From Café-Philo – to the Horizons of Practical Philosophy

Interview with André Masse-Stamberger and Olga Panchenko

Abstract

The article is presented in the form of an interview with French philosophers André Masse-Stamberger and Olga Panchenko. It discusses the problems of practical philosophy in some communicational forms as café-philo, cinemaphilo, open conferences, philosophical consulting. The particularity of philosophical education in French universities are also covered in the paper. During the conversation, it was found that interdisciplinary connections of philosophy and psychology produce controversial opinions and require a more thorough elaboration of adjacent definitions; at the same time, it was pointed out that Oriental philosophy (and spiritual practices which are related to it) is gaining
popularity in modern Europe which gives example of a possible symbiosis of these scientific fields. The nature and key objectives of a philosophical café as an extra-academic place of philosophical practice has been discovered. Its distinctive features are an existence of a professional moderator, a strict conversational timing, a free choice of topics, an interactive discussion and a freedom of speech in
a form of an equitable polylogue, a summary and an online report of activity. The Café-philo is also a process of a collegial search for the truth and an instrument of communication between intellectuals which creates a premise for further cocreation and cooperation. The opening of these discourses of practical philosophy for a wide audience demonstrates a high level of tolerance and democracy of the their members. 
The article identifies the philosophical aspect of masterpieces of the world cinematography that is embedded in the basis of a cinema-philo discourse in which the problems illustrated in a film are extrapolated on the topical problems of our time during its after-watching discussion. 
The particularity of the French educative projects of practical philosophy for children such as philosophical ateliers, meetings and discussions following the ideas of Bridgit Labbe and Oscar Brenifier have been found. 
Some features of the French education at universities are the following: a zero plagiarism tolerance in student texts, the priority of a deepened learning of primary sources, a multiplicity of programs, step-by-step course’ validation and a growth of a teaching in form of discussion.
The main inference of the interview is the idea of a trending of practical philosophy in the existential and civilizational choice of humanity.