Lou Marinoff

Lou Marinoff is a Canadian-born academic, author, and Commonwealth Scholar.^[1] He is Professor of Philosophy and Asian Studies at The City College of New York^[2] and founding President of the American Philosophical Practitioners Association.^[3] He is known for his books, including Plato Not Prozac, Therapy for the Sane, The Middle Way and The Power of Dao, which focus on applying philosophical concepts to address everyday challenges.^[4]

He was born on October 18, 1951 in Quebec.^[5] Marinoff studied theoretical physics at Concordia University and McGill University before earning a doctorate in philosophy of science at University College London.^[3] The title of his thesis, published in 1992, was Strategic interaction in the Prisoner's Dilemma: A game-theoretic dimension of conflict research.^[6] He then went to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem for post-doctoral work^[7] followed by a lectureship at the University of British Columbia.^[3]

In 1994, he joined The City College of New York where he currently serves as Professor of Philosophy, and of Asian Studies.^[3] He was also President and Executive Director of the former American Society for Philosophy Counseling and Psychotherapy, rebranded as the National Philosophical Counseling Association.^[8] With Ran Lahav, he co-founded the International Conference on Philosophical Practice (ICPP) in 1994.^{[9][10] [3][11]} He also co-founded the American Philosophical Practitioners Association in 1998, and is the editor of its journal, Philosophical Practice.^[12]

Marinoff has also collaborated with institutes and forums such as the Aspen Institute, Biovision, Festival of Thinkers, Horasis, the Institute for Local Government at the University of Arizona, Soka Gakkai International, Strategic Foresight Group, and the World Economic Forum.^[3]

He is known for advocating for philosophy as an alternative to traditional psychological and psychiatric therapies. Marinoff's approach centers on the belief that many issues arise not from emotional or chemical imbalances, but from philosophical uncertainties.^[13] He established the American Philosophical Practitioners Association (A.P.P.A.) to legitimize and certify practitioners in the field.^[14] He believes that many modern problems, such as stress, confusion, and moral dilemmas, can be addressed through philosophical reflection rather than medical or psychiatric interventions.^[15]

Marinoff is a three -time Canadian Open Table Hockey champion (1978, 79, 80) and US Open Champion (2015).^[3]

• 2023: The Fantastic Factory of Sanity, directed by Lucas Araújo, produced by Brasil Paralelo.^[16]

• 2010: Changing Our Minds, Living Life Films, San Diego. Directed by David Sousa.

• 2006: Way of the Puck, Creative Ape Productions, Los Angeles. Directed by Eric Anderson.

• 2004: Table Hockey: The Movie, Triad Films, Nova Scotia. Produced by Peter d'Entrement, directed by Thor Henrikson.

• Marinoff, Lou (2024). Fernando: Beethoven of the Guitar: Books I, II & III Complete. Waterside Productions: Waterside Productions.
• Marinoff, Lou (2022). Essays on philosophy, praxis and culture: an eclectic, provocative and prescient collection. London, New York: Anthem Press. ISBN 978-1-83998-058-9.
• Marinoff, Lou (2021). Fernando: Beethoven of the Guitar: Book I: Youth, Celebrity, and War. Waterside Productions. ISBN 9781954968066.
• Marinoff, Lou (2021). Fernando: Beethoven of the Guitar: Book II: Exile, Favor, & Triumph. San Diego: Waterside Productions. p. 263.
• Marinoff, Lou (2021). Fernando: Beethoven of the Guitar: Book III: Glory, Finale, & Legacy. San Diego, CA.: Waterside Productions. p. 292.
• The Middle Way: ABCs of Happiness in a World of Extremes. San Diego: Waterside Productions Inc., 2020 (first edition 2007)
• Therapy for the Sane: How Philosophy Can Change Your Life. San Diego: Waterside Productions Inc., 2020 (first edition 2003)
• Fair New World: A Savage Satire of Political Correctness and Radical Feminism (25th anniversary edition). San Diego: Waterside Productions Inc., 2019 (first edition 1994)
• On Human Conflict: The Philosophical Foundations of War and Peace. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2019
• Eloquent Sinking: A Gaspesian Tragicomedy. San Diego: Waterside Productions Inc., 2018
• The Power of Dao. Finding Serenity in Changing Times. San Diego: Waterside Productions Inc., 2017 (first edition 2014)
• The Inner Philosopher: Conversations on Philosophy's Transformative Power. A dialogue with Daisaku Ikeda. Cambridge, MA: Dialogue Pathways Press, 2012.
• Philosophical Practice. New York: Elsevier, 2001.
• Plato Not Prozac: Applying Philosophy to Everyday Problems. New York: HarperCollins, 1999.

• Marinoff, Lou; Godfrey, Jacob; Michael, Godfrey (July 3, 2023). Dog Dance Days: A Tale of Kabbalists, Quebecers and the Virtual Messiah Paperback –. p. 479. ISBN 9798372104839.
• Tafler, Rosaline; Marinoff, Lou; Marinoff, Julian. Vice Versa: Collected & Neglected Poems (1st ed.). LuMar Productions. p. 111.

• Philosophical practice
• Gerd B. Achenbach

1. ^ Romeo, Nick (23 December 2023). "When Philosophers Become Therapists". The New Yorker.
2. ^ Faculty and Staff Profiles: Lou Marinoff. City College of New York. Accessed April 2019.
3. ^ ^{a b c d e f g} "Lou Marinoff | The City College of New York". www.ccny.cuny.edu. July 31, 2015. Retrieved 2021-01-19.
4. ^ "Lou Marinoff, Ph.D." Global Thinkers Forum.
5. ^ ""Philosophy teaches people how to triumph over adversities of all kinds"". www.uoc.edu.
6. ^ Marinoff, Louis Joshua (1992). Strategic interaction in the Prisoner's Dilemma: A game-theoretic dimension of conflict research (Thesis).
7. ^ "The Socratic Shrink - NYTimes.com". The New York Times. 2015-05-28. Archived from the original on May 28, 2015. Retrieved 2021-01-19.
8. ^ "ICPP". icpp.site. Retrieved 2024-10-11.
9. ^ Daniel Duane (March 21, 2004). The Socratic Shrink. The New York Times Magazine. Archived May 28, 2015.
10. ^ "Lou Marinoff – ICPP 2023" (in Romanian). Retrieved 2024-10-11.
11. ^ Duane, Daniel (2004-03-21). "The Socratic Shrink (Published 2004)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-01-19.
12. ^ https://www.museumofplay.org/app/uploads/2022/01/9-1-interview-playing-with-ideas.pdf Playing with Ideas An Interview with Lou Marinoff
13. ^ Duane, Daniel. "The Socratic Shrink". Nytimes.
14. ^ "Professor Lou Marinoff". Ducere Business School | University.
15. ^ Ellis, Robet M. "'The Middle Way' by Lou Marinoff | Middle Way Society". Middle Way Society.
16. ^ Cardin, Adele (26 January 2023). "'Brasil Paralelo' launches documentary 'The Fantastic Factory of Sanity' dealing with depression". The Rio Times.

• Official website
• American Philosophical Practitioners Association official website
• Lou Marinoff on IMDb