I am Borislav Dimitrov, aka Boris Wake, Bulgarian/Canadian, practicing lawyer, philosopher and visual artist, digital inclusion advocate and digital transformation consultant.
My philosophical practice is based on my research area in philosophy - topological philosophy and philosophical topology, and my PhD thesis in philosophy (PhD Program in Philosophy Taught in English, Sofia University) on Hegel’s logic – “Topological (in) Hegel” in English).
In particular, my practice in philosophical consulting is based on Dialog, Dialogical Self Theory (DST) & Dialogical Models via Art making, Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) and Visual Philosophizing. My approach is A Topological Approaches to Philosophical Practice.
I share the common understanding of my fellow philosophers engaged in philosophical consulting/philosophical practice as part of practical philosophy – philosophy is a way of life.
The etymology of ‘therapy’ springs from the ancient time, is ‘serving’. Philosophy shall serve. The birthplace and the living path of genuine philosophy is outside of the academia.
The manifold of my invocation, professional and vocational role is kind of therapeutic and such therapy is related with my aim to help myself, and to help others in enhancing the ability to reach our vital goals, to reduce suffering and risk.
I believe that law, philosophy and art (Lege artis) can change our way of living and we may associate such a change with the term self-transformation and transformation, because it implies a change of one’s character and not merely a change of one’s environment.
The call or vocation of a lawyer is related with the mission in helping others to reach their goals or to enhance person’s ability to reach his/her vital goals. To me, dealing with the law and resolving legal issues is kind of therapy. Lawyers are using such antique philosophical “inventions” like maieutics and hermeneutics, well known techniques in philosophical consulting or philosophical therapy.
As a lawyer or legal consultant engaged in internal auditing and eDiscovery Document reviews, I am professionally engaged with the examination of risk and chances. My research area as a philosopher, in addition to my specific field - topological philosophy or philosophical topology is hermeneutics. Hermeneutics as legal hermeneutics is a discipline implemented in my professional practice as a lawyer.
The sources for inspiration of my work as visual artist are literature and philosophy. Even as a lawyer I am attracted by the concept of law-in-literature and literature-in-law, the so called law and literature movement, the interdisciplinary connection between law and literature. I share Ronald Dworkin’s understanding that the meaning of legal texts, such as written law, like any other genre of literature, can only be discovered through interpretation. Dworkin supports the arguments in favor of the use of literature to improve legal understanding. (Law as Interpretation). He believes that our interpretations of literary works may help us to an improved understanding of our cultural environment, which in turn helps us to come to a better understanding and interpretation of the law. I am impressed by the research of Jack Balkin (professor of constitutional law at Yale Law School) in legal rhetoric and literary theory. Balkin contends that law is best analogized to the visual art and performing arts, rather than to literature.
To me, doing law, philosophy and visual art is a way of life, and all these three are means to cure or reduce suffering.
I follow the understanding of Gerd B. Achenbach that “philosophy is really understood only through its practice, through a personal empathic experience and intellectual cultivation of the subjects of thought.”
My approach in philosophical practice is based on visual philosophy, visual conceptualization of image and images (art making) and philosophizing on their role and potential as cultural sign and living tools for cultivating the dialogical self theory (DST).
The unique image as cultural sign had different mediation effects upon subjects (visitors) with transformation ability to construct dialogical self. The roots of the “Dialogical Model” for reading visual artwork can be found in the thought and writings of Plato who, in 5th B.C.E. Athens, described the centrality of the dialogical form as “Socratic dialogue,” employed as an educational tool by his teacher Socrates.
. . .
Borislav Dimitrov, 2014, The Struggle of Cultural Identity between the Dichotomies of Society and Community, between Liberalism and Communitarianism: Dialogue or becoming Topological? Philosophical topology of intercultural (identity) relationships, Study presented at the International Conference ‘The Individual and Society: Challenges of Social Change", April 5th, 2014, Sofia, Bulgaria (Bulgarian Academy of Science and Arts, Serbian Royal Academy of Science and Arts, European Center of Business, Education and Science, published in the Conference edition collection ‘The Individual and Society: Challenges of Social Change' (ISBN 978-954-411-151-9), 2014, p. 266-296.
My philosophical practice is based on my research area in philosophy - topological philosophy and philosophical topology, and my PhD thesis in philosophy (PhD Program in Philosophy Taught in English, Sofia University) on Hegel’s logic – “Topological (in) Hegel” in English).
In particular, my practice in philosophical consulting is based on Dialog, Dialogical Self Theory (DST) & Dialogical Models via Art making, Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) and Visual Philosophizing. My approach is A Topological Approaches to Philosophical Practice.
