ABSTRACT
Philosophy has played a role in helping people to deal with problems in living since the pre-Socratics (Heaton 1990; Vlastos 1991; Nussbaum 1994; Lahav and Tillmanns 1995). It used to be a common matter for philosophers to emphasise the practical application of their profession to ordinary everyday reality. Philosophy, before it became taken over by the scientific discourse, concerned itself with the understanding of the human predicament for the purpose of more effective and better informed living. Such forms of concrete and applied philosophy have become more rare as specialisms have taken over. Philosophy’s commitment to have a broad understanding of life and put this at the service of the public has worn very thin over the centuries. Existential philosophy, in its applied form, marks the revival of this tradition.
