Philosophy

What Is Ancient Philosophy?

What Is Ancient Philosophy?

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  • Create Date：2021-08-21 08:54:10
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Pierre Hadot
  • ISBN：0674013735
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Summary

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。

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Reviews

Valeriu Gherghel ，

Pierre Hadot susține că orice filosofie constituie （și prescrie） un mod de viață。 Poate că nu a fost întotdeauna așa， dar Seneca， Epictet și Marcus Aurelius （filosofii de la sfîrșitul Antichității） ilustrează în chip vădit această definiție。 Mi se pare curios că， pînă la cărțile lui Hadot， acest aspect al filosofiei a fost ignorat。 Sigur， termenul „filosofie” desemnează multe lucruri: meditație asupra Ființei （Parmenide， Platon， Aristotel， Plotin， Heidegger）， meditație asupra morții （Platon， Sen Pierre Hadot susține că orice filosofie constituie （și prescrie） un mod de viață。 Poate că nu a fost întotdeauna așa， dar Seneca， Epictet și Marcus Aurelius （filosofii de la sfîrșitul Antichității） ilustrează în chip vădit această definiție。 Mi se pare curios că， pînă la cărțile lui Hadot， acest aspect al filosofiei a fost ignorat。 Sigur， termenul „filosofie” desemnează multe lucruri: meditație asupra Ființei （Parmenide， Platon， Aristotel， Plotin， Heidegger）， meditație asupra morții （Platon， Seneca， Montaigne）， instituire a subiectului （Descartes， Husserl）， meditație asupra limitelor cunoașterii （Hume， Kant， Wittgenstein）， creație a unui „vocabular nou” （Richard Rorty）， creație de concepte （Gilles Deleuze） etc。Pierre Hadot （și pe urmele lui Michel Foucault， în Hermeneutica subiectului） arată că măcar pentru unii gînditori „exercițiile spirituale” au fost cu mult mai importante decît aspectul pur speculativ al filosofiei， că a face e mai presus de a gîndi și a scrie。 Filosofia nu e numai discurs， ci și practică。Un volum fundamental。 。。。more

Clifton D。 Healy ，

This is the first time I've re-read Hadot's "What is Ancient Philosophy？" since I last used it as a text for one of the undergraduate courses I was teaching。 My esteem for the book has only grown in the decade plus since I last read it。 Hadot presents each of the ancient philosophical schools （Plato's Academy， Aristotle's Lyceum， the Stoa of Chrysippus and his followers， and the Garden of Epicurus; as well as looking at Pythagoreans， Cynics， and Skeptics） not as a body of theories about reality， This is the first time I've re-read Hadot's "What is Ancient Philosophy？" since I last used it as a text for one of the undergraduate courses I was teaching。 My esteem for the book has only grown in the decade plus since I last read it。 Hadot presents each of the ancient philosophical schools （Plato's Academy， Aristotle's Lyceum， the Stoa of Chrysippus and his followers， and the Garden of Epicurus; as well as looking at Pythagoreans， Cynics， and Skeptics） not as a body of theories about reality， but， rather， as different ways of living oriented around a particular philosophical discourse that was seeking， each in its own way， the fundamental truth of existence。 Each school had its authoritative texts （Plato's dialogues， Aristotle's lectures， and so forth）， it's own "jargon" （the Idea of the Good， the Prime Mover， the Logos， etc。）， and it's own disciplines （Plato's contemplation， Aristotle's research， Epicurus' asceticism， Pythagoras' vegetarianism， and so on）。 Indeed， different schools had their own forms of clothing （see， for example Justin Martyr's account of wearing the Platonic philosopher’s robe in his first apology）。 Having been chrismated and living as an Orthodox Christian since my last read of Hadot's work， I read this with a fresh appreciation。 When I became Orthodox I was looking for not just a means to "be saved，" nor a body of dogmas to believe， but rather， an all-encompassing way to live （which happened to also include the other concerns）。 Hadot's work helped me clarify what I was looking for in Orthodoxy， and gave me a much greater appreciation for the ancient philosophical schools。 This is a very accessible work， which well-read readers will find accessible， even if they do not have a background in philosophy， though lacking such a background， some portions will stretch the reader。 I highly recommend it。 。。。more

Jean-Pascal ，

Exposé passionnant en particulier des différentes écoles de la philosophie antique。 Il y a ensuite une partie un peu plus brouillonne。 La troisième partie étendant le propos aux philosophes modernes est aussi très riche。 L'exposé est toujours clair， la langue rigoureuse et simple。 Exposé passionnant en particulier des différentes écoles de la philosophie antique。 Il y a ensuite une partie un peu plus brouillonne。 La troisième partie étendant le propos aux philosophes modernes est aussi très riche。 L'exposé est toujours clair， la langue rigoureuse et simple。 。。。more

