The Philosophy and Therapy Podcast · John T Maier

Episode #26: Lydia Amir

·52 min·2 clips

Philosophy isn't just theory—you have to live it to understand it.

The host says his background is in psychotherapy and philosophy. He also explains that the show interviews people working at the intersection of philosophy and therapy, and he brings the guest in to explain her work and why it matters. The guest is introduced as a lecturer in philosophy at Tufts University and a leading expert in philosophical practice. She is also described as the author of several books, including work on Nietzsche, humor, the human condition, and philosophy's responsibility. The discussion starts with a broad question about what philosophical practice should mean. The guest treats it as a practical question about whether philosophy belongs in everyday life rather than only as an abstract study. She places autonomy at the center. In her account, philosophy is meant to make a person more autonomous and better able to think independently, which is why counsel can matter when someone needs help making sense of a situation. She uses ordinary examples: a person might go to a friend, a doctor, or a lawyer when their own thinking has reached its limit, and in that moment they can be less autonomous without losing autonomy in any permanent sense. The host stays with that point and reflects on how shared reflection can be a temporary step toward someone else's help, followed by a return to one's own judgment in the best case. The guest widens the frame. Even a very good philosopher can be caught off guard by life, and surprise can leave someone confused, at a loss, or aware that their knowledge is not enough for what is in front of them. She keeps autonomy nuanced: it is not a simple yes-or-no condition, because people are heteronomous to some degree and move between more or less self-direction depending on circumstances. She also points toward practical remedies. Sometimes the answer is to talk with someone, sometimes to read more, and sometimes to be more patient while the situation becomes clearer. The conversation closes on her current work, including a project now in its 10th year, a new yearbook, a book series, and an editing project involving 50 chapters, with two of her own chapters still to finish before publication later this year.

As heard by us

A compact case for philosophy as a tool of independent reflection.

John T. Meyer and Lydia Amir present philosophical practice as philosophy carried into ordinary life, with the discussion circling autonomy, practical wisdom, and the value of seeking counsel in order to recover judgment of one's own.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

When your thinking is stuck, this is the kind of philosophy that hands you a chair and asks you to sit down.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from The Philosophy and Therapy Podcast