In philosophical practice

The investigation of the individual’s patterns and conceptions is very important in philosophical practice. It ensures that we deal with the person’s ‘lived philosophy’—with her everyday behaviors and emotions and attitudes, not just with her abstract thoughts and opinions. An investigation that deals only with abstract ideas and not with concrete life, just like an investigation that deals with concrete life but not with ideas, is not really philosophical.

In philosophical counseling we usually begin by investigating the person’s patterns. Once some patterns are exposed, the counseling continues to the conceptions expressed by these patterns. The transition from patterns to conceptions is extremely important, because it is a transition from concrete life (behaviors, emotions, etc.) to philo-sophy. This is the connecting point between the level of facts (“That’s how I behave and feel”) and the philosophical level (“The self is indefinite”), between the level of behaviors and emotions and the level of ideas.

A similar transition can take place in the philosophical companionship too. A philosophical companionship is a small group of seekers who meet from time to time. They are therefore familiar with each other, and can help one another explore and understand their patterns and conceptions.

However, in the philosophical workshop, which is usually limited to several hours, it is difficult to explore the personal life of each participant. It is often easier to do the transition in the opposite direction: from ideas to patterns. The participants can start with some general ideas about some issue (love, meaning, freedom, etc.), and then examine how these and similar ideas are expressed in their personal everyday life.

Exercise

Consider several theories about the nature of the Other. (See several such theories in the section “Voices of the Other.”) Observe yourself, or somebody else you know well, in interactions with other people. Now, try to formulate the patterns that dominate these interactions, their power, and their conception(s). It is usually difficult to notice our own patterns or conceptions without the help of an experienced philosopher. For this reason it may be easier for you to examine somebody else.

A hint: A good starting point is to focus on unusual behaviors or emotions, which are peculiar to the person in question.

Lesson 4

ON PATTERNS

In order to transcend our narrow perimeter, we must first explore its boundaries. Our first step is to examine its patterns.

Normally, the repertoire of my thoughts, emotions and behaviors is limited. It covers only a small portion of the vast repertoire of human possibilities. In this sense my repertoire is limited to specific types, in other words, to specific patterns.

A pattern implies structure. It means that my thoughts, emotions, and behaviors are not a heap of arbitrary items, but they relate to each other in some particular ways.

The simplest kind of pattern is repetition. An example is when a person finds every opportunity to argue with others. He keeps doing the same thing.

But often a pattern is more complicated. It may consist of various kinds of thoughts, emotions, and behaviors which are connected through a common theme. For example, if I like to wear flashy clothes, and enjoy shocking people with my outrageous remarks, and feel bored when I am by myself, and fantasize of being a movie star, then those different points revolve around a common theme: I seek to be the object of other people’s attention.

It is sometimes objected that emotional or behavioral patterns are not a topic for philo-sophia but for psychology. But this is incorrect. Detecting a pattern is neither philosophical nor psychological—it is simply observing the facts. The difference between philo-sophia and psychology is in what we do with the observed pattern. If, for example, we search for the emotional mechanism that produces this pattern, then we are probably doing psychology. But alternatively, we may use the pattern in order to examine the person’s conception of the world—her way of understanding himself, her philosophy of life. We are then doing philo-sophia.

Example

Miriam is a university student. She is a little shy, but sweet and friendly. And yet, strangely, she doesn’t have any good friends.

Several students would say the same thing about her: When you first meet her, she is charming. Her smiles are magical, and her intimate voice makes you feel as if she is totally with you. And indeed, she is glad to listen to you, to help, and to encourage. You then think that she has taken a special interest in you, and that you are going to be great friends. But then a strange thing happens: You find that it is impossible to get closer to her. She continues to be nice and helpful, but she finds all kinds of excuses to avoid meeting you too often.

Laura, a classmate, was hurt by Miriam’s behavior. She asked Miriam directly why she was avoiding her. Miriam felt very bad for hurting Laura, and apologized profusely. And for the next three weeks she tried to make up: She would sit next to Laura in class, go out with her to the cafeteria, and be even sweeter than usual. But soon the relationship started boring her. At the end of the month she was again avoiding Laura.

Another classmate, Amy, reacted to Miriam more aggressively. She confronted her directly, raised her voice and accused her of betrayal. A polite, indifferent smile appeared on Miriam’s face. “What a bore,” she said to herself. “She isn’t worth the trouble,” and erased her from her heart.

When we examine this story, we note a common pattern connecting the various episodes: Miriam is a conqueror: She conquers the hearts of people around her. She cares for them, but only when they are not too close, because deep relationships do not interest her. And when a conquest is impossible (as in the case of Amy), she loses interest. In short, her pattern seems to be that of a collector of hearts.

A philosophical process can explore this apparent pattern in greater detail, examine more fully how it is expressed in Miriam’s everyday life, how it is connected to other patterns, and what conception (‘theory’ or ‘worldview’) it expresses.