Jeanne Martin ，

Extrêmement clair et instructif。

Josh Ford ，

A very， in my opinion， underrated piece of work。 I find Pierre to be more patient and passionate of the history， while not seeing tidbits of history as superficial。

Marius ，

Încă o lucrare accesibilă。 Hadot este un maestru în a expune ideile în termeni pe care să-i înțeleagă chiar și noobi ca mine。Ideea generală a acestei cărți este repetată nu doar aici dar și în celelalte lucrări pe care le-am citit:‘Filosofia nu este doar un discurs， ci alegerea unui mod de viață， o opțiune existențială și un exercițiu trăit’。 Încă aștept publicarea la noi a lucrării La Citadelle Interieure: Introduction Aux Pensees de Marc Aurele。 E vorba de Marcus Aurelius și de stoicism， o fil Încă o lucrare accesibilă。 Hadot este un maestru în a expune ideile în termeni pe care să-i înțeleagă chiar și noobi ca mine。Ideea generală a acestei cărți este repetată nu doar aici dar și în celelalte lucrări pe care le-am citit:‘Filosofia nu este doar un discurs， ci alegerea unui mod de viață， o opțiune existențială și un exercițiu trăit’。 Încă aștept publicarea la noi a lucrării La Citadelle Interieure: Introduction Aux Pensees de Marc Aurele。 E vorba de Marcus Aurelius și de stoicism， o filosofie / mod de viață fascinant。 。。。more

James Foster ，

The central argument of “What is Ancient Philosophy”， by Pierre Hadot （translated from the French by Michael Chase） is that we’re doing philosophy all wrong， and that the ancients did it right。 Kids these days， right？ According to Hadot， the Ancients， meaning from philosophers from classical Greece to late Rome， did more than merely study philosophy。 They lived it。 To them， to love wisdom， philo-sophia， one had to choose how to live one’s life， situated in a community， with constant intellectual The central argument of “What is Ancient Philosophy”， by Pierre Hadot （translated from the French by Michael Chase） is that we’re doing philosophy all wrong， and that the ancients did it right。 Kids these days， right？ According to Hadot， the Ancients， meaning from philosophers from classical Greece to late Rome， did more than merely study philosophy。 They lived it。 To them， to love wisdom， philo-sophia， one had to choose how to live one’s life， situated in a community， with constant intellectual “exercise” directed toward wisdom。 This is not how we teach philosophy these days。 Rather， we teach the arguments of each “school”， situating each in a historical context。 This focuses on the “what”， rather than the “how”， of the actual students and masters。 The ancient philosophers lived in communities where they not only learned philosophical “stuff”， but they lived every day in an active effort to form themselves into a human ideal。 Philosophy was lived， under the guidance of a teacher/exemplar， not merely learned from an instructor。Hadot reviews the primary schools of ancient philosophy， with special attention to Stoicism， Epicureanism， Cynicism， Platonism （and Neoplatonism）， and Aristotelianism （and Neoaristotelianism）。 He presents the primary arguments that define and distinguish each “ism”。 But he also shows what they had in common: praxis。 This presentation is accurate， clear， and approachable。 The book is appropriate as a textbook on the history of ancient philosophy。 In fact， I was introduced to it by a colleague， Jamal Lyksett， a Professor of Philosophy at the University of Idaho， who was using it in his course on Ancient Philosophy。 We were having a beer or three， having a conversation about how similar ancient philosophy was to Buddhism， once one got past the discursive stuff one learns in college。 Later in the book， Hadot addresses the obvious question: what changed？ He argues that in one sense， nothing did。 There were philosophers for whom praxis was central in the middle ages， the Renaissance， and the modern era。 These include some of the “big names”， such as Descartes， Kant， and Wittgenstein。 But one has to look carefully to find this golden thread。 The Meditations of Descartes were in fact “spiritual” exercises， things one needed to actively engage， not mere exposition。 Kant emphasized the practical nature of his thoughts， not only the theoretical side。 Wittgenstein’s Tractatus， according to Hadot， analyzed propositions with the goal of influencing how the reader could pass beyond mere propositions。 Even Christian monasticism aimed to form character， not just to teach dogma。But， argues Hadot， when the Church discovered “Aristotle”， they adopted his methodology primarily as an adjunct to “true philosophy”， namely Christianity。 （Aristotle’s manuscripts were lecture notes， not discourses， and the Church was as much influenced by commentaries on Aristotle as on what “The Philosopher” actually said。） Church dogma was that ancient philosophy could provide a path to the only way of life that would lead to salvation， namely Christianity。 This drove a wedge between argumentation and living one’s life， with the former codified in University curricula and the latter in the monastery。 Though one can read “What is Ancient Philosophy” as a roadmap to what the Greeks and Romans thought， and to a small extent how it influenced Scholastic and modern philosophy， I think that Hadot’s primary reason for writing the book was to shape the lives of his readers， not just to inform them。 He isn’t preachy about this。 But the message is there throughout。 I appreciated this message immensely。 I studied philosophy in college （and before） because I was eager， arduous even， to figure out how to live the best possible life。 Fortunately， many of my teachers were Straussians， which （in part） assumes that texts should actually make a difference， not merely document opinions。 I focused on ancient philosophy because I found it to be the most transparently honest in this regard。 The Ancients hadn’t learned yet how to teach to a syllabus， straightjacketed by educational “deliverables”。 In fact， I focused on the pre-Socratics， because to them there was little difference between ethics， physics， and poetry—and the end objective was always to understand the world in order to live better lives。 （See my review of “Nature and the Greeks” by Erwin Schrödinger。） Hadot argues， and I agree with him， that we can （and should） study Ancient Philosophy as the Ancients practiced it: with the urgent compulsion to improve one’s life。 。。。more

