Names, Names, Names...

It seems I've almost had more trouble figuring out a name for my philosophy than I have had figuring out the contents (process and the structure) of the philosophy itself. And yes, I know that in the realms of names, ideas, and theories 'simplest' is usually the best way to go (look up 'Occam's Razor' if you are not familiar with it), but in seeking a 'distinguishing feature' of my philosophy from all the rest, new names keep arising -- some more technical than the simplest of the bunch.

Here are some of the names I've either gone through and/or am still dwelling on, roughly in chronological order from oldest to newest (and simplest to more technical). All of these names are acceptable in my books -- I have used, am using, and/or am about to use, any and all of them at different points in time.

1. Gap Philosophy
2. DGB (Dialectical Gap-Bridging) Philosophy
3. Gap-DGB Philosophy
4. Gap Multi-Dialectic, Humanistic-Existentialism (Gap MDHE Philosophy or GMDHE)
5. DGB Multi-Dialectic, Humanisitic-Existentialism (DGB MDHE Philosophy)

Thus, the two most distinguishing features of my philosophy are: 1. it's 'multi-dialectic' feature (see the 'dialectic' section for more clarification in this area) in combination with its 'humanistic-existential' feature.

The closest academically recognized school of philosophy-psychology to mine is Perls' Gestalt Therapy. It is no coincidence in this regard because I spent more than 12 years off and on studying and/or experiencing Gestalt Therapy (mainly between 1980 and 1991). It was through Perls -- and Jung and Freud -- that I arrived eventually at Hegel. And it is Hegel who is the number 1 star of my 'philosophy show' with all due respect to Nietzsche and Perls who are probably 'my best two supporting actors'. In no particular, Freud, Jung, Klein, Fairbairn, Berne, Spinoza, Fromm, Korzybski, Anaxamander, Heraclitus, Locke, Kant, Diderot, Votaire, Rousseau, Jefferson, Kierkegaard, Marx, Adam Smith, Schopenhauer, Sartre, Foucault, and Derrida have all all played -- and are still playing -- significant roles in the ongoing evolution of Gap-DGB Philosophy. For those of you who venture into 'Hegel's Hotel' before it is finished -- which could be another 3 to 5 years -- I welcome you here, and hope you get something significant out of it that you either were or weren't looking for. However, please understand and be tolerant of the fact that the work and all of the essays that will eventually be contained in it are not finished yet -- I'm at about 100 essays now and aiming for something over 500 essays. This is intended to be my signature life work.

Enjoy -- and/or I hope this work will take you to an integrative place of 'higher knowledge' and 'more balanced well-being'.

dgb, Sept. 17th, 2007.