School of Practical Philosophy

I’ve been a student here for many years. In my very first class and many times thereafter, I was encouraged to neither accept or reject the material offered, but rather to take what I heard in class and experience it in day to day living. I did. And what was revealed in those experiences shifted my perspective to a way of life unimaginable to the way I used to live, which was primarily in my head.

«What Would a Wise Man/​Woman Do?» When faced with a problem, use this question to get outside of yourself and come up with a practical solution. It may not come immediately, but come it will.
This, together with an unusual self-​relaxation exercise, are the biggest concepts I learned alongside some 30 classmates wanting to live in peace and harmony in NYC (which, I know, is almost a contradiction in terms). The secret to doing this is the same as the secret to getting to play at Carnegie Hall: practice, practice, practice — which there is a lot of here.
The good: Some teachers are AMAZING, leading great discussions and pulling quotes from classic philosophers out of their heads. After my first class, I did the two exercises prescribed, and felt «high» for the entire week.
Also good: this school draws people from around the city. Black and white, rich and poor, Manhattan, Bronx and people who speak with funny accents — all of us paying rapt attention, all of us digging into our psyches, really examining ourselves. It is humanity at its best.
The bad: Some teachers are less inspiring, and you are on your own to find the one (s) who best resonates with you. And once you find that teacher, get his or her name right there, that very night. Because administrators often does not know who is teaching what class, especially if the amazing teacher is a one night sub. What’s that like?
Imagine coming across Socrates or Aristotle by chance — and then never being able to get their name to find them again.
Quick summary: If you are looking to learn a more peaceful, focused way and are willing to practice — not know but practice — the exercises they give, you won’t be disappointed.

I will be brief!
A complete waste of time, an insult to Philosophy. Period.

I have been attending classes for over two years and it has actually changed my life! Aside from providing me with real tools for living a happier and more peaceful life, I have met the most amazing, smart people and am constantly learning new things and exploring new ideas. The minimal cost in exchange for the benefits you receive make this the best deal in the city. I would highly recommend the School of Practical Philosophy to anyone looking to improve themselves, learn something new and meet and interact with kind, great people.

I have attended classes at this school for many years and now attend via the distance learning program as I have moved to Columbus, Ohio. That probably says how I feel about what I learn from these courses. To put it succinctly, I have learned to respond to situations (and people) rather than react. Life is more peaceful, satisfying and fun. There is so much more I could say, but the cost is so reasonable, so why not experience it for yourself?

I took the Intro to Philosophy class. I enjoyed the lectures and exercises. The only drawback to this was the location (it’s hard to get to) and it’s a long class that lets out late.
Sometimes the discussions would get off topic because it’s an active class and lots of people raise their hands and want to share and say something but I found that like the previous reviewer said, sometimes it would meander and it would be annoying when people were not absorbing the concepts and getting off topic.
If you like Philosophical discussions about life and you want to lean how to examine your life in more detail, I would recommend the Intro to Philosophy lecture series. It definitely gives you a lot to think about in your life.

Seriously? I’m the first to review this school? Hard to believe since apparently it’s been here since the ‘60s, but I’ll give it a go.
Most of us probably know of this place thanks to their subway ads – they hold three separate ‘sessions’ throughout the year of 10-​week philosophy classes. Being *practical* philosophy, the focus is on thoughts and exercises you can try out and apply to your life instead of lectures on the history of philosophy or something like that. I’ve completed two weeks so far, and will update after I’ve completed the entire session to give overall impressions.
The good: There’s a lot of good here, in that they offer the classes Monday-​Saturday so you can go any day of the week, and I think at $ 90 for ten weeks that’s more than a fair price. If you continue with their Philosophy 2, 3, etc then you get a discount; the same building is also used as a Philosophy Day School for children which I think is an amazing idea. The fact that something like this exists is wonderful, and attendees of the classes I’ve been to so far have been from all across the NYC spectrum (not just UES-​ers) which is great because you get so many different perspectives and ideas.
The not-​so-​good: It’s difficult to articulate, but at the end of both classes I’ve left with a slight sense of dissatisfaction, moreso after the second than the first. In the first session you’re given a handout of the topics for the next ten weeks, and they all sound really interesting… but for the second week (whose topic was Levels of Awareness/​Being Awake) we barely touched on it, with the instructor not even bringing up the topic until there were only 20 minutes left of a 2.5 hour class. The rest of the time was spent on a meditative exercise (which I believe is helpful but is not really what I signed up for here) and unfocused, meandering questions/​answers from around the group. With no real focus until towards the end of the class, I left feeling like I hadn’t gotten much out of it.
It might just be that particular group dynamic isn’t a good fit, so I’m going to try another session during the week (instead of the Saturday morning I’ve done so far) to try a different instructor and see how that goes. I’m still excited about the overall goal of this course and will write an updated review in about two months to see if it’s been a successful 10 weeks.