Bluecoloredlines ，

Excellent alternative for the mainstream representation and discourse （heh） on ancient philosophy。 Hadot re-examines ancient philosophy as an way of life， from which the ”theoretical” and ”practical” cannot be derived and pitted against each other， like the modern mind would like to do。

Benjamin Phillips ，

Excellent and learned discourse concerning the ancient philosophical schools and their conception of philosophy as a way of life。Pg 274: “Whether the goal was to convert， to console， to cure， or to exhort the audience， the point was always and above all not to communicate to them some ready-made knowledge but to form them。”

Clarke Bolt ，

“Nowadays， there are philosophy professors， but no philosophers。”“Do not wait for Plato’s Republic， but be happy if one little thing leads to progress， and reflect on the fact that what results from such a little thing is not， in fact， so very little。”One of the most insightful， challenging， and fun reads I’ve had in a while。 I recommend this to anyone and everyone。 It’s easy for philosophical discourse to be completely independent of how we live day to day。 That has to change。

Felipe Yamin ，

Excelente libro， que deja pensar muchas cosas sobre qué significa la filosofia como forma de vida， y cómo tal vez la recuperación reciente de esta tradicion puede estar empobreciendola y mostrando solo un aspecto de la misma: la repetición vital de dogmas ya decididos。 Pero en esto no se agota esta tradición infinita que voy a seguir trabajando en mi tesis， que si tiene algo es incorporada en ella la lección Socrarica que dejan de lado muchas recuperaciones de la filosofía antigua: vivir examina Excelente libro， que deja pensar muchas cosas sobre qué significa la filosofia como forma de vida， y cómo tal vez la recuperación reciente de esta tradicion puede estar empobreciendola y mostrando solo un aspecto de la misma: la repetición vital de dogmas ya decididos。 Pero en esto no se agota esta tradición infinita que voy a seguir trabajando en mi tesis， que si tiene algo es incorporada en ella la lección Socrarica que dejan de lado muchas recuperaciones de la filosofía antigua: vivir examinandose a sí mismo y a los otros， sabiendo la tarea interminable que eso implica。 。。。more

Edvin Johansson ，

4，5。 En i stort mycket inspirerande， tankeväckande och läsvärd bok。 Tappade visst intresse gällande övergången till kristendom även om mycket kring det också var intressant。

