione , esea che , and wisdom o ien ed educa o and pedagogue du ing hese 15 yea s. Example ui I: This is magic! I was summe mo e han a decade ago. Abou en pa icipan s om ou coun ies we e si ing closely oge he in he ga den house a my a m in sou h eas e n No way. I begun he wo kshop F iday a e noon wi h he ques ion: “Whe e a e you in you li e a he momen , and do you ha e a ques ion? Fo mula e i simply in once sen ence, and pu i in you pocke . We will e u n o i a he end o he wo kshop on Sunday”. They did no sha e hei hough s no hei ques ion wi h o he s. We hen spen he en i e weekend explo ing a a ie y o philosophical ques ions and exe cises using dialogue o ma s inspi ed mainly by Soc a ic dialogue as I had me i in Ge many 38 . By he end o ou wo kshop on Sunday nigh , I asked he pa icipan s o pull ou hei pe sonal ques ion no es om hei pocke s, and see whe he hey had come close o an answe o hei ques ion o no . One o he pa icipan s go as onished looking a his/he no e. “This is magic!” s/he exclaimed. “We ha e been wo king on my ques ion all h ough he weekend!” The o he s ag eed. They all had go en new insigh s wi h ega ds o hei pe sonal ques ion, e en hough i was ne e spelled ou publicly. Speaking o he pe son a ew days la e , he/she claimed ha he wo kshop “made e e y hing change”. 362. HELSKOG, Gu o Hansen: “Sea ching o wisdom he Dialogos way”. In AMIR, Lydia, P ac icing Philosophy: Expanding Bounda ies, New F on ie s. London: Camb idge Schola , 2017. 38 KROHN, Die e : “Theo y and p ac ice o Soc a ic dialogue”. In SARAN, René and NEISSER, Ba ba a (eds): Enqui ing minds: Soc a ic dialogue in educa ion. S oke on T en , UK: T en ham Books, 2004, p. 15–24 ON THE URGENT NEED FOR PHILOSOPHICAL PRACTICES HASER. Re is a In e nacional de Filoso ía Aplicada, nº 12, 2021, pp. 149-194 167 Example ui II: Ne e ending ho izon I was sp ing a couple o yea s la e . We had inished he “Gandhi p ojec ” i e mon hs ea lie , and he s uden s we e in i ed o sha e how hey now saw he expe ience o pa icipa ing in he Dialogos dialogue se ies in he all. We had me e e y Wednesday o en sessions, each las ing 1,5 hou s 39 . One o he pa icipan s exp essed his expe ience his way: When we s a ed he p ojec , i was as i I was apped inside o a ing. I was na ow inside o me. When I encoun e ed a p oblem, whe he i was a school o in li e in gene al, I s opped. I did no go u he . I ga e up. Then du ing he p ojec i was as i some hing exploded inside o me, like an a omic bomb. I was as i I was looking in o an endless ho izon. Now, when I encoun e a p oblem, whe he in gene al li e o in school wo k, I do no s op anymo e. I know he e is a way, and I con inue. O cou se, also o he ac i i ies in his li e du ing hese mon hs migh ha e con ibu ed o his expe ience, and i is no likely ha he p ojec dese es all he c edi , e en hough he does so himsel . Example ui III: Class oom ull o ligh A couple o mon hs a e he comple ion o he Gandhi P ojec I was asked by he p incipal a he school o y ou philosophical 39 HELSKOG, Gu o Hansen: “The Gandhi P ojec : Dialogos philosophical dialogues and he e hics and poli ics o in e cul u al and in e ai h iendship”. Educa ional ac ion esea ch 1-20, 2014; STOKKE, Ch is ian and HELSKOG, Gu o Hansen: P omo ing dialogical democ acy. Dialogos philosophical dialogues as an app oach o in e cul u al and in e ai h dialogue in educa ion. S udies in in e eligious dialogue, 2-04, 2014, HELSKOG, Gu o Hansen and STOKKE, Ch is ian: “Enhancing ela ional spi i uali y. Dialogos dialogues in in e cul u al and in e ai h educa ion”. S udies in in e eligious dialogue, 2-04, 2014. GURO HANSEN HELSKOG HASER. Re is a In e nacional de Filoso ía Aplicada, nº 12, 2021, pp. 149-194 168 dialogues wi h a class idden by se e e con lic 40 , gi ing some o he s uden s s omach aches, making hem no sleep a nigh , making hei g ades d op and making hem wan o d op ou o school. A e each dialogue, s uden s w o e anonymous me a- e lec ion no