Dialogos

I have worked as a high school teacher for almost 20 years, teaching philosophy, languages and literature, and for the past few years I have also worked as a philosophical practitioner. The first time I came into contact with philosophical practice was when I went to Argenteuil, a commune north of Paris, and attended the French organization IPP’s (Institut de Pratiques Philosophiques) winter seminar of 2018.

Soon after that first meeting I began to train under their auspices and am now a practicing philosopher. In 2022 I became a practicing member at ssfp (Swedish Society for Philosophical Practice). For the past two years, much of my time has been devoted to training new philosophical practitioners within the IPP’s Philosophical Counseling program. I have also held workshops on philosophical counseling for students at the University of Vienna’s continuing education program in Philosophical Practice and presented a workshop on philosophical competencies at the Panjab University in Chandigarh, India. From time to time I facilitate café-philos at a public library. The main and most important part of my work, however, is to provide individual training to practitioners and to give philosophical consultations.

There are many different forms in which philosophical practice is conducted, and different countries and individual practitioners have their own traditions and methods. Personally, I see the value of a slightly more rigorous version, which I have found to be a constructive way to clear the mind by using maieutics, the Socratic questioning method. It is a way of turning the dwelling of problems into an exciting examination of one’s own being outside of a psychiatric, psychoanalytic, religious or political context. Anyone who is not in direct need of care, who for various reasons does not feel drawn to the church or who wants to be able to discuss without being bound by ideological positions can here find a different type forum in which to get involved in their own existence.

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Mathias is one of the practitioners I have trained since he first became involved with us. He has shown advanced skills in both the theoretical and the practical aspects of our work and he is now part of the Institute of Philosophical Practices and the Institute of Thinking and Dialogue teams. I would not hesitate recommending him as a philosophical practitioner for any age group or any level of proficiency.

— Oscar Brenifier, philosophical practitioner, PhD in philosophy (Paris IV – Sorbonne), founder of the Institut de Pratiques Philosophiques

Mathias is one of the best practitioners we have trained and I can fully recommend him as a highly competent practitioner. His methodological approach and the structure of his work and thinking makes him well suited to run workshops as well as provide individual training and consultations. The clarity of his thinking and his ability to understand and question others are excellent, and he is able to balance both the theoretical and practical aspects of the various exercises and activities he proposes in the course of the work.

— Leïla Millon Bierre, philosophical practitioner and educator at the Institut de Pratiques Philosophiques

Through a combination of empathy and philosophical erudition, a consultation with Mathias gave me a new perspective on myself and helped me identify a potentially toxic contradiction in my own thinking.

— Adam Lalák, Prague 

I have had several consultations with Mathias. The process was comforting in emotional aspects but a little bit pressing in mental aspects. I think he is a gentle, patient, intelligent philosopher.

— Gong Yan, Nanjing

I had the pleasure of working with Mathias during my training to become a philosophical counselor. I appreciated his calm, respectful communication style and the ease in asking questions that brought clarity to the knowledge I had accumulated that far. I definitely recommend him as a trainer!

— Anca Berlo, Chamonix

This changed my view on the practice of philosophy. Whereas the philosophy at university seems so dry, here, through a process of engagement, I felt the intellectual stimulation internally change me. I now believe philosophy like this may hold a similar or complementary power for internal change to that of psychological processes like therapy. For that I am very grateful.

— Alexander Spoor, Johannesburg