Spiritual Dimensions in Counselling: Editor's Introduction

Contributors to the symposium experienced difficulty in finding appropriate language to express their understanding of spirituality and the essential nature of their work with clients. Nevertheless, a fascinating world emerges from which it is clear that many counsellors are now fulfilling the role of spiritual companion. The implications of this for therapists in general are examined, as well as what it means for clients to conceive of themselves as 'spirit'. The question of whether or not counsellors are taking over from the clergy as spiritual guides is explored.     

In the Temple of the Passions: D. Z. Phillips and the Possibility of Philosophical Contemplation

D. Z. Phillips’ work in philosophy was animated by his interest in the diversity and heterogeneity of moral and religious perspectives and his antipathy towards philosophical theories that afford this variety little or no conceptual space. In contrast to what he perceived as essentialist efforts to promote certain viewpoints and to disparage others, Phillips championed a “contemplative conception” of philosophy, according to which the philosopher's aim is neither to underwrite nor to undermine but to understand. This paper argues that philosophy, while disinterested in its aims, nevertheless derives its elucidatory force from the normative contexts within which it is practised and read.     

Working Passions: Emotions and Creative Engagement with Value

It is now a commonplace that emotions are not mere sensations but, rather, conceptually contentful states. In trying to expand on this insight, however, most theoretical approaches to emotions neglect central intuitions about what emotions are like. We therefore need a methodological shift in our thinking about emotions away from the standard accounts' attempts to reduce them to other mental states and toward an exploration of the distinctive work emotions do. I show that emotions' distinctive function is to engage us with both objective and personal values. Attention to emotions' work reveals that it is precisely their “unruliness” that allows them to play meaningful roles in our lives.