Contemplations on knowing in philosophical counselling

Abstract

https://doi.org/10.21860/j.17.1.5  

Abstracted from experiences of philosophical counselling, which involve developing a deeper understanding of oneself and others, this paper discusses the critical moments when the counsellor and counselee question their knowledge claims. Often, knowledge of the self and others is complementary, facilitating self-reflection and learning. Similar to other counselling contexts, philosophical counselling presupposes the counsellor’s expertise and the counsellee’s openness to change. In this process, people often feel exposed and vulnerable before they feel empowered. Furthermore, since philosophical counselling aims to enable the counsellee to live a contemplative life, counselling becomes a ground for constant negotiation about self and others, their identities, definitions, and transformations. Inevitably, in this counselling process, one enters someone’s personal space, defined by the boundaries one draws around oneself. Although the counselling space is deliberate, entering the personal space may sometimes feel unwelcome. This act of overstepping, shifting, blurring, or breaking the boundaries may be understood as a transgression. Finally, the paper highlights the underlying philosophical assumptions that make the counselling process possible, discusses perspectives that may not regard transgression as an issue in philosophical counselling, and identifies conditions that may make transgression relevant for it.