The Rabbi and The Shrink

Archive Episode #29: Practical Philosophy Prevents Persistent Problems w/ Cristina DiGiacomo

September 22, 2022 Rabbi Yonason Goldson and Dr. Margarita Gurri, CSP
The Rabbi and The Shrink
Archive Episode #29: Practical Philosophy Prevents Persistent Problems w/ Cristina DiGiacomo
Show Notes

Do you often wonder why people aren’t listening to you?

Can philosophy provide practical solutions to modern problems?

Why are we challenged to bring together abstract concepts with down-to-earth issues?


These and other persistent questions are answered when practical philosopher and moral alchemist Cristina DiGiacomo joins the Rabbi and the Shrink


http://www.moralchemy.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/cristinadigiacomo/

1:00  How can philosophy provide practical solutions to modern problems?

Why are we challenged to bring together abstract concepts with down-to-earth issues?

We are philosophers if we pursue authentic wisdoms


7:30 The handshake and the golden rule are examples of accessible philosophy

Philosophy is the love of wisdom and the way we look at life

Asking questions makes us philosophers

Philosophy is a matter of outlook and perspective

Our attitudes shape our perceptions


12:00  What are the benefits of asking questions?

You stop multitasking

Triggers serotonin

Questions lead to intentions which lead to outcomes

If we aren’t open to new insights, we can’t be ethical


17:00  When we know that we don’t know, we open ourselves up to possibilities

Too many people don’t recognize the relevance of ethics in their lives


19:30  When we face problems, ask where did we go wrong?

It’s easier to blame individuals that to question the system

The benefit of 12-step recovery programs

Mistakes help us become stronger and do better


24:30  Why aren’t people listening to me?

Are we connecting perception with reality?

What do the classical philosophers say to address our problems?


28:00  Asking questions preempts conflict and promotes self-reflection

Openness drives progress

The danger and opportunity of “yeah, but.”


32:00  The word of the day:  epistemology

How we know what we know

If arrive at the correct facts through faulty reasoning we may be setting ourselves up for future errors

We may need data now, but reason prepares us for the future


36:00 “The sage acts without pressure from within or without.”


The Hebrew word aliza can mean to relieve pressure or to apply pressure

Different situations call for different strategies to move us forward


What is one question you can ask yourself about your philosophy?


When we live from fear rather than from curiosity, we are setting ourselves up for failure.