Philosophy as a way of life PDF

Preview

Summary

A look into philosophy as a way of life by Pierre Hadot along with how to practice philosophy as a way of life in modern times....

Description

Philosophy as a way of life Introduction Pierre Hadot was known to be a writer who is both straightforward and humble. “Philosophy as a way of life” attracted many. Today, he is still regarded as one of the most influential and comprehensive historians of ancient philosophy. Hadot's interpretation of ancient philosophy, as well as his historical account of its extinction in the West, has elicited both praise and criticism. “Philosophy as a way of life” talks about how Philosophy was a way of life, both in terms of how it was practiced and how it was used to attain knowledge, as well as the goal of wisdom itself. True wisdom, on the other hand, does not simply cause us to know; it also causes us to "be" in a different way. It also tells us, the reader that the paradox of ancient philosophy is that it was both aware of the inaccessibility of knowledge and convinced of the importance of achieving moral growth at the same time. Stoicism and Epicureanism which has been mentioned in the essay, can be implemented as ethical practices in human life situations and exercises. “Philosophy as a way of life” Philosophy is a search for knowledge as well as a conversion, a transformation in one's way of being and living. Philosophy is meant to be liberating, living a spiritual lifestyle in which we strive to become sages will liberate us from the prison of daily falsehoods, such as false beliefs, ideals, behaviours, and activities. Spiritual activity means taking the three disciplines of philosophic activity as a way of life which is logic and how to deal with desire, the sense of all things around us and then how to incline ethically to the world after you’ve dealt with the physical aspects around you (Hadot, 1995). As a result, a philosophical life is out of the ordinary. It is also meant to be therapeutic: it will assist us in being happy and/or living more highest values. A continuous or productive practice of rational, systematic, imaginative modes of observation and description that can transform one's immediate truth. This is important for activists who are continuing to learn. An ethos is needed to navigate through the domains of self-actualization, our relationship with the material world

and our relationship with society. It acts as a framework to enhance these domains. In order to build a spirit of community, we need to take this into account when enabling these domains. An ethos is a broad "frame of reference" that provides people with a sense of selfidentity as well as an ethical orientation and code of conduct. If you approach philosophy as a process of questioning and trying to connect concepts in such a way that you can better grasp them, it can have an overarching frame of reference that gives people a sense of self-identity, and you'll have an ethical orientation for this code of conduct based on that. If anyone understands what it means to be human (identity), they will know in theory what to respect most and what to disregard (ethical orientation) andwill be able to devise a set of moral guidelines, norms, or laws based on this knowledge (code of conduct). Pierre Hadot has concentrates on the Stoic doctrine that logic, physics, and ethics are not aspects of philosophy itself, but rather parts of philosophical discourse, or philosophical discourse in general(Lamb, 2011). The Stoics believe that Stoicism is a method for self-mastery, perseverance, and knowledge, not some obscure area of philosophical inquiry. It is something one uses to live a great life. Stoicism provides us with the tools necessary to master ourselves. However, it also emphasises the importance of being useful to others as a member of society. Self-actualization In psychology, self-actualization is a concept that has been associated with humanistic psychology and Abraham Maslow's theories since the 1950s. Self-actualization is not so much a psychological breakthrough as it is a development of a philosophical idea that dates back to Aristotle and possibly further. Self-actualization is based on the premise of inherent intent – completely discovering innate potentials and being "everything that one can be." Self-actualization, according to Aristotle, is a method of ascending through the catalysts of the lower functions, and that the spirit, being unitary, is indivisible and contained in each function, from the lowest to the highest. Entelechy, according to William Sahakian, which is a term coined by Aristotle, is the soul or "form-giving energy triggering