I share the common understanding of my fellow philosophers engaged in philosophical consulting/philosophical practice as part of practical philosophy – philosophy is a way of life.
The etymology of ‘therapy’ springs from the ancient time, is ‘serving’. Philosophy shall serve. The birthplace and the living path of genuine philosophy is outside of the academia.
The manifold of my invocation, professional and vocational role is kind of therapeutic and such therapy is related with my aim to help myself, and to help others in enhancing the ability to reach our vital goals, to reduce suffering and risk.
I believe that law, philosophy and art (Lege artis) can change our way of living and we may associate such a change with the term self-transformation and transformation, because it implies a change of one’s character and not merely a change of one’s environment.
The call or vocation of a lawyer is related with the mission in helping others to reach their goals or to enhance person’s ability to reach his/her vital goals. To me, dealing with the law and resolving legal issues is kind of therapy. Lawyers are using such antique philosophical “inventions” like maieutics and hermeneutics, well known techniques in philosophical consulting or philosophical therapy.
As a lawyer or legal consultant engaged in internal auditing and eDiscovery Document reviews, I am professionally engaged with the examination of risk and chances. My research area as a philosopher, in addition to my specific field - topological philosophy or philosophical topology is hermeneutics. Hermeneutics as legal hermeneutics is a discipline implemented in my professional practice as a lawyer.
The sources for inspiration of my work as visual artist are literature and philosophy. Even as a lawyer I am attracted by the concept of law-in-literature and literature-in-law, the so called law and literature movement, the interdisciplinary connection between law and literature. I share Ronald Dworkin’s understanding that the meaning of legal texts, such as written law, like any other genre of literature, can only be discovered through interpretation. Dworkin supports the arguments in favor of the use of literature to improve legal understanding. (Law as Interpretation). He believes that our interpretations of literary works may help us to an improved understanding of our cultural environment, which in turn helps us to come to a better understanding and interpretation of the law. I am impressed by the research of Jack Balkin (professor of constitutional law at Yale Law School) in legal rhetoric and literary theory. Balkin contends that law is best analogized to the visual art and performing arts, rather than to literature.
To me, doing law, philosophy and visual art is a way of life, and all these three are means to cure or reduce suffering.
I follow the understanding of Gerd B. Achenbach that “philosophy is really understood only through its practice, through a personal empathic experience and intellectual cultivation of the subjects of thought.”
My approach in philosophical practice is based on visual philosophy, visual conceptualization of image and images (art making) and philosophizing on their role and potential as cultural sign and living tools for cultivating the dialogical self theory (DST).
The unique image as cultural sign had different mediation effects upon subjects (visitors) with transformation ability to construct dialogical self. The roots of the “Dialogical Model” for reading visual artwork can be found in the thought and writings of Plato who, in 5th B.C.E. Athens, described the centrality of the dialogical form as “Socratic dialogue,” employed as an educational tool by his teacher Socrates.
. . .
Borislav Dimitrov, 2014, The Struggle of Cultural Identity between the Dichotomies of Society and Community, between Liberalism and Communitarianism: Dialogue or becoming Topological? Philosophical topology of intercultural (identity) relationships, Study presented at the International Conference ‘The Individual and Society: Challenges of Social Change", April 5th, 2014, Sofia, Bulgaria (Bulgarian Academy of Science and Arts, Serbian Royal Academy of Science and Arts, European Center of Business, Education and Science, published in the Conference edition collection ‘The Individual and Society: Challenges of Social Change' (ISBN 978-954-411-151-9), 2014, p. 266-296.
Ich bin Bulgare / Kanadier mit doppelter bulgarischer und kanadischer Staatsbürgerschaft, mit Zivilrecht LL.M. und PhD in Philosophie (PhD-Programm in Philosophie in Englisch unterrichtet). Meine Doktorarbeit befasst sich mit Hegels Logik - "Topological (in) Hegel" auf Englisch. Das letzte Jahr meiner Promotion habe ich an der Fakultät für Sozialarbeit der Fakultät für Sozialwissenschaften der Universität Lund in Schweden abgeschlossen. Außerdem wurde ich in Kanada, Dänemark und Großbritannien praktiziert.
Mein Ansatz als philosophischer Berater in der philosophischen Praxis ist "Ein topologischer Ansatz zur philosophischen Praxis", basierend auf meinem akademischen Forschungsgebiet - angewandte topologische Philosophie und philosophische Topologie. Meine philosophische Beratung basiert auf Visual Art Work. (Keine Kunsttherapie). Darüber hinaus unterstütze ich meine philosophische Beratung durch digitale Transformation und digitale Inklusion.