es, helping me decide wha opic and which dialogue o ma o choose nex . A e he nin h dialogue, he s uden s had chosen o philosophise upon he ques ion “wha is happiness”? They we e si ing on hei ables in a ci cle, and I asked hem o ind a pe sonal expe ience o when hey hemsel es expe ienced o be happy. When he u n came o one o he s uden s mos se e ely a ec ed by he con lic , she looked a he o he s, and said ha she was happy now because he con lic was o e , e e ybody we e iends and she looked o wa d o go o school e e y mo ning. Ano he s uden w o e he ollowing in he me a- e lec ion no e: The con lic was like (excuse he exp ession) hell in he beginning, and i did no ge any be e (…). As ime pas by i became “b igh e ” he e in he class oom, and he posi i e ene gy ook o e . Today i is like blue sky he e in ou class. [I is] wonde ul o come o school o mee good iends and a class oom ull o ligh . Du ing he dialogue I el com o able, and I ha e no been a aid o say wha I hink and eel. The hough ha we will soon be sepa a ed gi es me s omach ache. Now I eally like i he e! We a e laughing oge he , wo k and discuss oge he wi hou any nega i e a i udes. I ha e lea ned a lo o new hings [du ing he dialogue] oday. I see hings and hink abou hings in many and di e en ways. O cou se, i is no possible o claim ha he Dialogos p ojec was he only eason he con lic dissol ed. Also he wo k o he class eache s in be ween he philosophical dialogues we e impo an . Bu he e a e easons o belie e ha he opics o he dialogues, as 40 HELSKOG, Gu o Hansen: “Mo ing ou o Con lic in o Reconcilia ion. Bildung h ough Philosophical Dialogue in In e cul u al and In e eligious Educa ion”. Educa ional ac ion esea ch 3:340-362. ON THE URGENT NEED FOR PHILOSOPHICAL PRACTICES HASER. Re is a In e nacional de Filoso ía Aplicada, nº 12, 2021, pp. 149-194 169 well as he ac i i y o philosophising upon pe sonal expe ience in ela ion o ex ma e ial and concep s, we e c ucial in he econcilia ion p ocess be ween he s uden s in he class. Example ui IV: “…e en hough o gi eness is he bes you can do in Islam” 41 The nex ui s ems om one o my egula classes in pos g adua e eache educa ion in No way. We philosophised upon he opic o gi eness, and a Muslim s uden old a s o y om his own li e expe ience as a eenage e uge in No way, which we analyzed and e lec ed upon. One and a hal yea la e I asked him i he would allow me o w i e abou he dialogue. “I you wan o, we can mee , and I will ell you some mo e”, he said. We hus me in my o ice. He hen old me ha his single dialogue and he concep o gi eness had made him e lec upon his upb inging and schooling in A ghanis an, compa e A ghan and No wegian cul u e, and see his amily ela ions as well as poli ics in A ghanis an in a new ligh . He had made o gi eness an ideal which he ied o li e by, hough admi ing i was di icul , and ha he was no always able o “e en hough o gi eness is he bes you can do in Islam”, as he exp essed i . Example ui V: Walking on ai The i h example is p o ided by a pa icipan in a h ee day in e na ional Dialogos wo kshop a ew yea s ago. In an e-mail sen he day a e he wo kshop she exsp essed ha 41 See HELSKOG, Gu o Hansen. Philosophizing he Dialogos Way Towa ds Wisdom in Educa ion. Be ween C i ical Thinking and Spi i ual Con empla ion. Rou ledge, Abingdon-on-Thames, 2019. GURO HANSEN HELSKOG HASER. Re is a In e nacional de Filoso ía Aplicada, nº 12, 2021, pp. 149-194 170 Since I a i ed home yes e day mo ning I can' land ye . I eel walking on ai and e en he despai o e he poli ical si ua ion in my coun y can' e ase his eeling. I hink he wo kshop illed me up wi h a load o posi i e ene gy One yea la e I asked he again, o see i she had changed he imp ession. Howe e , he exp essions a e a he consis en : “The Dialogos wo kshop was a uly dialogical expe ience o me. Th ee days o wo kshop cha ged me men ally and emo ionally o many days a e wa ds”. Example ui VI: Di e en s uden s- di e en inne mo emen s The six