Foundation, design and user guide
The Philosophical Coach was born from a simple conviction: the wisdom of great philosophers, accumulated over millennia, can help us navigate the challenges of modern life.
This application combines artificial intelligence with a carefully curated database of philosophical concepts to offer personalized guidance. It is designed for anyone going through a difficult period: grief, separation, professional burnout, migration, trauma, or simply searching for meaning.
The goal is not to replace professional support (psychologist, therapist), but to offer an accessible space for reflection at any time, enriched by philosophical wisdom.
The application uses a modern architecture:
• Frontend: React 19 with TypeScript, Tailwind CSS 4 for design • Backend: Express with tRPC for end-to-end typed APIs • Database: MySQL/TiDB with Drizzle ORM • LLM: DeepSeek v3.1 via Ollama Cloud for response generation • Authentication: Integrated Manus OAuth
The database contains 202 philosophical concepts from 92 different schools of thought, each with its definition, quote, application method, and associated tags.
The coaching system works in several steps:
1. Message analysis: The system identifies keywords, emotions, and themes in your message.
2. Concept search: It queries the database to find the most relevant philosophical concepts based on tags (problems, objectives, emotions).
3. Context building: Selected concepts are integrated into the prompt sent to the LLM, with their definitions and application methods.
4. Response generation: The LLM generates an empathetic and personalized response, naturally integrating philosophical teachings.
5. Enhanced display: The response is accompanied by links to the concepts used, allowing you to explore each notion further.
To use the application:
1. Login: Connect via the "Get Started" button on the home page.
2. New conversation: Click "New conversation" and choose a theme that concerns you (grief, separation, stress, etc.) or write directly.
3. Dialogue: Share what's on your mind. The coach will respond with adapted philosophical concepts.
4. Exploration: Click "View concept" to delve deeper into each philosophical notion.
5. Favorites: Add your favorite concepts to easily find them later.
6. Export: Download your conversations to read offline.
7. Language: Change the interface language via the globe button in the top right.
The application covers 28 life situations:
• Grief - Coping with the loss of a loved one • War-torn countries - Facing conflict and violence • Migration - Adapting to a new life • Trauma - Healing from past wounds • Separation - Rebuilding after a breakup • Cognitive overload - Managing stress and burnout • Anxiety & Fears - Calming worries • Illness & Health - Facing disease • Aging - Accepting the passage of time • Loneliness - Finding social connection • Failure & Recovery - Bouncing back after failure • Search for meaning - Finding direction • Toxic relationships - Breaking free from control • Parenting - Supporting your children • Addiction - Breaking free from dependencies • Injustice & Anger - Channeling emotions • Caregiver - Supporting a sick loved one • Burnout - Professional exhaustion • Professional boredom - Bore-out and loss of meaning at work • Impostor syndrome - Doubting your skills • Identity loss - Deep identity crisis • Disability - Living with limitations • Loss of autonomy - Accepting dependence on others • Creative block - Finding inspiration again • Guilt - Forgiving yourself • Stigmatization - Facing discrimination • Retirement - Finding new meaning • Other topics - Any other concerns
The database draws from 92 philosophical traditions, including:
• Stoicism (Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, Seneca) - Self-mastery and acceptance • Epicureanism (Epicurus) - Simple pleasure and friendship • Buddhism - Detachment and compassion • Existentialism (Sartre, Camus, Kierkegaard) - Freedom and responsibility • Taoism (Lao Tzu, Zhuangzi) - Harmony and non-action • Japanese philosophy - Wabi-Sabi, Ikigai, Kintsugi, Kaizen • African philosophy - Ubuntu, Sankofa • Sufism (Rumi, Ibn Arabi) - Divine love and unity • Confucianism - Ren, Junzi, social harmony • Hindu philosophy - Vedanta, Yoga, Bhagavad Gita • Phenomenology (Husserl, Merleau-Ponty) - Lived experience • Ethics of Care (Gilligan, Noddings) - Caring and relationship • Logotherapy (Viktor Frankl) - Meaning of life • And many more...
