Stepping out of Plato’s Cave (2016)

Philosophical practice is an international movement of philosophers who believe that philosophy can help us live our life more fully and deeply. Ran Lahav, a major contributor to the development of this field, presents here the approach which he has been developing for more than 20 years.

The vision presented in this book is ambitious. It gives philosophy the task of transforming our life and elevating it, in line with the great visions of many important philosophers throughout the ages – Plato, Marcus Aurelius, Rousseau, Nietzsche, and many others. As in Plato’s famous Allegory of the Cave, the role of philosophy is seen as helping us understand the narrow “cave” in which we are imprisoned and inspiring us to step out of this cave towards greater and richer horizons of human existence.

This book discusses both the theory and practice of philosophical practice, and it explains how to apply them to the main formats of the field: philosophical counseling, self-reflection groups, and philosophical companionships. On the theoretical level, it presents a general conception of everyday life and its limitation, of the power of philosophizing, and of personal self-transformation. On the practical level, it explains in detail the process of philosophical practice, its different stages, strategies, and techniques. Many case-studies illustrate these ideas in a concrete, accessible way. Overall, this book is a complete guide for anybody interested in philosophical practice, from the beginner to the experienced philosophical practitioner.

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