h example in ol es en s uden s in a 30 ECTS cou se on In e cul u al unde s anding and eligion a he Uni e si y o Sou h Eas e n No way, which s a ed wi h a 10 ECTS module on philosophical dialogue. Upon comple ion o he las dialogue session o he module, s uden s we e asked o desc ibe hei de elopmen as sho ly as possible, p e e ably in one wo d o wo. This is wha hey w o e 42 : 42 HELSKOG, Gu o Hansen: “Sea ching o wisdom he Dialogos way”. In Ami , Lydia, P ac icing Philosophy: Expanding Bounda ies, New F on ie s. London: Camb idge Schola , 2017. ON THE URGENT NEED FOR PHILOSOPHICAL PRACTICES HASER. Re is a In e nacional de Filoso ía Aplicada, nº 12, 2021, pp. 149-194 171 Table 1. S uden s’ de elopmen , acco ding o hem 43 S uden F om: Towa ds: E ic In e es ed Knowledgeable Elino Accep ing o he iews Unde s anding o he iews Eckha No hing on he g ound Flowe ha almos bloomed E an The acco dance The analysis E a Closed Open E elina Exhaus ed, insecu e Ene gized, emb aced, and cu ious Emily Closed opinions and shallow hinking Open-mindedness E ica Deba ing communica o Dialogical communica o and lis ene Es he Open Accep ing Edwa d Insecu e, oubled T us in mysel , elaxed – oubles dissol ed C i ical e lec ions In his c i ical e lec ion sec ion i is in i s place o poin o he ac ha all examples excep o wo (III and IV) a e d awn om Dialogos wo kshops o dialogue se ies in which pa icipan s pa icipa ed olun a ily. Ei he he pa icipan was an adul who had a elled a o spend a weekend philosophising he Dialogos way (example I and V), hey we e s uden s who had accep ed he 43 The s uden s a e anonymised and gi en a name beginning wi h an E. The esea ch is epo ed o and app o ed by NSD (No wegian Cen e o Resea ch Da a). GURO HANSEN HELSKOG HASER. Re is a In e nacional de Filoso ía Aplicada, nº 12, 2021, pp. 149-194 172 in i a ion o ake pa (example II) o hey had signed up o a eache educa ion cou se in ol ing philosophical dialogue (example IV). Hence, hey we e no o ins ance eache s who we e mo e o less o ced by hei leade s o pa icipa e 44 , no s uden s being d awn in o philosophical dialogues as pa o he manda o y ac i i ies in hei eache educa ion p og am. Deg ees o inne mo emen In he la e cases, pa icipan s a e no likely o expe ience such deep and p o ound inne ans o ma ion and g ow h as he pa icipan s in he chosen example ui s in his essay did. One eason migh be ha non- olun a y pa icipa ing eache s uden s and olun a y in e na ional wo kshop pa icipan s a e likely o come o he Dialogos p ocess wi h e y di e en a i udes. While he e a e easons o expec some pa icipan s in he i s g oup o be hesi an , skep ical and/o esis an , mos indi iduals ep esen ed in hese examples ha e pa icipa ed because hey we e in e es ed o begin wi h. This migh be an impo an eason why hey expe ienced hei s a es o minds so p o oundly changed due o he Dialogos p ocess. When beginnings a e challenging In my expe ience, a challenge is ha when wo king wi h eache s uden s and p ac icing eache s, hey o en expec o be gi en models and ools ha hey can apply di ec ly wi h s uden s in he 44 WEISS, Michael Noah and HELSKOG, Gu o Hansen: “‘They o en ha e AHA-momen s’: how aining eache s o philosophize he Dialogos Way wi h hei s uden s can p omo e li e skills and democ a ic ci izenship in educa ion”. A ailable in Educa ional Ac ion Resea ch, 2020 h ps://doi.o g/10.1080/09650792.2020.1811744 (las access 25.01.2021) ON THE URGENT NEED FOR PHILOSOPHICAL PRACTICES HASER. Re is a In e nacional de Filoso ía Aplicada, nº 12, 2021, pp. 149-194 173 class oom. They do no necessa ily see he need o wo k wi h hemsel es and hei a i udes and ways o being in he wo ld, in o de o a oid becoming ins umen al. In addi ion, hey o en do no pa icipa e olun a ily, which some imes makes i di icul o unleash he ull po en ial o he philosophical p ocess. The e o e, I o en en e he oom wi h ce ain p esump ions explica ed on he basis o almos wo decades o ac ion- and e lec i