Journal publication

Edition 10.1 of Practical Philosophy has now been published and is in the process of being distributed to subscribers and SPP members.

Contents
Editorial
Letter from the Chair

Page	Article	Author
17	The Meaning of "Counsellor"	Sam Brown
36	On the Competence of Philosophical Counsellors	Peter Harteloh
48	Philosophical Counselling as a Process of Fostering Wisdom in the Form of Virtues	Arto Tukiainen
58	Aristotle’s Cardinal Virtues: Their Application to Assessment of Psychopathology and Psychotherapy	James M. Stedman
66	Self-narratives, Story-telling, and Empathetic listeners	Jacqui Poltera
81	Ontology: Not Just for Philosophers Anymore	Robert Arp
104	Refusing to Hear the ‘Refuseniks’: A cautionary tale for our times, from Israel/Palestine	Rupert Read
112	Forum: The therapeutic status of philosophical counselling	Sam Brown

Book Reviews

Book	Author	Reviewer
How to Read Montaigne	Terence Cave	Berel Dov Lerner
How to Read Nietzsche	Keith Ansell Pearson	Berel Dov Lerner
Briefly: Nietzsche’s Beyond Good & Evil	David Mills Daniel & Dafydd Mills Daniel	DC Malloy
The Philosophers of the Ancient World: An A–Z Guide	Trevor Curnow	Keith Seddon
The Stoic Life: Emotions, Duties, & Fate	Tad Brennan	Stan van Hooft
Stoic Serenity: A Practical Course on Finding Inner Peace	Keith Seddon	Antonia Macaro
In Dialogue with the Greeks Volume I: The Presocratics and Reality	Rush Rhees, ed. by D.Z. Phillips	Deirdre C. P. Smith
Jewish Philosophy as a Guide to Life: Rosenzweig, Buber, Levinas, Wittgenstein	Hilary Putnam	Alex Guilherme
Philosophy as Cultural Politics (Philosophical Papers, Vol. 4)	Richard Rorty	Ariane Fischer Pasternak
Philosophy as Life Path: An Introduction to Philosophical Practices	Romano Màdera and Luigi Vero Tarca	Helle Nyvold
Philosophy of Technology: an Introduction	Val Dusek	Berel Dov Lerner
The Essence of Truth	Martin Heidegger	Emmy van Deurzen
Freedom & Neurobiology: Reflections on Free Will, Language, and Political Power	John R. Searle	Berel Dov Lerner
Philosophy and Real Politics	Raymond Geuss	Alex Guilherme

Impending merger

Discussions with various delegates at the 10th ICPP conference in Leusden have helped to clarify options for the SPP's future within the context of the wider international movement of philosophical practice.

A merger is in the pipeline. The favoured option is to amalgamate with the German-speaking IGPP, to contribute an Anglophone dimension to the International Society for Philosophical Practice. This will consolidate the SPP's principal objectives, increase society activity and foster a productive exchange of ideas across the nations of Europe and beyond, using English as the international language.

This is a fundamental change to the SPP’s identity, and will no doubt involve controversies as well as practical complications. Some SPP members may prefer to transfer their membership to the American Philosophical Practitioners' Association (APPA).

Negotiations are already underway between the committees of the national associations. SPP members are welcome to take an active role in the strategic decisions by applying for the vacant committee positions. Please notify your interest to the Chair.

SPP Symposium & AGM 2009

Date: 13th Dec 2009

Please distribute the invitation poster (pdf)

Highlights this year are a paper by Lou Marinoff (author of the best-selling introduction to philosophical counselling 'Plato, Not Prozac: Applying philosophy to everyday problems'), and an insight into philosophical practice in the Netherlands from Peter Harteloh (Secretary of the Dutch Association for Philosophical Practice - the VfP).

Venue:

Bertrand Russell room
Conway Hall
25 Red Lion Square
Holborn
London
WC1R 4RL
http://www.conwayhall.org.uk

The meeting is open to non-SPP members, although only full members will be entitled to vote. There is no attendance fee. Spaces are limited, so please reserve your place in advance with the administrator: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it - priority will be given to SPP members. Non-members will be invited to join the SPP before the AGM.

Schedule

2pm – Introduction from the Chair
2:15pm - Talk by Peter Harteloh, followed by general discussion
3:45pm – break
4pm - Paper by Lou Marinoff: "Synchronicities, Serpents and Something-Elseness"
5:45pm - break
6pm - Discussion about Health Professions Council regulation
6:30pm - AGM
8pm - meeting ends

AGM Agenda

Minutes of 2008 AGM
Chair's report
Acting Secretary's report
Website report
Publications report
Ratification of new constitution
Election of the Management Council
Discussion of SPP policy and events
AOCB

Posts up for election: Secretary, Treasurer, Administrator, Publications editor, Website manager, and up to 4 representatives. One Trustee post will be made available for election/re-election.

Volunteers are welcome to submit a written statement of interest in the post(s) to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it by Sunday 6 December. Any post that has not received advance nominations will be made available for open election at the meeting.

Sam Brown
Chair of the SPP
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Revised SPP Constitution

The revised version of the SPP constitution is available here.

Front page image of the SPP constitution

The new constitution corresponds to current practices, formalises the governance structure and includes new safeguards and protections. Please direct any comments or suggestions to the Chair.

Update: 3/7/09

At the AGM held on 10 January 2009, members of the SPP decided to make a fresh start with an entirely new committee. Sam Brown was elected as Chair, Bo Meinertsen was appointed as publications editor, and Monica Tobon was appointed as the new Administrator.

A major auditing and restructuring process has been underway since then. As the Society has grown, new practices have emerged that have changed how the SPP has been run, and the constitution is being revised to reinforce the best of these practices and to ensure inclusive representation and responsible governance. A number of new positions will soon be created; if you would like to have a say in how the society develops, please send a message to the Chair: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

For issue 10.1 of Practical Philosophy, preparations began anew, overhauling the reviewing policies and appointing a new Editorial Board. A Call for Papers has recently been circulated, and any papers discussing practical applications of philosophy are welcome: please see the guidelines for submission.

New features are continually being added to the SPP website; some functions are available only to logged-in users, others only to SPP members. Please visit regularly and email the web manager with any suggestions or corrections.

This is an exciting time for philosophy in practice. Philosophical thinking is being championed by leading figures in the popular media and established professions are becoming increasingly aware of the need for critical evaluation and ethical reflection. There is a growing demand for professional philosophers, and the SPP is exploring new ways to support people with an academic background in philosophy to practice their skills for the benefit of others.

Dr Sam Brown

Chair of the SPP

SPP