In this first talk, I introduce Mental Health Philosophy and three philosophical streams that will be important as these talks continue: the academic, the ontological, and the living life.
Before we delve into what mental health could be, I begin with laying down what philosophy itself must be involved with.
About this Mental Health Philosophy Talk
This is the first in a series of talks introducing Mental Health Philosophy. I begin with philosophy itself and suggest that philosophy involves more than intellectual concepts or academic argument. From there, I introduce three philosophical streams that will be important as these talks continue: the academic, the ontological, and the living life.
The academic stream concerns philosophy as it is commonly encountered through philosophical traditions, arguments, thinkers, and scholarly discourse. The ontological stream concerns arguments about what things are and how those understandings become connected with what we do. The living life stream turns toward the living person—the person having experiences, doing things, and making sense of life as it occurs.
These distinctions are introduced here as a beginning rather than a complete account of Mental Health Philosophy. Later talks will continue developing the ideas and relationships introduced in this first presentation.
For related essays and further development of Mental Health Philosophy, visit the Explore page!