e p ac ice esea ch 45 . These include he ollowing:  Some pa icipan s need ime o le go o esis ance  Some pa icipan s need ime o mo e om an a gumen a i e o a dialogical way o communica ing  Some pa icipan s ea being w ong, and need ime o de elop he con idence needed o engage in open explo a i e inqui y  Some pa icipan s need ime o open hemsel es up o genuine hea o hea communica ion wi h o he s  Some pa icipan s need ime o mo e om cha e owa ds inne silence  Some pa icipan s link aims, lea ning and assessmen in an ins umen al way, needing ime o disco e he powe and beau y o dialogue, expanded unde s anding and sel - de elopmen o i s own sake So, e en hough a main p esump ion is ha he Dialogos p ocess is likely o be bes i i s a s di ec ly in he pe sonal ealm, i is usually wise o ind a balance be ween ul illing pa icipan `s p agma ic expec a ions and challenging hem o s a philosophising he Dialogos way. As s a ed in he in oduc ion sec ion, he essence o philosophising he Dialogos Way is 45 HELSKOG, Gu o Hansen. Philosophizing he Dialogos Way Towa ds Wisdom in Educa ion. Be ween C i ical Thinking and Spi i ual Con empla ion. Rou ledge, Abingdon-on-Thames, 2019 GURO HANSEN HELSKOG HASER. Re is a In e nacional de Filoso ía Aplicada, nº 12, 2021, pp. 149-194 180 Li e guiding concep s The pa icipan in example ui IV claimed ha a e he philosophical dialogue on o gi eness, his concep had become li e guiding o him. To bo ow he wo ds o Maslow 54 , he had been able o b ing expe ience back in o philosophy and psychology as an opponen o he me ely abs ac and abs use, o he a p io i, o wha I ha e called “helium- illed wo ds”. I mus hen also be in eg a ed wi h he abs ac and he e bal, i.e. we mus make a place o “expe ien ially based concep s”, and o “expe ien ially illed wo ds”, ha is o an expe ience-based a ionali y in con as o he a p io i a ionali y ha we ha e come o iden i y wi h a ionali y i sel . The pa icipan had illed he concep “ o gi eness” wi h expe ien ial con en du ing he philosophical dialogue as well as a e wa ds, hus making i no only meaning ul o him. The concep had, so o speak, become an e hcial compass needle in his li e. Pla eau-expe ience A sligh ly di e en heme came o he o e when I e lec ed c i ically upon example V (“walking on ai ”). I ound i compa able o wha Maslow 55 calls “pla eau expe iences”. The pla eau expe ience is acco ding o him a s a e o consciousness ha implies “a o m o wi nessing, an app ecia ing, wha one may call a se ene, cogni i e bliss ulness which can, howe e , ha e a quali y o casualness and o lounging a ound”. The pla eau expe ience is 54 MASLOW, Ab aham: Religions, alues, and peak-expe iences. S ella Books, USA, 2014/1964 p.11 55 MASLOW, Ab aham: Religions, alues, and peak-expe iences. S ella Books, USA, 2014/1964, p. 13 ON THE URGENT NEED FOR PHILOSOPHICAL PRACTICES HASER. Re is a In e nacional de Filoso ía Aplicada, nº 12, 2021, pp. 149-194 181 mo e olun a y han peak expe iences, and hey also ha e an e hical (noe ic) and cogni i e elemen . This no always he case o peak expe iences, which can be pu ely emo ional, he a gues. The possible pla eau-expe ience o his pa icipan did no seem o ha e cogni i e and e hical elemen s. While “ he peake ” acco ding o Maslow is in dange o becoming an i- a ional, an i-empi ical, an i-scien i ic, an i- e bal and an i- concep ual, he “pla eaue ” will ha e a heal hy, humble and ealis ic openness o he mys ic, in ealiza ion ha we don` know much. S/he will also modes ly and g a e ully accep g a ui ous g ace as well as ha which mus be seen as plain good luck, acco ding o him. Plu alism B eni ie 56 a gues ha philosophising is abou ceasing o li e (a leas o a momen ), and ha philosophising is solely abou a ional and logical hinking. This b ings us o he six h and las heme ha I will heo ize upon, namely wha A ne Næss 57 calls plu alism. The plu alism o A ne Næss` is a s ance ha holds ha he e a e se e al sides o an issue, and ha i is impo an o use di e en pe spec i es and mul iple “ o ches” when shedding ligh on a si ua ion. This makes i possible o people wi h di e en eelings, a i udes and con ic ions owa ds an issue o come oge he a ound a cause such as he deep ecology mo emen ounded by Næss himsel in he 1970`s. “Deep” he e means o go “down o he undamen al p emises o wha we alue in li e”, Næss s a es. On his deepe le el o ou alue judgmen s he e is di e si y and lack 56 BRENIFIER, Osca : «To philosophize is o cease li ing”, a ailable in ob- cl.pd (bu .no) (las access Janua y 25 h, 2021). 