For the following series of texts I decided to organize the basic ideas of philosophical practice into a systematic scheme. This was not an easy decision, because it meant imposing more order on the philosophical process than it has. Philosophy is, by its very nature, an open-ended endeavor which always goes beyond any pre-conceived structure. Nevertheless, through many workshops and encounters I have come to realize that an organized scheme can be very important for pedagogical reasons. Even though it presents a rather simplistic picture, it can help the initiate grasp the essence of the process. Later, after one has mastered the basic outlines of the scheme, one can step beyond it and open oneself to philosophy’s multifaceted nature.
The following lessons therefore present a step-by-step scheme of the philosophical process. This scheme should be regarded not as a summary of the essence of philosophical, but rather as its skeleton. The living body is always bigger, more complex and flexible, more alive than the skeleton around which it lives.
