The roots of philosophical practice in Finland date back to the 1990s. The first association in the field, the Finnish Association for Philosophical Practice, was founded in 1999. Since then, the promotion of philosophical practice has been continued by the Philosophical Practice Network (Five), the organizer of the 19th international conference. The network will celebrate its 10th anniversary next year (2026).
In Finland, there are also a Swedish speaking philosophical practice association, Interbaas (since 2001), and Philosophical Institute (coop), that was established in 2024. The coop offers professional philosophical practice services, research and consulting using PP methods and practices. Members of the Network and Institute are partly overlapping.
Finnish anthologies on Philosophical Practice:
- Filosofisia kohtaamisia: ajatuksia filosofisesta praktiikasta (niin & näin -books, 2025). Edited by Pia Houni, Mika Holopainen, Kati Kuula & Tiina Kokkoniemi, with 17 different authors.
- Filosofi tavattavissa (niin & näin -books, 2014). Edited by Pia Houni & Perttu Salovaara.
The Philosophical Practice Training Programme
The Philosophical Practice Training Programme has been organized in Finland since 2009, by Kriittinen korkeakoulu (”Critical Open University”). The programme comprises 25 ECTS credits.
Critical Open University is a private and independent course centre since 1968, maintained by the association ”Kriittinen Korkeakoulu ry”. It was founded in 1968 at the initiative of philosopher Reijo Wilenius to diversify the atmosphere of public discussion. The Critical Open University organizes courses and trainings open to everyone in the fields of arts, philosophy and other sciences, and conducts lectures and publications. In cooperation with Sivis Study Centre, it is a nationwide adult education provider that is partly funded by the Ministry of Education and Culture. Sivis is maintained by the Association for Educational Activities (AEA).
Main teacher of the programme is Pia Houni. The duration of the progamme is around 1,5 years, and it comprises 25 ECTS credits. It has a vocational/adult further education status. More information on the programme (in Finnish): https://www.kriittinenkorkeakoulu.fi/kurssitarjonta/filosofinen-praktiikka