57 NÆSS, A ne and HAUKELAND, Pe -Inge: Li s iloso i. Uni e si e s o lage , Oslo, 2005. GURO HANSEN HELSKOG HASER. Re is a In e nacional de Filoso ía Aplicada, nº 12, 2021, pp. 149-194 182 o consensus amongs us. I he e was concencus, i would be a sign o alignmen o ou in ellec ual and emo ional li es, which is no good (Næss and Haukeland 2005: 16). This s ance is especially ele an o unde s and di e ences in he o ms o inne mo emen exp essed in he examples, no he leas by he en s uden s in example ui VI. They had a ended he same cou se on philosophical dialogue, bu hey concep ualized hei de elopmen , i.e. hei inne mo emen om beginning o he end o he cou se, qui e di e en ly. This shows ha e en hough he e a e p o ound hea - o-hea synch oniza ion and communica ion de eloping h ough a good Dialogos p ocess, he indi idual s uden s a e p esen in he dialogues in hei own unique ways, expe iencing hei own unique o ms o g ow h and hei unique indi idual ui s. I we accep his s ance as plausible, i is a s eng h ha a couple o s uden s desc ibed hei inne mo emen h ough he cou se as a mo emen om insecu e, exhaus ed and oubled owa ds ene gized, emb aced, cu ious, while ano he couple o s uden s desc ibed hei p ocess as an inne mo emen om closed, opiniona ed and shallow owa ds open-minded. Ye ano he s uden had de eloped om a deba ing communica o owa ds a dialogical communica o and lis ene , while ano he claimed o ha e mo ed om “accep ing o he iews” o “unde s anding o he iews”. Mo eo e , i seems ha an exis en ial communi y had de eloped in he mids o he di e si y o pa icipan s, making possible a plu ali y o indi idual “jou neys in he Dialogos T ee o li e” o e ol e, o e u n o he guiding me apho o he essay. ON THE URGENT NEED FOR PHILOSOPHICAL PRACTICES HASER. Re is a In e nacional de Filoso ía Aplicada, nº 12, 2021, pp. 149-194 183 Gene al e lec ions In he nex sec ions, I will sho ly e lec upon h ee gene al issues o a i udes ha I ha e ound o be essen ial o he pe son who wan s o acili a e Dialogos p ocesses ha can nu u e wisdom o “ he T ee o li e” in pa icipan s. Possibilism as a basic a i ude Philosophe A ne Næss, being a moun ain climbe , exempli ies his possibilis li e s ance by elling abou his expe ience o being apped a a moun ain shel in a e y s eep moun ain side 58 . Wi h he choice o ei he ying o ind a way and isk alling down and be killed, o s a ing and hi s ing o dea h a he moun ain shel , he chose o y o ind a way. He ied climbing upwa ds o he igh , ending in no hing, bu disco e ing a possible ou e o he le , which he success ully ied. To him his was a bold con i ma ion ha he e a e always possibili ies p esen , e en hough he si ua ion seem comple ely hopeless. As a li e philosophy, possibilism implies he insigh ha all conclusions, also scien i ic, a e in p inciple insecu e. E en hough one o ages ha e held a ce ain ma hema ical law o e iden , he nex gene a ion migh e ise i all. Hence, i is possible o be s ongly con inced abou his o ha , wi hou claiming ha i is ue 59 . O as Dewey o mula es i : “Fo endea o o he be e is mo ed by ai h in wha is possible, no by adhe ence o he ac ual” 60 . Simila ly, he young s uden in example 58 NÆSS, A. and HAUKELAND, P-I. (2005), Li s iloso i. Oslo: Uni e si e s o lage .13-15 59 NÆSS, A. and HAUKELAND, P-I. (2005), Li s iloso i. Oslo: Uni e si e s o lage , p. 13-15 60 DEWEY, J. (1934). A common ai h. New Ha