Workshop – Adalja

Philosophy of Mind from an Experiential Perspective – Working With the Intention Method

Johan Gamper

Philosophy of science builds upon a conception of science. In part this holds also for philosophy of mind. Philosophy of mind can build upon a conception of the mind. On the other side the mind is not – only – a concept. One alternative regarding the mind in relation to philosophy is that we can have – or have – direct access to it via introspection.

The Intention method is a unique research tool that puts a new perspective on the dynamics of the mind. To its essence it shows that the mind is divisible and very sensitive, especially in its early phases.

The Intention method is based on the continental psychologist Franz Ruppert’s empirical research and theory and is usually used in a group format.

Theory: The idea is that the mind from the beginning is a divisible integrated whole and that it can split if it is subjected to unbearable experiences. A unique feature of the theory is that the very splits are sustained actively and continuously.

Practice: The practical work centers around a sentence that is uttered and written down by an individual; the intention. The intention is something the individual wants and is therefore about something that the individual does not have. In the next phase a selected group of people works with the intention interacting with the individual having the intention. Theoretically and most often displayed in the work the sentence represents split off parts of the individual.

Clinically the work is lead by an experienced therapist and aims at reintegrating split off parts.

The Intention method exposes questions like What is a subject? Is a little angry split off part that just hates this or that a subject in its own right? Or must it qualify in some special sense beyond having the generic characteristics like having sensations, wanting things, and having intentions?

As noted in the post “Macro Psychology and the Foundation of Psychotherapy”, Macro Psychology, based in the concept of Biological Energy as described here, can offer a theoretically integrative perspective on central contemporary psychotherapies. Dealing with more profound splits, however, the Intention method offers a new opening for theoretical explanation and treatment. In the language of Macro Psychology a profound split energizes one part and leaves another part drained of energy. Theoretically, however, the case is worse. Given that some time passes the original integrated whole has been totally ignored and has no energy of its own. Integration is therefore very difficult. In the light of Macro Psychology the Intention method enables stepwise integration via investment in the Intention. Energetically drained parts are acknowledged as well as highly energized parts that have the role to keep the drained ones away.

Omega— (Interstellar Variations 9)

In Gamper (2018) the Höglund perspective is put on the notion of an object. The Höglund perspective is to make a claim weaker and thereby accessing a more general perspective on the subject at hand. For instance the claim that everything is physical in a Höglund perspective generates the claim that everything basically consists of only one kind of things. Since this in effect is monism physicalism implies monism. Epistemologically this may seem unimportant but if we regard physicalism as a basic assumption physicalism actually refutes itself as a basic assumption since not both physicalism and monism can be basic assumptions. Another example is intelligence in the light of extra terrestrial beings. Even if there are no extra terrestrial intelligent beings we can define intelligence in the light of their possible existence. One option here is that such beings would be aware of their own conscious contents. In such a case they would not be artificially intelligent but intelligent.

Gamper (2018) builds upon Gamper (2017) that also utilizes the Höglund perspective. It looks at the claim that the universe is causally closed. How causal closure is defined, however, implies monism. Monism and causal closure, nota bene, imply that all ontological domains are causally closed (since there only is one). If all ontological domains are causally closed, though, it is safe to redefine causal closure, a move that can entail that pluralism may be true! Implicitly the Höglund perspective is used also in Wigner (1970) where Wigner exemplifies how the understanding of a subject matter changes when it is look at in a wider picture.

Concretely the Höglund perspective in Gamper (2018) is that however we conceptualize the notion of an object we can widen the scope and ask what an object per se is. Even if monism is true we can utilize the Höglund perspective and ask what any object must be, hence the title On the Kind “Object”. The object on this very high level of abstraction is called Omega. In the workshop we will investigate Omega in various ways with help of the Höglund perspective and other tools. For inspiration it could be useful to look at Gamper (2021).

References

Gamper, J. (2017). On a Loophole in Causal Closure. Philosophia 45, 631–636.

Gamper, J. (2018). The Kind ‘Object’. Philosophia.

Gamper, J. (2021). Rebooting Science 1.0. BoD. Stockholm, Sweden.

Wigner, E.P. (1970). Physics and the explanation of life. Found Phys 1, 35–45.

Website: karlpu.org

Email: johan.gamper@karlpu.org.