Gerd B. Achenbach (born 11 February 1947 in
Hameln
Hamelin ( ; german: Hameln ) is a town on the river Weser in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Hamelin-Pyrmont and has a population of roughly 57,000. Hamelin is best known for the tale of the Pied Piper of Hamelin.
Hi ...
as ''Gerd Böttcher'') is a German
philosopher
A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...
. He is widely noted for founding the world's first
philosophical practice in 1981, a contemporary movement in
practical philosophy The modern division of philosophy into theoretical philosophy and practical philosophyImmanuel Kant, ''Lectures on Ethics'', Cambridge University Press, 2001, p. 41 ("On Universal Practical Philosophy"). Original text: Immanuel Kant, ''Kant’s Gesa ...
. He received a doctorate in philosophy under
Odo Marquard
Odo Marquard (26 February 1928 – 9 May 2015) was a German philosopher. He was a professor of philosophy at the University of Giessen from 1965 to 1993. In 1984 he received the Sigmund Freud Prize for Scientific Prose.
Early life and education ...
in 1981.
Philosophical practice
Developing since the 1980s, practitioners of philosophical counseling ordinarily have a doctorate or minimally a master's degree in philosophy and offer their philosophical counseling or consultation services to clients in lieu of, or in conjunction with, more traditional
psychotherapy
Psychotherapy (also psychological therapy, talk therapy, or talking therapy) is the use of psychological methods, particularly when based on regular personal interaction, to help a person change behavior, increase happiness, and overcome pro ...
. According to
Shlomit C. Schuster, "Achenbach maintains that philosophy is really understood only through its practice, through a personal empathic experience and intellectual cultivation of the subjects of thought".
Bibliography
* '' Philosophische Praxis'' (1984) (German; not yet translated into English)
* ''Lebenskönnerschaft'' (2001) (German; not yet translated into English)
References
Further reading
*
Shlomit C. Schuster, ''Philosophy Practice: An Alternative to Counseling and Psychotherapy'' (1999
http://www.abc-clio.com/ABC-CLIOCorporate/product.aspx?pc=D5280C/nowiki>]
*
Lou Marinoff, ''Philosophical Practice'' (2002)
External links
*Gerd B. Achenbach site http://www.achenbach-pp.de/
20th-century German philosophers
21st-century German philosophers
German male writers
1947 births
Living people
Philosophical counselors
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