en. Conn.: Yale Uni e si y P ess, p. 14 GURO HANSEN HELSKOG HASER. Re is a In e nacional de Filoso ía Aplicada, nº 12, 2021, pp. 149-194 184 ui II exp essed ha he did no s op when mee ing hind ances in li e o a school anymo e, because he knew he e was a way. T ans e ed o he p ac ice o acili a ing Dialogos wo kshops o dialogue se ies, a possibilis a i ude is help ul in o de o ha e ai h in he p ocess o g adually c ea ing mo emen in and be ween pa icipan s, also in si ua ions whe e he e is esis ance, o whe e one seems o be s uck. Taking emo ion in o accoun Philosophe s h oughou he ages ha e ended o be suspicious o eelings, desi es, o emo ions. They a e o be con olled and supp essed, and i has been claimed ha desi es a e an obs acle o hinking and hus o philosophising. Indeed, desi e is ound a he hea o he philosophical dynamic, as B eni ie 61 pu s i . Philo sophia is pi o al o all kinds o philosophising, no he leas o a Dialogos p ocess. A common ai o how pa icipan s desc ibe hei expe iences and pe sonal de elopmen o pa icipa ing in a Dialogos p ocess, is ha hey desc ibe how he a ional and logical hinking p ocesses made hem eel. This is an aspec ha can be in e p e ed wi h he help o A ne Næss` Spinoza inspi ed iew 62 . Acco ding o Næss, all p og ess in hings essen ial o humans, a e d i en by emo ions. Howe e , emo ions a e ambiguous. They can be an inspi a ional sou ce o insigh , wisdom and meaning in li e, bu hey can also be a sou ce o he opposi e, i.e. o des uc i e and sel -des uc i e a i udes and ac ions. F iendliness and lo e a e posi i e eelings ha ac i a e ou human na u e, while nega i e eelings like ha ed, en y and a ogance passi a e us, he a gues. Næss also claims ha ou emo ional condi ion can be cha ac e ized 61 BRENIFIER, Osca : «To philosophize is o cease li ing”, a ailable in ob- cl.pd (bu .no) (las access Janua y 25 h, 2021). 62 NÆSS, A ne and HAUKELAND, Pe -Inge: Li s iloso i. Uni e si e s o lage , Oslo, 2005. ON THE URGENT NEED FOR PHILOSOPHICAL PRACTICES HASER. Re is a In e nacional de Filoso ía Aplicada, nº 12, 2021, pp. 149-194 185 as a s able key one o a sho e o longe pe iod in li e. This one can be posi i e o nega i e, and mo e o less in ensely and s ongly so, making a pe son some hing be ween wha I me apho ically speaking chose he e o call “ligh minded” o “da k minded”. I is impo an o no e ha his can be a one domina ing a pe iod in li e, and no a one cha ac e izing someone`s pe sonali y. Tha would be o ake i oo a . Wi h his in mind, a hi d me apho is also possible, namely he “g ey minded” pe son who o e (some) ime is indi e en and wi hou any emo ional engagemen and ini ia i e a all. Such a pe son is likely o become a bu den o his o he su oundings, acco ding o Næss. In some cases, such a pe son migh be compa able o Maslow`s “non-peake ”. As Maslow 63 o mula es i : Any pe son whose cha ac e (o Wel anschauung, o way o li e) o ces him o y o be ex emely o comple ely a ional o “ma e ialis ic” o mechanis ic ends o become a “non-peake ”. Tha is, such a iew o li e ends o make he pe son ega d peak-and- anscenden expe iences as a kind o insani y, a comple e loss o con ol, a sense o being o e whelmed by i a ional emo ions, e c. While Maslow poin s o he a ional, ma e ialis ic o mechanis ic o ien ed pe son as a non-peake , in my in e p e a ion compa able o esis an pa icipan s who a e unable o “go wi h he low” o wisdom seeking dialogue, B eni ie 64 a gues ha desi es o emo ions becomes obs acles o philosophising when hey make people abandon u h in o de o seek mo e immedia e sa is ac ions, such as powe , glo y, weal h, knowledge, and lus . Wha Maslow`s peake seem o ha e in common wi h B eni ie `s u h seeking philosophe , is lexibili y o mind. Ye , I would assume Maslow 63 MASLOW, Ab aham: Religions, alues, and peak-expe iences. S ella Books, USA, 2014/1964 p. 36 64 BRENIFIER, Osca : «To philosophize is o cease li ing”, a ailable in ob- cl.pd (bu .no) (las accessed Janua y 25 