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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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).

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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
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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.
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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
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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