Philosophical Counselling, Personal Brand, and Social Networks in the Digital Era

U radu se argumentira da filozofijsko savjetovanje mora razviti prakse u kontekstu u kojem svjedočimo rekonstrukciji perspektiva o svijetu i čovjeku putem revolucije razvoja interneta, društvenih mreža, komunikacijskih tehnologija i pristupa virtualnom svijetu. Filozofijsko i etičko savjetovanje pozvano je uključiti se u raznovrsna nova područja aktivnosti, uključujući izgradnju osobnog oznaka u društvenim medijima, što je fokus ovog rada. S obzirom na to da virtualni komunikacijski prostor postaje medij učinkovitog izražavanja osobnosti, društveni mediji polje su u kojem filozofijsko i etičko savjetovanje mogu postati glavni resurs za rast snažnog osobnog oznaka. Bilo da se radi o samopromociji ili savjetovanju specijaliziranom za komercijalne komunikacije i oznakovljenje, tehnički razvoj omogućuje tehniku samorazvoja poduprtu relacijskim univerzumom društvenih medija. U digitalnom svijetu filozofijsko savjetovanje donosi povećanje doprinosa mogućnosti da se pojedinci izgrađuju, bivaju prepoznati i uživaju kompleksnu izloženost rukovođenu duhom društvene odgovornosti.

Innovative Instruments for Community Development in Communication and Education

The multiple facets of this volume belong to five large themes. The first theme, that of persuasion and manipulation, is studied here through electoral campaigns (i.e., mental filters used in voting manipulation, the mechanisms of vote mobilisation, manipulation and storytelling models). The institutionalization of education represents the second theme, approached here through specific interdisciplinary instruments: the intersection of higher education with public learning, the answers of the knowledge society to the issues of contemporary work problems, the institutional relationships used to solve educational problems specific to childhood and adolescence, as well as the role of media competencies in professional development. The third theme is related to the inheritance and transmission of cultural identity, instrumentalized through issues such as: the duty of intergenerational justice with regard to cultural heritage, education and vocational training in library science, the social inclusion role of public and digital libraries. The collective and cultural identity of communities represents the fourth large theme, being approached through a triple perspective: the philosophical background of restoring the political dignity of communities, the communication space as a point of a needle towards the community space, and the communicational issue of the European capital of culture programmes. Lastly, the fifth theme belongs to practical and applied philosophy, specifically philosophical counselling, debating issues such as: the identification of the communicational background for this type of counselling, the secular approach to the problem of evil from a philosophical counselling perspective, the discussion of Platon’s attitude towards suicide and of frank speech in the Epicurean school, the socio-anthropological perspective of immortality, as well as the formal approach of the relationship between real and imaginary.

Philosophical Practice in the Contemporary World

In traditional academic sense practical philosophy is the combination of those philosophical disciplines which study the practical manifestations of human life, such as ethics and political philosophy. So “practice” in this context is not so much the way of doing philosophy, but rather its object of interest. Thus different subject-specific and applied philosophies are fre­quently referenced as areas of practical philosophy, though might as well develop in purely academic context. However, there exists another increasingly visible interpretation of practical philosophy, often also referred to as philosophical practice, which involves the use of philo­sophical tools and insights for philosophical work outside of academia. The best established forms of philosophical practice are individual philosophical counselling/consultancy, philoso­phy for children, community philosophy/philosophical cafe, philosophy for business. The core (but not strict) common denominator for all these formats is the joint philosophical work of a professional philosopher with non-philosophers. This work may be perceived of intrinsic value or goal-oriented, including making sense of oneself and the world, personal development, de­veloping thinking and metacognitive skills, solving particular conceptually rich problems, in­cluding ethical dilemmas. These formats have been developed and formalised to differing ex­tent in different countries and regions. The goal of the present paper is to introduce the Rus­sian-speaking reader to philosophical practice as a contemporary manifestation of practical philosophy and give a short analytical overview of its key formats in the contemporary world, incl. in Russia.

Nasionale dienspligveterane se soeke na afsluiting (closure): ’n Pastorale sorg uitdaging

National conscripts and their quest for closure:A Pastoral challenge. During the apartheid era, young white men were conscripted for military service in the South African Defence Force. After the demise of apartheid, these military veterans became part of the transformation process in the country. They were often not prepared for the emotional and psychological impact of the political, economic and social changes. Many of them found and still find it difficult to take their place among the citizenry of the country. The post-apartheid government provided no support for them to reintegrate into the community or to process the often long-lasting effects of war related trauma and moral injury. For many, this resulted in a lack of healing and closure on a psychological, moral and spiritual level. This article aims to contribute from a pastoral care perspective to the process of healing, closure and reintegration of this specific group. A holistic narrative approach integrates the contextual approach of Charles Gerkin, the philosophical counselling of Daniel Louw and the insights of Neil Anderson with regard to the connection between spirituality and identity. A contextual approach promotes a deeper understanding of the veterans and their needs in the context of their local communities, including faith communities. In these local communities, resources are available and should be utilised. Such a constructive engagement between veterans, local communities and faith communities can contribute to healthier individuals, families and communities as well as to a healthier society. Guidelines for pastoral support of these veterans that can contribute to their social and personal transformation and process of psychological closure are proposed.