h, 2021). GURO HANSEN HELSKOG HASER. Re is a In e nacional de Filoso ía Aplicada, nº 12, 2021, pp. 149-194 186 would ag ee wi h me ha his lexibili y can be unde s ood h ough a g ow h-me apho a he han a dea h-me apho . Howe e , i can ne e be an ins umen al aim o philosophical p ac ice o o ins ance u n a “non-peake ” in o a “peake ”, o use he exp essions o Maslow, o o u n a “knowledge seeke ” o a “ u h seeke ”, o use he exp essions o B eni ie . People mus ind hei own ways, in line wi h he plu alis s ance a gued ea lie . Ye i hey engage uly dialogically, and hus bo h emo ionally and a ionally – i.e. wi h hei whole being, ans o ma ion is likely o occu , in some way o o he , unique o e e y pe son. I seems ha his was he case o he pa icipan s ha ing expe ienced he example ui s na a ed in his essay. The deeply pe sonal as he deeply uni e sal I is also wo h men ioning ha he li e-s ances o pa icipan s in he examples we e di e se. They we e espec i ely a) cul u al- ca holic, b) p ac icing Ca holic wi h a backg ound om a Buddhis majo i y coun y, c) e hnic Jew bo n in Russia li ing in Je usalem, d) p ac icing Muslim bo n in A ghanis an li ing in No way, as well as e) a a ie y o Ch is ian, a heis and agnos ic s ances amongs he eigh Eu opean, one Asian and one La in- Ame ican s uden s in he las example. Despi e hei di e en wold iews and li e philosophies, eligious, o non- eligious, hey expe ienced compa able pe sonal ans o ma ions due o he philosophical dialogues. How can we unde s and his? Again, i is wo h bo owing pe spec i es om Maslow. The o iginal eligious ques ions can be s udied, desc ibed and in es iga ed in a scien i ic (and philosophical) manne , because hey a e deeply oo ed in human na u e, he a gues. The ques ions a e common o all o mankind. The di icul y begins wi h he adi ional a emp s o answe he ques ions. This is whe e di e en wo ld iews and di e en eligions ha e come o ON THE URGENT NEED FOR PHILOSOPHICAL PRACTICES HASER. Re is a In e nacional de Filoso ía Aplicada, nº 12, 2021, pp. 149-194 187 conclusions ha a e unaccep able o o he s. As Maslow pu s i : «Though he answe s we e no accep able, he ques ions hemsel es we e and a e pe ec ly accep able, and pe ec ly legi ima e». I see his as an a gumen o philosophising he Dialogos Way in mul i cul u al and mul i eligious con ex inside and ou side educa ion. In es iga ing ques ions oge he ha a e ele an o us all, ega dless o ou eligious and cul u al backg ounds, is aluable in i sel . Mo e impo an ly, i he p ocess also leads o he sligh es inc ease in epis emic humili y and openness ac oss cul u al and eligious di ides, i is e en mo e wo h he ime and e o , because hen i also migh pa e he way owa ds peace ul ela ions mo e b oadly speaking. This is a eason in i sel why we a e in u gen need o philosophical p ac ices in main s eam educa ion ac oss he globe 65 . Summa y and inal ema k I began his essay by posing a sligh ly di e en hypo hesis han B eni ie . I ag eed wi h him ha philosophising implies o e u ning (some o ) one`s es ablished ideas, ha his implies a o m o psychological “small dea h” as ou opinions and s ances a e o en dea o us and pa o ou iden i ies. Howe e , I disag eed ha philosophising necessa ily needs o imply “a so o psychological su e ing”, a guing ha he ini ial “dea h” o one`s mo e o less na ow opinions and poo ly g ounded s ances leads o a new “bi h” and psychological g ow h a he han su e ing. The eason I ga e was ha in genuine dialogical encoun e s we necessa ily anscend ou exis ing egos when lis ening o o he people, s i ing o see om hei pe spec i e, c i ically examining hei ideas, as well as ou own ideas. In he p ocess, an expansion 65 HELSKOG, Gu o Hansen and WEISS, Michael Noah. “On he u gen need o philosophical p ac ices in main s eam educa ion oday. HASER. Re is a In e nacional de Filoso ía Aplicada, 12, 2021, pp. 107-147. GURO HANSEN HELSKOG HASER. Re is a In e nacional de Filoso ía Aplicada, nº 12, 2021, pp. 