realization or actualization." We can consider the popular Greek dictum "Know thyself" as likely bearing the connotation "selfactualization" prior to Aristotle's conception of self-actualization. When young Phaedrus asks Socrates to describe a myth in Plato's Phaedrus, he invokes the dictum, I am not yet ready, as the Delphic inscription has it, to know myself; so, it seems to me absurd, because I do not yet know that, to investigate irrelevant things,” Socrates claims. Socrates considers self-awareness to be a lifelong journey that takes precedence over all other types of knowledge. “Nothing in excess,” the second and companion inscription at Delphi, would seem to signify moderation and self-mastery, or, taken together with the first, a rationalized self-knowing as the guiding principle on life's path. Aristotle extended this sense of existence and prioritization of introspection into the domain of life practice, as an unfolding of the implicate self and making explicit what one already is. Selfactualization, according to Immanuel Kant, is a primary responsibility in preserving spiritual self-esteem, and entelechy is associated with human dignity. In “Thoughts on the True Estimation of Living Force”, Kant cites Aristotle's principle of entelechy as an effort to address the issue of mind-body dualism. Kant proposes that each body or material has an integral power, a complex teleological structure at its heart. The implicate order of the phenomenal self – the ground or complete potentiality of being – is entelechy, the noumenal selfactuating power. Kant's self-awareness is therefore predicated on the assumption of a spirit. Hegel's conception of self-actualization, like Kant's, is teleological and based on Aristotle's principle of entelechy, or a "a priori" form that possesses the desired goal. Happiness will result from self-actualization, but it is a conditioned good rather than a final goal, as Hegel agrees with Kant. The object of self-actualization, according to Hegel, is not happiness or moral virtue, but freedom. It is a multi-faceted freedom in which one becomes free from nature through a relationship with it rather than being dictated by it. As a result, self-actualization begins with the transformation of our natural drives for indeterminate objects into guided drives for determinate objects. Self-actualization is attained through a dialectical mechanism through which the subject mediates and resolves oppositions in order to become an independent functional person at home, among other

things. Nietzsche's theory is more progressive in its interpretation of self-actualization than Hegel's, emphasizing the importance of the human life. Self-actualization, according to Nietzsche, involves a struggle to overcome the pieces of oneself that are not one's own and taking responsibility for one's own destiny. Not disowning disagreeable past or current acts and perceptions butacknowledging and even affirming them as steps of self-becoming is a key point in Nietzsche's definition of self-becoming. When repression and disassociation are no longer present, the self is freed for development and experience, and one can behave from a place of egalitarian selfownership. Coming back to Maslow, despite the misrepresentation by some modern commentators, it is clear that Maslow never thought of selfactualizing people as narcissistic or purely individualistic. On the other hand, he became increasingly persuaded that self-actualization is a healthy form of self-realization on the way to self-transcendence. Stoicism When talking about our relationship with the material world we can talk about Stoicism. It is the philosophy of personal ethics and attitudes which can help an individual in achieving a state of calmness. In simple terms, Stoicism is seeking virtue/goodness and avoiding vice or wrongdoing. Only two types of people exist: those who are fully good and always do the right thing, and those who are tainted by vice and always do the wrong thing. There is no such thing as a compromise. When talking about the stoic sage, Pierre mentions that stoic sage only cares about virtue. Only a fall from virtue will injure the sage; for the stoics, moral neutrality is as bad as moral viciousness (Baltzy, 2017). A sage must be emotionally immune to misfortune, according to many Stoics, because "virtue is necessary for happiness." This belief is similar to the sense of the term "stoic calm," though it excludes the "radical ethical" component. The way of the sage is to walk to wisdom. If philosophy is a physical activity, it is a mental battle that directs the interlocutor (or the process of questioning). You request that one's mindset and perspective on life be changed. In order to enable an ethical orientation to implement the framework of ethos, a philosopher and a sage need to be compared. The path of interlocution