The 202 philosophical concepts are organized by cultural tradition for easier exploration:
• East - Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Japanese philosophy (Wabi-Sabi, Ikigai, Kintsugi), Hindu philosophy (Vedanta, Yoga, Bhagavad Gita) • West - Stoicism, Epicureanism, Existentialism, Phenomenology, Hermeneutics, Pragmatism, Christian and Jewish philosophy • Africa - Ubuntu, Sankofa, and other African wisdom traditions • Americas - Native American philosophy (Mitakuye Oyasin) • Universal - Cross-cultural concepts like Logotherapy, Ethics of Care, Deep Ecology
Use the filter buttons on the "Explore concepts" page to navigate by tradition.
18 guided pathways accompany you through specific themes:
1. Navigating grief and loss - Concepts for the grieving process 2. From anxiety to serenity - Concepts to soothe fears and worry 3. Finding life's meaning - Concepts for exploring purpose 4. Cultivating resilience - Concepts for bouncing back 5. Improving relationships - Concepts for healthier connections 6. The art of letting go - Concepts for acceptance 7. Eastern wisdom - Concepts from Asian traditions 8. Introduction to Stoicism - Foundational Stoic concepts 9. Ancestral wisdom of the world - Ho'oponopono, Sila, Buen Vivir, Hozho, Sawubona 10. Political philosophy and engagement - Natality, Amor Mundi, Parrhesia, Tikkun Olam 11. Deep self-knowledge - The Shadow, Persona, Synchronicity (Jung) 12. The art of simple living - Lathe Biosas, Via Negativa, Occam's Razor 13-18. And 6 more thematic pathways...
Each pathway offers a pedagogical progression with progress tracking.
8 guided meditations are available for immersive practice:
• Stoic meditation - Premeditatio Malorum with Marcus Aurelius • Mindfulness meditation - Present moment awareness • Taoist meditation - Wu Wei and non-action • Wabi-Sabi contemplation - Beauty of imperfection • Ubuntu meditation - Connection to humanity • Existential reflection - Freedom and responsibility • Care meditation - Cultivating kindness • Eudaimonia contemplation - Flourishing and virtue
Exercises use speech synthesis to guide your practice. Access them via the "Audio exercises" button on the home page.
The coach uses DeepSeek v3.1 via Ollama Cloud, an advanced language model specially configured for philosophical guidance.
Features: • Empathetic and personalized responses • Natural integration of philosophical concepts • Practical exercises adapted to each situation • Open questions to deepen reflection • "Thinking" mode for deeper reasoning
The system analyzes your message, searches for relevant concepts in the database, and generates a response combining philosophical wisdom with compassionate guidance.
Each philosophical concept is now enriched with a "Neuro-Note" explaining the bridge between ancestral wisdom and modern neuroscience discoveries.
11 neuroscience bridges are identified:
• Neuroplasticity - Repetition creates neural highways (Hebb's Law) • Emotional Regulation - Naming an emotion reduces amygdala activity • Default Mode - Deactivating the network that ruminates on past and future • Social Brain - Our nervous system regulates through connection (Polyvagal Theory) • Bayesian Brain - The brain projects predictions, not reality • Resilience - Memory rewrites itself with each recall (Reconsolidation) • Interoception - Intuition is the brain processing body signals • Dopamine vs Serotonin - Pleasure (more) vs Happiness (here and now) • Cognitive Load - The brain consumes 20% of our energy • Mirror Neurons - Empathy is a neural simulation • Terror Management - Conscious confrontation with death liberates
Use the "Neuroscience Bridge" filter on the concepts page to explore by brain mechanism.
A new "Coach Application" section offers 5 practical exercises based on neuroscience:
• Somatic Listening (10 min) - Reconnect with your body's signals through interoception • Chemical Audit (15 min) - Distinguish your sources of dopamine (pleasure) and serotonin (happiness) • Cognitive Detox (20 min) - Reduce mental load by creating "Ma" (emptiness) • Self Expansion (15 min) - Expand your circle of empathy through mirror neurons • Zoom Out (20 min) - Confront the perspective of death to clarify your values
Each exercise includes 6 guided steps with a final reflection section. Access them via the "Coach Application" button on the home page.