Summary

Candice Shelby is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Colorado at Denver, USA. She has published in the history of philosophy, metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of mind, and addiction, and has spoken at international venues on a variety of topics related to addiction. She is a popular lecturer in the national addictions recovery community.

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We chat about her newest book Addiction, a book that argues that addiction should be understood not as a disease but as a phenomenon that is to be understood on many levels at once. Employing a complex dynamic systems approach and philosophical methodology, Shelby explains addiction as an irreducible neurobiological, psychological, developmental, environmental, and sociological phenomenon.

We begin the conversation off with a discussion around philosophy, what it means and why it is becoming more paramount in this rapidly changing world. I really enjoyed this chat and I hope you do also.

Key Take Outs

• Philosophy. How to make sense of the big questions in life. Don’t wait until you are retired and have time to ask the bigger questions of life, start asking them now. How we live our life revolves around seeking awareness to this big questions. In realising this too late we may have regret.
• Open minded approach. It is ok to be open to other viewpoints without accepting them. It is better we do this as our worlds become more intertwined. With greater understanding we can better collaborate and evolve.
• Addiction is life. We have demonised addiction as a disease. The social stigma that this has caused forces as not to improve the problem but exacerbate it. People are more afraid to admit an addition in fear of ridicule and if we are unaware we will struggle to assist to heal. We outcast addicts and in this we create rules that cause greater problems rather than dealing with the root of the problem.
• If your habit/addiction causes no great consequence, then what? Think about the addictions you may have. We all have our obsessions some to higher levels than others. What are yours? How to they affect those around you and yourself.

Quick round questions

Favourite Food

Salmon

Favourite Leisure Activitiy

Running and weight training

Favourite book(s)

Situations Matter: Understanding How Context Transforms Your World by Sam Sommers

Addiction: A Philosophical Perspective by Candice Shelby

Quote

“Existence proceeds essence.”

Do we all have a why?

Yes! We do not have an imposed purpose but we have the capacity to create it.

What does living with passion and purpose mean?

I do what I love and that is helping people change and think about their lives. To inspire them to invest in their own existence.

How to find Candice

You can find Candice just by doing a Google search.

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