In What is Ancient Philosophy? Pierre Hadot shows us the more practical side of philosophy, based on the way it was practices by its originators in ancient Greece over two thousand years ago. Hadot teaches us about the different schools of philosophy that existed at the time, and delineates their similarities and differences in an … Read more
To be aware of ourselves thus means to be aware of our moral state. This is what the tradition of Christian spirituality calls the examination of the conscience, a practice which was very widespread in the philosophical schools of antiquity. This practice has its roots, first of all, in the simple fact that in all … Read more
Silent meditation could be practiced while standing motionless – this was Socrates’ way-or while walking, as in the following verses by Horace: “Do you go silently, tiptoeing through the healthful woods, harboring in your mind all the thoughts worthy of a sage and a good man?” Likewise, the Stoic Epictetus: “Go for a walk alone, … Read more
Yet philosophical discourse is required in order to eliminate philosophical discourse. We know this Skeptical philosophical dis¬ course thanks to Sextus Empiricus, a physician who wrote at the end of the second century A.D. Sextus also gives us precious information on the history of the Skeptic movement. The Skeptics considered Pyrrho the model of the … Read more
The Stoic experience consists in becoming sharply aware of the tragic situation of human beings, who are conditioned by fate. It would seem that we are not free at all, for it is not up to us to be beautiful, strong, healthy, or rich, to feel pleasure, or to escape suffering. All these things depend … Read more
People’s unhappiness comes from the fact that they want to obtain what they think is good, or to escape what they think is bad. It doesn’t matter what we do, so long as we do it with an attitude of indifference. Thus, according to Pyrrho’s philosophy our goal should be to seek stability in a … Read more
Whoever adopted the Epicurean or Stoic way of life and put it into practice would be considered a philosopher, even if he or she did not develop a philosophical discourse, either written or oral. In a sense, Cynicism was also a popular, missionary philosophy. From the time of Diogenes, the Cynics had been ardent propagandists … Read more
Might not Socrates be the prototype for that image of the philosopher so widespread, yet so false-who flees the difficulties of life in order to take refuge within his good conscience? On the other hand, the portrait of Socrates as sketched by Alcibiades in Plato’s Symposium-and also by Xenophon-reveals a man who participated fully in … Read more