Die Kernvielfalt meiner Berufung, beruflichen und beruflichen Rolle ist eine Art Therapie, und eine solche Therapie hängt mit meinem Ziel zusammen, mir selbst zu helfen und anderen dabei zu helfen, die Fähigkeit zu verbessern, unsere lebenswichtigen Ziele zu erreichen, Leiden und Risiken zu verringern.
Ich glaube, dass Recht, Philosophie und Kunst unsere Lebensweise verändern können und wir eine solche Veränderung mit dem Begriff Selbsttransformation verbinden können, weil sie eine Veränderung des eigenen Charakters und nicht nur eine Veränderung der eigenen Umwelt impliziert.
Die Berufung oder Berufung eines Anwalts hängt mit der Mission zusammen, anderen zu helfen, ihre Ziele zu erreichen oder die Fähigkeit einer Person zu verbessern, ihre lebenswichtigen Ziele zu erreichen.
Für mich ist der Umgang mit dem Gesetz und die Lösung von Rechtsfragen eine Art Therapie. Anwälte verwenden solche antiken philosophischen „Erfindungen“ wie Maieutik und Hermeneutik, bekannte Techniken in der philosophischen Beratung oder in der philosophischen Therapie.
Als Anwalt oder Rechtsberater in der internen Revision beschäftige ich mich professionell mit der Prüfung von Risiken und Chancen.
Mein Forschungsgebiet als Philosoph ist neben meinem Fachgebiet - topologische Philosophie oder philosophische Topologie - die Hermeneutik. Hermeneutik als juristische Hermeneutik ist eine Disziplin, die in meiner beruflichen Praxis als Anwalt angewendet wird.
Meine topologische Herangehensweise an die philosophische Praxis könnte auf der Grundlage von Hegel als Ort oder Topos zwischen dem „Gesetz des Herzens“ und "denkende Herz", Bild (Bild) und Konzept (Begriff) sowie Hegels Vorstellung.
Ich bin außerdem registrierter Experte (EX2014D193394) bei der Europäischen Kommission, EU HORIZON 2020 Research and Innovation und Experte / Berater bei RDJ Consultants (London). Mein Profil bei RDJ ist unter http://www.rdjconsultants.com/business_solutions_team.html verfügbar
Ich würde mich über Ihre Aufmerksamkeit und Zeit für den Besuch und die Überprüfung meiner professionellen Website unter https://philosophicaltherapy.weebly.com/ freuen.
More about my Topological Approach to Philosophical Practice: In my practice, philosophical therapy is implemented in my visual art work or the art making by my visitors/participants. To me art making is topological reading. philosophicaltherapy.weebly.com/research.html As an artist I am attracted by the utopia or empty space of the canvas and I had to transform the space to place, to extent dimensions, placing the point-lines-surfaces-forms and to transform such dimensional model in topological way. Such creation is always exploring dialogue between me and what influences me. To me the act of art making, creating visual artwork is philosophical practice and the dialogue within the act of creation is transgressing me to the dialogue with the spectator(s), visitors. In the very similar mode, I am struck by the free space of the dialogue in which persons or visitor could appear in a totally uncontrolled, authentic way. I am already positioned, placed in this space, meeting the visitor as a philosopher and as a visual artist. I could identify philosophical content in the speech, acts or life of a person (visitor) , or/and in the images or visual artwork made by the visitor. In a philosophical consultation, I distinguish four steps: - working on the question/ working on the images - identifying philosophical content/ in images - working on philosophical content/ on images - extracting from the images valuable philosophical content with conclusion influencing change and transformation for visitor from the images. Starting point of my consultations, is not only a question or a theme of a visitor, but image, patterns, forms typical for the visitor. My topological approach is in the mode of transforming such answers coming from the visitor. The aim of such topological approach in my philosophical practice as philosophical therapy is to help visitor in transformation of his/her space and place, point-line-surface-forms of emotion, expression, experience and action, to add value and enhance visitor horizon. In my philosophical practice, any visitor could experience the same as spectator may experience in contact or dialogue with my visual artworks. I approach a client (in my legal consulting) and my artwork (in my work as an artist) or visitor (in my philosophical consulting) in topological way. When the client presents a case or visitor presents a theme, I work lege artis towards a question. When the client presents a question, I work towards a philosophical question. A philosophical question should be the outcome of the first phase of a consultation. Next, I try to identify the philosophical content of this question by regarding the history of philosophy on the one hand and the personality of the visitor on the other hand. The content identified should fit the visitor. A conceptualization of this content is the outcome of this second phase. I call this the "philosophical diagnosis". From this identification of philosophical content we move on to a deepening and/or understanding of philosophical content. I consider this understanding, captured in a metaphor (i.e. meaningful story) suiting the situation or life of the visitor the most valuable outcome of a philosophical consultation. The structure of my consultations resembles the transformation of one form/shape to other, different one, like the transformation of ring to coffee cup. My philosophical consultations are distinguished from psychology, psychotherapy or coaching, a distinction important for the identity of our philosophical consultation practice. |
