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What Is Ancient Philosophy?

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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
What Is Ancient Philosophy? by Pierre Hadot offers a comprehensive exploration of ancient Greek and Roman philosophy, presenting it not merely as abstract theory but as a practical way of life aimed at achieving happiness. Hadot meticulously examines the philosophies of early Greek thinkers, Hellenistic schools, and late antiquity, emphasising how philosophical practice and discourse were inseparably linked for the ancients. The book also investigates how this connection deteriorated, notably under Christian influence, and considers possibilities for reestablishing philosophy as a guide to living well.
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book is ideal for readers interested in ancient philosophy, philosophy as a practical discipline, and those seeking to understand how philosophical ideas can influence life. It suits students, scholars, and thoughtful readers who appreciate rigorous historical and philosophical analysis.

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Hadot shows how the schools, trends, and ideas of ancient Greek and Roman philosophy strove to transform the individual’s mode of perceiving and being in the world. For the ancients, philosophical theory and the philosophical way of life were inseparably linked. Hadot asks us to consider whether and how this connection might be reestablished today.

In its sweep and clarity of presentation, I would compare this book with some of the great syntheses of an earlier generation-for instance, Werner Jaeger's Paideia. At the center of the study is the strikingly original notion of the spiritual exercise, which Professor Hadot here and elsewhere shows to lie at the heart of Greek Hellenistic thinking about man, morality, and the universe. -- Brian Stock, University of Toronto Hadot's What Is Ancient Philosophy? is a wonderful book. It strives to persuade us to revise our view of philosophy--to think of philosophy, as the ancients did, as crucially involving a philosophical way of life. -- Michael Frede, Oxford University

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

A magisterial mappa mundi of the terrain that Pierre Hadot has so productively worked for decades, this ambitious work revises our view of ancient philosophy—and in doing so, proposes that we change the way we see philosophy itself. Hadot takes ancient philosophy out of its customary realm of names, dates, and arid abstractions and plants it squarely in the thick of life.

Through a meticulous historical reading, he shows how the various schools, trends, and ideas of ancient Greek and Roman philosophy all tended toward one goal: to provide a means for achieving happiness in this life, by transforming the individual's mode of perceiving and being in the world.

Most pressing for Hadot is the question of how the ancients conceived of philosophy. He argues in great detail, systematically covering the ideas of the earliest Greek thinkers, Hellenistic philosophy, and late antiquity, that ancient philosophers were concerned not just to develop philosophical theories, but to practice philosophy as a way of life—a way of life to be suggested, illuminated, and justified by their philosophical "discourse." For the ancients, philosophical theory and the philosophical way of life were inseparably linked.

What Is Ancient Philosophy? also explains why this connection broke down, most conspicuously in the case of academic, professional philosophers, especially under the influence of Christianity. Finally, Hadot turns to the question of whether and how this connection might be reestablished. Even as it brings ancient thoughts and thinkers to life, this invigorating work provides direction for those who wish to improve their lives by means of genuine philosophical thought.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780674013735

Publisher: Harvard University Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 15 March 2004

Country: United States

Imprint: The Belknap Press

Contributors:

  • Translated by Michael Chase

Audience: Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 25.0mm

Width: 140.0mm

Height: 210.0mm

Weight: 363g

Pages: 384

About the Author

Pierre Hadot was Professor Emeritus at the Collège de France. His books include Philosophy as a Way of Life and Plotinus.

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    Pierre Hadot offers a thought-provoking journey through the rich landscape of ancient philosophy in Philosophy as a Way of Life. This captivating work delves into the profound significance of spiritual exercises and their role in shaping the lives and thoughts of philosophers from Socrates to early Christianity. Without giving away spoilers, Hadot meticulously reconstructs the historical context around these exercises,...
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  • Don't Forget to Live
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  • The Inner Citadel
    The Inner Citadel by Pierre Hadot is a profound exploration of one of the most celebrated texts of antiquity, The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius. This book delves into the philosophies and reflections of the Roman emperor, who wrote his contemplations as a guide for his own moral and spiritual self-improvement. Marcus Aurelius's introspections are invaluable to anyone interested in ancient...
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