Philosophy
as a Way of Life by Pierre Hadot has been the most thought
provoking book I’ve read in a very long time, and has caused me to re-examine
my approach to philosophy/theology and the writings of antiquity in general.
The basic thesis of the book is that philosophy – properly speaking – is not
solely an intellectual exercise or system of abstract arguments, but rather of
way of living and perceiving reality that is elevated and separate from the
ways of the world. What exactly this means in every tradition does differ, but
the focus on right living with the intentions of self-perfection and
realization runs through every philosophical school in the ancient world.
The
philosophical act is not situated merely on the cognitive level, but on that of
the self and of being. … It raises the individual from an inauthentic condition
of life, darkened by unconsciousness and harassed by worry, to an authentic
state of life, in which he attains self-consciousness, an exact vision of the
world, inner peace, and freedom. (p. 83).
I will not go through his argumentation, but Hadot
devotes a good amount of time to the major ancient philosophical schools (which
includes Christianity) to demonstrate how they attempted to achieve this goal.
Since I’ve finished this book I’ve acutely felt the
insignificance of my own education and what I’ve previously passed off as
“doing philosophy.” It didn’t take me long to realize that my first conscious
attempt at philosophy, which mainly consisted of blindly memorizing arguments
for the sake of debate, was more of an exercise in self-indulgence than anything
else.