149-194 188 and deepening o ou ho izons o unde s anding and hus iden i ies necessa ily will ake place. A leas o a pe iod o ime a e such a gen le dynamic o “psychological dea hs” and “new bi hs”, we migh e en expe ience a sense o upli ed wellbeing and ul illmen . Then ollowed an o e iew o di e en usages o he T ee o li e me apho , and a desc ip ion o how he me apho co esponds o he concep Dialogos and o Dialogos as a p ocess o ien ed o m o philosophical p ac ice. Using a e lec i e p ac ice esea ch me hodology and s uc u e, I o ganized he pape in h ee main sec ions: In he o iginal e lec ion sec ion, I na a ed six exampled om my p ac ice. In he c i ical e lec ion sec ion, I p esen ed six hemes ha I e lec ed upon in he heo e ical e lec ion sec ion. The hemes we e espec i ely aha-expe ience, peak-expe ience, hea - o-hea synch oniza ion, li e-guiding concep s, pla eau expe ience and plu alism. The ques ion is now whe he o no I am jus i ied in a guing ha he me apho “philosophising is nu u ing he T ee o li e in us” is a be e me apho han “philosophising is o cease li ing” when i comes o concep ualizing wha people migh expe ience when philosophising he Dialogos Way. Summing up, nei he o he pa icipan s in he examples had expe ienced hei ans o ma ions o opinions, s ances o iews o li e as “ o ms o dea h”, no o “psychological su e ing”. Ra he , mos o hem had expe ienced hei ans o ma ion posi i ely as leading o o ms o (indi idual-psychological o collec i e- ela ional) g ow h. To na iga e as a philosophical dialogue acili a o in he mids o people`s di e en backg ounds and s a ing poin s, g adually c ea ing hea - o-hea encoun e s be ween hem, as well as helping hem connec expe iences and concep s, isn` necessa ily easy. The acili a o needs o be awake and awa e, paying a en ion no only o wha is said, bu also o wha is eme ging unde nea h and be ween wha is said, ac ing in ui i ely and ac ully in ways ha ON THE URGENT NEED FOR PHILOSOPHICAL PRACTICES HASER. Re is a In e nacional de Filoso ía Aplicada, nº 12, 2021, pp. 149-194 189 nu u es he low and g ow h o wisdom and hus he T ee o li e in pa icipan s. This can no always be unde s ood concep ually. Howe e , when being uly p esen in he si ua ion, he body o he acili a o is likely o egis a e wha is going on, making him o he able o espond in adequa e ways, wi hou damaging he in eg i y o pa icipan s. The e a e o cou se always isks ha he acili a o makes no so wise acili a ion mo es (needless o say, I ha e done so an endless numbe o imes mysel ). A no so wise acili a ion mo e could make hesi an pa icipan s e en mo e esis an , e en mo e a gumen a i e, e en mo e ea ul o being w ong, o e en mo e closed in hei communica ion and ways o engaging wi h o he pa icipan s. I is hus pi o al o begin he Dialogos p ocess in a way ha does no sca e people away, while g adually challenging hem o le go o ea and esis ance, and ins ead s a engaging openly and dialogically wi h he subjec ma e as well as wi h each o he . A “wise” acili a o would ideally be able o se a p ocess in mo ion ha in he long un can lead owa ds human lou ishing and wisdom in a b oad sense, unique o e e y pa icula indi idual, ye uni e sal in he sense ha i is connec ed wi h he sha ed eali y o people, na u e, hings and phenomena in he uni e se. Such a p ocess would imply o nu u e he T ee o li e o logos in pa icipan s, as seem o ha e been he case o he pa icipan s in he six examples in his essay. Thei ou come-expe iences a e a he a e, howe e possible side-e ec s o philosophising he Dialogos way. I is his a eness ha has made hem un o ge able o me as a philosophical dialogue acili a o and educa o . To conclude, I belie e I am jus i ied in claiming o ha e suppo ed he ini ial hypo hesis o his essay: “Philosophising is nu u ing he T ee o li e in us” is a be e me apho han “philosophising is o cease li ing” when concep ualizing wha people migh expe ience when philosophising he so called “Dialogos Way” owa ds