Date: Thu, 15 Jul 1999 01:40:45 +0100
From: Judy <jaw-AT-earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: the reality check is in the mail


Mary's husband said:
>
>Thus I raise the question for this group to consider.  Does therapy have
>any value beyond capitalism or is it just a kissing cousin of the
>world's oldest profession?
>
>Isn't the very process of engaging in philosophy something like doing
>therapy?  Wittgenstein certainly thought so.  What do others think?

Yes and no to all of these. I would need to comment on a case by case
basis. Where I work as a therapist, we provide free therapy to court
mandated clients. We treat issues related to socially defined child sexual
abuse. I have certainly been privileged to be a helpful part of various
peoples' processes of healing from crazy making experiences, at the
taxpayers' expense. Is child sexual abuse a capitalist concept?  Like all
concepts, it's certainly a historical one. Does capitalist society create
child sexual abuse in order to create an occasion for legal and penal
intervention against a class of people?  Guess which races most of our
clients are, 99.999?

As for philosophy, Wittgenstein's work does have a therapeutic effect on
me, in the sense of putting certain things in perspective in a most
soothing and at the same time inspiring way. In no way to I see
Wittgenstein as a prostitute. The guy gave away a fortune. I find Lyotard's
critique of anthropomorphism potentially therapeutic.
Judy