(continuous questioning) leads to wisdom. A sage is someone who has immersed themselves in a philosophical way of life to the point that they have experienced such life processes and know they will function in a certain way. Whereas a philosopher, is someone who is walking towards wisdom to attain some a level of knowledge. They have accumulated this wisdom over time, but it is not the end point. there are few philosophical sages. Nevertheless, true philosophical practice, such as thorough systematic questioning or sharply linking ideas to rattle stereotypes, distinguishes you as a philosophical sage walking towards an ethos. A long-term sage is not just someone who reads books; they practice or live it with the aim of creating a better or more suitable ethos, ethical orientation of life, and building a framework of that frame of reference over time. “Only the sage never ceases to have the whole constantly present to his mind” (Hadot, 1995). A sage has the end point or goal, where they constantly see themselves as the whole picture as the opposite of different. They believe that "I" as an individual is not separate from the people who live next door or walk down the street, and that the world we all share should help us all. That is how a sage thinks. The question is then, what if others are not doing what I am doing? Why should I continue the right thing? As a sage builds their frame of reference, they constantly think of the environment, others and the self. A wise person never forgets about the universe but thinks and behaves with the cosmos in mind (cosmic consciousness) (Hadot, 1995). The sage is always in tune with the universe. A sage’s knowledge is cosmic, in the sense that the sage knows the universe as a unified, ordered whole that is shaped rationally in every detail and dimension, and proceeds forward in time to its end, in “determinate cycles". According to the sages, if we use our reasoning capacity, we are conforming to God's design, since God's nature gives us the ability to think logically. Questioning logic motivates us to act. Reasoning and reasoning also aid in the control of impulses. Before dismissing anything, they engage with it. If it is difficult to overcome, the best solution is to live alongside it until you are able to overcome it. The Sage's Way in the World brings together lessons learned about how a philosophical life's living practice can prompt one to constantly dispose ethically to the world.

According to the Stoics, only a sage is truly free, and all moral corruptions are similarly vicious. Stoicism offers a philosophy for living well at any time, in any circumstance, and at any stage of life. It serves as a reminder of what is truly important while also offering realistic strategies for obtaining more of what is desirable (Holstee, n.d.). It is not necessary to study an entirely new philosophical lexicon or to meditate for hours every day in order to practice Stoicism. Rather, it provides an immediate, valuable, and realistic means of finding peace and improving one's character strengths. In the world, especially in South Africa we see people on a journey to Stoicism due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This pandemic has made people realise that life should not be taken for granted. Due to all the deaths from this virus, people have been trying to live ethically because a long life is not guaranteed. The aim is to live a virtuous life as long as we can. The unwillingness of most people to live in accordance with nature, which is known as the work of an imminent God, is the main corrupting force for the Stoics. The Stoics developed a dislike for merely theoretical contemplation as their philosophy progressed. They were less concerned with pondering for the sake of pondering and more concerned with real-world pragmatism. Stoicism recognizes that people should not have complete or even partial influence of their lives. It is also stressed that thinking about things that are out of one's control is counterproductive, if not downright unreasonable, for those seeking tranquillity (Holstee, n.d.). Most people interpret misfortune differently than the Stoics. They anticipate setbacks and use them to sharpen their skills. That is not to suggest that they rejoice when they are confronted with difficulties; rather, they try to avoid moaning about them unnecessarily and actively pursue benefits whenever they can. Philosophizing was a continuous act of Stoicism, permanent and identical to life itself, that had to be renewed at every moment. This act may be classified as a focus of concern in both schools. The emphasis of Stoicism was on one's motives being pure. To put it another way, its aim was to bring our individual will into line with reason, or with the will of nature as a whole (Hadot, 1995). In the Stoic view, what is good is having our heads right. If our heads are right, we will be fine no matter what

