One-to-one philosophical consultation
Some questions need more than advice.
I offer one-to-one conversations for people who have something they want to think through carefully: a decision, a conflict of values, a change in direction, an idea they cannot quite get hold of, or a question that does not seem to belong anywhere else.
What might you bring?
A place to think with another person.
You might come because you are facing:
- a decision in which something important seems to be at stake;
- a question about work, purpose, responsibility, faith, relationships, or how you want to live;
- a problem you keep returning to without getting anywhere;
- an experience that does not fit comfortably into your existing way of understanding things;
- an intellectual or creative idea that needs another mind to work against;
- or simply a question you suspect is worth giving serious attention.
You do not need to know exactly what your question is before you come.
What happens in a session?
We begin with whatever has brought you.
From there, the conversation develops according to the question itself. I may ask questions, make distinctions, challenge an assumption, introduce an idea or another way of seeing the problem, or simply stay with something that seems worth examining.
There is no philosophical curriculum and no particular worldview you are expected to adopt. You do not need any previous knowledge of philosophy.
About the practice
Serious attention without a preset method.
My own thinking draws from philosophy, literature, psychology, education, religious and contemplative traditions, and the symbolic traditions through which people have tried to understand human experience.
What enters a particular conversation depends upon the person, the question, and what proves useful. The aim is not to fit you into a system, but to give sustained attention to what is actually at issue.
What this is not
Not therapy. Not life coaching. Not a lecture.
Philosophical consultation is not psychotherapy, medical treatment, or legal or financial advice. Nor is it life coaching in the sense of setting goals and holding you accountable to them.
Its purpose is simpler: to give sustained attention to a question with another person who knows how to think with you.
About me
Joseph Topo
Philosopher, educator, and facilitator
My work has centred on teaching, facilitation, and helping people think carefully about difficult questions. My interests range across philosophy, education, literature, psychology, religious thought, and the symbolic traditions through which people have tried to understand human experience.
Writing
Essays, notes, and other investigations.
I also write about philosophy, education, perception, religion, symbolism, and the many ways people have tried to make sense of experience.
Writing link coming soon.
Practical details
Individual consultations
Format
60 minutes
Where
Online or in person
Vancouver, BC
Fee
Introductory rate — details coming soon
Get in touch
You can begin with a sentence or two.
Tell me what you would like to think about. You do not need to formulate it perfectly.
Please do not include highly sensitive medical, financial, or other confidential information in an initial inquiry.