Placefulness: A philosophical walk at Diogenes Village, Medimurje, Croatia

Abstract

This paper will describe the development of the method, report the results of a philosophical walk at Diogenes Village (Medimurje) and offers an explanation for the philosophical nature of walking: “placefulness”. Harteloh’s method for philosophical walks developed from a free search for a (“your”) place in nature to a structured Socratic exercise. The walk at Diogenes village was demonstrating the method. Citations of philosophers from eastern or western tradition were handed out (randomly) to participants. They were asked to come up with a concept (neologism or combining words allowed) suiting both the citation and a place they encountered during the walk. After conceptualization, the conceptualizer is questioned by the other participants and asked to choose one of the questions, not to be answered but to walk with during the rest of the walk. The conceptualization and questioning mark the walk as Socratic exercise. The citations guarantee the philosophical content of the concepts formed. The person is the connecting element between place and concept. In their order of appearance the concepts form a kind of story expressing the morale of the walk for the group. In accordance with the nature of Diogenes’ philosophy, the concepts formed during this particular walk were not read as a rational meaning theory, but as a kind of poem. “Placefulness” - a modification of mindfulness - is a conceptualizing of the philosophical walk as such. It is the place that triggers the conceptualiza-tion, filling the mind of the participant for the present moment by a concept expressing personal or situational wisdom.