happens, and if our heads are not right, things will never really be okay, no matter what other advantages we might have. Having our heads right means dealing plainly and forthrightly with reality, it means understanding ourselves, and it means that we are not misled by crazy falsehoods. It is the false beliefs that are the root of all the trouble. To Hadot, being a Stoic in the ancient world meant more than only agreeing to a collection of metaphysical statements or learning a certain technical vocabulary. Stoicism was central within Pierre Hadot’s larger conception of ancient philosophy as a way of life. It was to commit to profoundly internalizing Stoic theoretical discourse so that it could form one's values, motives, and behaviour (Goulet, 2010). An instructor would enjoin the student to engage in what Hadot famously referred to as "spiritual exercises" (Hadot, 1995) in order to accomplish this. Listening, reading, and inquiry are examples of such exercises, which we do as philosophy students today. Others (such as modes of bodily exercise, for example) are not solely or exclusively "intellectual," hence Hadot's broader adjective: "spiritual." Epicureanism Something else that is mentioned in Philosophy as a way of life is Epicureanism. The highest good, according to Epicureanism, is to seek simple pleasures in order to achieve a condition of calmness, fearlessness, and lack of bodily suffering. In simple terms, it is all about seeking pleasure and avoiding pain. The universal epicurean attitude primarily consists of returning from pleasure mingled with sorrow and suffering to the simple and pure pleasure of existence through a certain discipline and suppression of cravings (Hadot, 1995). Pierre Hadot mentions that there are people who are half stoic and half Epicurean. They accept and combine "Epicurean sensualism" with "Stoic communion with nature," and perform both Stoic and Epicurean spiritual exercises aimed at the true joy of existence (Hadot, 1993). When talking about sage and the Epicurean, the Epicurean sage, or one who has attained the ideal which Epicureanism sets forth, is one who, given that his basic needs are met (shelter, food, etc.) is able to rival ‘the gods’ in happiness (ideas, 2014). Epicurus believed that intensive study and

observation of Nature will lead to a peaceful and joyful existence. This sage would be like the Gods and would “watch” the infinity of worlds arising out of atoms in the infinite void” and because of this nothing ever disturbs the peace of his soul (Hadot, 1995). In their bright, eternal peace, they are indifferent with ordinary matters and spend their time contemplating the infinity of space, time, and the countless universes (life, n.d.). An example in a South African context, can also relate to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many people feel, they might die any day so they try to seek as much pleasure as they can to “enjoy” life while they can. Conclusion What we learnt in philosophy as a way of life by Pierre Hadot is that Ancient philosophical traditions can guide us in our interactions with ourselves, the universe, the material world and other people(society). Ancient philosophy was deemed a type of escape mechanism. In the Epicureans' case, it was a denial of politics. It was fate's surrender in the Stoics' case. Both the universe as viewed by the sage's awareness and the sage's consciousness itself, immersed in the fullness of the world, are disclosed to the lover of wisdom in one single, unique movement when it comes to sage. fear, envy, and love are the result of erroneous judgments about the value of things and the nature of your ties to them, therefore a wise person would not be overcome by them (Baltzy, 2017). We now know a sage's knowledge is cosmic in the sense that he or she understands the cosmos as a cohesive, organised totality that is logically fashioned in every detail and dimension and moves ahead in time in predictable cycles. This essay proves that if Philosophy is a way of life, then a genuine philosopher should engage in some practices and should not engage in others, in the domains of self-actualisation, his or her relationship with the material world, and his or her relationship with society and gives reasoning to back up this statement.

Bibliography Baltzy, D., 2017. The Skopos assumption: Its justification and function in the neoplatonic commentaries on Plato. The International Journal of the Platonic Tradition, 2(11), pp. 173-195. Goulet, R., 2010. Pierre Hadot 1922-2010. The International Journal of the Platonic Tradition, 2(4).

Hadot, P., 1993. "Presentation au Collc!(c I nternational de Philosophic,". s.l.:s.n. Hadot, P., 1995. Forms of life and Forms of Discourse. In: A. I. Davidson, ed. Philosophy as a way of life. Oxford: Blackwell publishers, p. 58. Hadot, P., 1995. Philsophy as a way of life. 1st ed. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers. Hadot, P., 1995. Spiritual exercises. In: A. I. Davidson, ed. Philosophy as a way of life. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, p. 79. Hadot, P., 1995. The sage and the World. In: A. I. Davidson, ed. Philosophy as a way of life. Oxford: Blackwell, p. 251. Holstee, n.d. Stoicism 101:. [Online] Available at: https://www.holstee.com [Accessed 15 May 2021]. Academy of Ideas. o., 2014. Stoicism vs Epicureanism. [Online] Available at: https://academyofideas.com [Accessed 16 May 2021]. Lamb, M., 2011. Philosophy as a Way of Life: Albert Camus and Pierre Hadot. Sophia, 50(4). The spiritual life., n.d. Sage (philosophy). [Online] Available at: https://slife.org [Accessed 16 May 2021]....