A thousand converging paths to self-observation and self-discovery: science, spirituality and philosophical practice
Authors: Kabai Zoltan 
Published: September 2024

This article aims to connect dots from different schools of thought and argues for the importance of an interdisciplinary approach to any subject matter and the immense potential the virtually endless openings thus created can represent for philosophical counseling. It brings arguments on the importance of understanding from linguistic nuances, in any strict systematic discipline that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the world, to various symbolic systems of spiritual practices. It emphasizes the formal logic of mathematics – which comes from the ancient Greek notion máthēma (μάθημα), meaning "that which is learned", "what one gets to know", hence also "study" and "science" – in an attempt to simplify complexities but also the importance, for one’s philosophical journey to self-harmonization with existence, of a large number of alternative types and forms of reconstruction of reality devised by mankind. By employing pure or applied mathematics thinking patterns – if addressed to scientifically-minded interlocutors –, philosophy qua practice can build bridges between disciplines by cross-translating specific glossaries, focusing on referential points, and emancipative essences, and smoothing sharp edges - in the search for a broader, common denominator, and collective viewpoint. For instance, for clients with advanced scientific backgrounds and high expectations, it can start the dialogic reflections from philosophy’s own sophisticated toolset able explain the Doppler shift of psychohistory, by de-noising - in midair - the different observable perspectives, in the multipolar, prone to gridlock, umwelt of humanity. For other clients, less scientific yet read and inclined towards objective realism, philosophical counseling can still start their transformative journey from anchoring their worldviews in the fact that the laws of physics are here to stay, yet suggesting the adoption of the observer effect through which, in our commuting with nature, neutrality can have a harmonizing effect on the viability of what constitutes the "is", starting from the individual "know thyself", continuing with the containing physical, ideological, spiritual frameworks to identify inflection points and prepare next adjacencies for evolution in the collective reality. For many other potential philosophically inclined clients, other spiritual practices such as various religions or meditation are crucial coordinates of their lives and around which philosophical counselors can revolve the dialogue. Yet other people are inclined to philosophize through favorite insightful song lyrics and melodies. Philosophical counseling can help to leave no one behind in terms of finding meaning, decision grounding, and, or at least, peace. Whatever that might mean, on micro and macro levels. Building a philosophical journey "ark" needs a blueprint, and requires a list of "animals", a pair of each kind - the "good" and "bad" sides, hand in hand, of any identifiable entity - before it sets sail towards the unknown, the open sea. In the narrow neck of the present, in the sand clock between past and future every client who seeks assistance feels at the crossroads of the reflected side of "where do I/We come from" and the "where am/are I/We going! " regardless if "we" - as a collective - understand or not "what are We".