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Front cover image for The Constant Dieter
Author and Philosopher Caroline Wiseblood Meline Launches The Constant Dieter: A Philosopher's Guide to Conquering Chronic and Compulsive Overeating
PHILADELPHIA, PA, USA, January 5, 2024 /EINPresswire / -- Author and philosopher Caroline Wiseblood Meline launches THE CONSTANT DIETER: A PHILOSOPHER'S GUIDE TO CONQUERING CHRONIC AND COMPULSIVE OVEREATING, at a book event Sunday January 14, 2024, 2:30-4:30, Allen's Lane Art Center, 601 W. Allen's Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19119.
Philosophy professor Caroline Wiseblood Meline is an 82-year-old first-time author. About 40 years ago, the author had an epiphany that opened the way to recovery from a binge/fast eating disorder, and from that insight she developed a theory and a practical program to help those with similar conditions. But before moving ahead with her project, she had a paradox to resolve-how to give dieting advice to people who lack the free will to follow it. She found this to be such a serious problem that she interrupted writing the book to go back to school for a PhD in Philosophy, which she earned in 2004 from Temple University.
The philosophical issue of free will vs. determinism is central to the resulting book, connecting its several conceptual areas. THE CONSTANT DIETER contains four topical“prongs,” like a fork with four tines.
First, there is the free-will debate itself, where the author argues for a middle-ground theory between the two poles of libertarian free will and hard determinism. The middle-ground approach is called compatibilism. It says human agency (the will) always functions within a context of causal determination, but this condition is compatible with the freedom to make decisions in our lives. The author marshals a special version of compatibilism that relies on the concept of a world in flux.
Second, the author points to the creative potential in all humans as the possible solution to conquering compulsive overeating. For this idea, she taps the psychoanalytic theory of D.W. Winnicott and shows how a compatibilist theory of the will allows for creative expression, even in relation to a person's own mental state and body. Several artists play supporting roles in this novel discussion.
Third, the author describes a syndrome in which unconscious ambivalence generates a crippling fear of success in some ambitious people, including those who struggle with disordered eating. This syndrome was the crux of the author's decades-long struggle to stop bingeing and fasting, and she shares with readers the family dysfunction that may have set her up for the disorder.
Fourth, there is the practical program, Constant Dieting. The program has five steps and is foolproof if followed. However, following the practical part depends on the reader's response to the theoretical parts.
In the weight-loss field, THE CONSTANT DIETER goes against current trends and is one-of-a-kind. It represents the author's authentic creative effort, wrought against strong internal obstacles, and thus models the path she recommends for readers who want to conquer chronic and compulsive overeating.
THE CONSTANT DIETER is available for purchase at
and .
Caroline Wiseblood Meline has been a philosophy professor for the past 20 years and currently teaches in the Liberal Studies Program at Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia. She has been proudly and happily free of disordered eating for over 30 years.
Caroline Wiseblood Meline
Caroline Meline
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