A Topological Approaches to Philosophical Practive
Figure by Jay L. Lemke, Typological vs. Topological Semiosis – .http://www-personal.umich.edu/~jaylemke/webs/wess/tsld002.htm To me, the dialogue is mode of engaging in a talk between philosophical consultant/therapist and the visitor, or collective-talk, in front of a work of artwork created by the philosophical consultant in his studio or an art gallery: conversation, discussion and dialogue. In case, when visitor is initiated by the philosophical consultant and engaged in art making, the dialogue is implemented in the work in progress. Conversation is structured of such modes of talk. It occurs constantly whenever philosophical consultant and visitor(s) join to face a work of art or the creation of artwork in progress. The visitors enter a world of creative speculation and together with therapist construct “a conversation.” Conversation seeks equilibrium and furthers inclusiveness. The philosophical consultant’s role during a conversation is mainly to promote a sufficiently constructive atmosphere in which every visitor participation is comfortable expressing his or her views. During a “discussion” the role of the philosophical consultant changes. The discussion derives from a typical practice of instruction and seeks to promote critical and creative thinking and problem solving skills. The philosophical consultant is responsible to raise a subject or issue according to the visitors goals and, through questions, to lead the discussion. “Dialogue” is defined mainly by being located in topos (the middle space) between conversation and discussion. The two parties as participants in the dialogue are free to choose a role and to change that role during the session. Dialogue shares the open quality of conversation but it is imbued from the outset with a stronger sense of purpose and is more tightly focused on artworks. With my model of visual thinking strategies I seek to transform the visitor to participant. Through the constant question “What do you see?” I move the visitor towards participation using his/her own thinking, speaking and creative faculties. My goal is directed towards the critical understanding and interpreting of the visitor’s self via critical understanding and interpreting work of art. What I do is interpretation. First I start with interpretation of my own artwork in conversation with the visitor following his/her selection and choice of particular work. This is the first step for resuming interpretation of visitor’s self. Within the process of initiation of visitor’s creative energy and involving him/her in art making, the interpretation moves from the interpretation of his/her artwork to interpretation of visitor’s personal self or issues. My aim is to implement philosophical approach to the issues within dialogue and contribute for the creation or enhancement of visitor’s skills as a vehicle for meaning-making. From this point, I implement my topological approach to visitor’s meaning-making, building on so called “mixed-mode Semiosis” and the transition from Typological Mode to the Topological Mode proposed by Jay L. Lemke. [1] Jay L. Lemke introduced the mixed-mode Semiosis - Typological vs. Topological Semiosis. [2] According to Lemke there are two fundamentally different kinds of meaning-making: "typological" meaning-making - meaning-by-kind /natural language/ and “topological” meaning-making - meaning-by-degree /visual language/, “which is more easily presented by means of motor gestures or visual figures -- the meaning of continuous variation or "topological" meaning.” Meaning-by-kind is qualitative and meaning-by-degree is quantitative. For Lemke Typological semiosis is qualitative semiosis and Topological semiosis is quantitative semiosis. Qualitative character of typological semiosis determines the discrete variant and Quantitative character of topological semiosis and the continuous variation. I support the idea that qualitative quantity is possible to appear as categorical gradiant /mixture from categories in typological semiosis and gradients in topological semiosis/. The topological and continuous notion of qualitative quantity as gradualness and continuous variation or "topological" meaning” can be seen in Figure above given in Lemke’s work “ Mathematics in the middle: measure, picture, gesture, sign, and word”. In “Opening Up Closure: Semiotics Across Scales”, Lemke proposes the “Mixed-mode Semiosis”. In this mixed-mode of typological and topological semiosis, the domain of qualitative quantity could be seen, as “categorical gradiant” /Lemke/ of the “unified system for meaning-making” /Lemke/. [1] Jay L. Lemke, “Topological Semiosis and the Evolution of Meaning” – http://www-personal.umich.edu/~jaylemke/webs/wess/index.htm [2] Jay L. Lemke, Typological vs. Topological Semiosis – .http://www-personal.umich.edu/~jaylemke/webs/wess/tsld002.htmSee: Jay L. Lemke, “Mathematics in the middle: measure, picture, gesture, sign, and word, and Opening Up Closure: Semiotics Across Scales”. |
Philosophical Practice via Digital Transformation