The Living Philosophy The etymology of philosophy leads to the love of wisdom. The paths to wisdom can be divided into two: ekstasis and catharsis. Jamie Wheal is a thinker who utilises this distinction in his book Recapture the Rapture and on podcasts (where he includes a third aspect: Communitas — community/sangha). The distinction between ekstasis and catharsis is a powerful one. Ekstasis is the higher perspective; it is being on the mountain and surveying the entire landscape. Catharsis on the other hand is the way under — it is Dante going through Hell and emerging into Heaven. Ultimately both ekstasis and catharsis lead us to the same place: wisdom but the journey is very different. We can see philosophers throughout history leaning more towards one direction or another: Plato, Plotinus, Parmenides and Spinoza lead us towards the high insights of ekstasis; Heraclitus, Nietzsche and Kierkegaard lead us towards the deep wisdom of catharsis.