Raquel ，

Le he dado 5 estrellas a este libro， pero porque no puedo darle más。 He leído cada página de '¿Qué es la filosofía antigua？' con ilusión， con avidez， con auténtica fascinación。 Posiblemente sea uno de los libros sobre filosofía que he leído con más ilusión y avidez （si no el que más）。 Propone una inmersión en el mundo antiguo con una perspectiva profunda， novedosa （respecto a cómo se acostumbra a hablar de filosofía） y， por tanto， apasionante。 No volveré a pensar la filosofía （y， en particular， Le he dado 5 estrellas a este libro， pero porque no puedo darle más。 He leído cada página de '¿Qué es la filosofía antigua？' con ilusión， con avidez， con auténtica fascinación。 Posiblemente sea uno de los libros sobre filosofía que he leído con más ilusión y avidez （si no el que más）。 Propone una inmersión en el mundo antiguo con una perspectiva profunda， novedosa （respecto a cómo se acostumbra a hablar de filosofía） y， por tanto， apasionante。 No volveré a pensar la filosofía （y， en particular， la filosofía griega） de la misma forma después de haberlo leído。¿Qué me esperaba de este libro， partiendo de su título？ Una especie de manual que explicase las doctrinas de los filósofos clásicos （presocráticos， Sócrates， sofistas， Platón， Aristóteles）: explicaciones exhaustivas sobre la teoría de las ideas， del amor platónico， de la metafísica aristotélica。。。¿Qué me he encontrado？ Precisamente un enfoque muy diferente al de los manuales， al de la enseñanza típica de la filosofía， tanto en institutos como en universidades。 Me he encontrado una agudísima y apasionante reinterpretación （o， más bien， reconstrucción） del auténtico significado de la filosofía en su mismísimo origen。 La tesis de Hadot es que， a diferencia de cómo la concebimos ahora， en aquel entonces la filosofía no era sólo un discurso， sino también （y ante todo） una elección de forma de vida。 Partiendo de esta tesis， las distintas partes de la filosofía （física， metafísica， teoría del conocimiento， ética） adoptan una perspectiva completamente diferente。 Así， recorren este libro reflexiones sobre la tarea del filósofo， la noción de sabiduría， la relación entre el discurso filosófico y la vida， la palabra oral y la palabra escrita， la enseñanza de la filosofía y el papel de las escuelas y， posteriormente （en la Edad Media）， las universidades。。。 todas ellas de gran actualidad。Es， desde luego， una lectura que consideraría imprescindible para cualquier persona interesada en la filosofía， en el mundo clásico， en el desarrollo personal y en estilos de vida inspirados en el estoicismo o， incluso， en filosofías orientales （como el budismo o el taoísmo）， por los paralelismos posibles en lo que se refiere a la concepción de la sabiduría。 Pero no sólo; se lo recomendaría también a personas con intereses en psicología y pedagogía， puesto que， tal como Hadot expone， la filosofía antigua prestaba mucha atención a la cuestión de la formación como persona lo que dio pie tanto a indagaciones sobre las pasiones y los placeres， sobre las causas de la desdicha y los modos de alcanzar la tranquilidad del alma， como a reflexiones en torno a la cuestión de la enseñanza: ¿cuál es la mejor manera de formar？， ¿cómo debe ser la relación entre maestro y discípulo？ Sobre estos temas， los antiguos tienen mucho que enseñarnos。 。。。more

Yenkl ，

Remarquable！Que voilà enfin un livre qui nous éclaire sur ce qu'étaient les débuts de la philosophie！L'essentiel de la pensée est saisi， expliqué et commenté d'une manière extrêmement simple sans pour autant que l'on ait l'impression de lire un ouvrage de vulgarisation。C'est absolument passionnant et donne envie d'approfondir cette matière。 Remarquable！Que voilà enfin un livre qui nous éclaire sur ce qu'étaient les débuts de la philosophie！L'essentiel de la pensée est saisi， expliqué et commenté d'une manière extrêmement simple sans pour autant que l'on ait l'impression de lire un ouvrage de vulgarisation。C'est absolument passionnant et donne envie d'approfondir cette matière。 。。。more

Jérôme ，

Exceptionnel de finesse。

The Bean of ，

A great， albeit sometimes repetitive and tangential， overview of ancient philosophy。 I read this as a prelude to my exploration of four ancient authors: Lucreitus， Marcus Aurelius， Seneca and Epictetus。 I abhor the modern self help industry， I think it's commercially motivated， pathetically superficial and honestly just dumb; and despite this， it's surging popularity only reflects how fucked we are as a society。 Maybe a bit harsh， but you get my point。 Perhaps my hatred， in part， stems from the A great， albeit sometimes repetitive and tangential， overview of ancient philosophy。 I read this as a prelude to my exploration of four ancient authors: Lucreitus， Marcus Aurelius， Seneca and Epictetus。 I abhor the modern self help industry， I think it's commercially motivated， pathetically superficial and honestly just dumb; and despite this， it's surging popularity only reflects how fucked we are as a society。 Maybe a bit harsh， but you get my point。 Perhaps my hatred， in part， stems from the fact that "being a badass！！" and "loving yourself！！！" are just gross repackaging of real wisdom found in ancient philosophy。 Not only were the ancients wise， but they lived ~2000 years ago！！！ Thus， the timelessness of their myriad insights and admonitions are not trivial。 2000 years is a fucking long time when one really， and I mean really， thinks about it。 The lacuna which as formed between philosophy as a way of life and a discourse， with discourse become focal， is not unique to academic philosophy -- it reflects a systemic， civilizational trend。 。。。more

Re Álvarez Parmar ，

What is ancient philosophy and why do we need it today？ The book answers the first question， and give the readers ideas to answer the second。 The book is dense， it is hard to read。 Outside of researchers of Ancient Greek philosophy， the book has limited audience。 But it does go deep when it comes to explaining what were the origins of Greek philosophy。 Starting from Socratic school of thought， it explains the Platonic， Stoic， Epicurean， and Cynic definition of philosophy。 For some philosophy was What is ancient philosophy and why do we need it today？ The book answers the first question， and give the readers ideas to answer the second。 The book is dense， it is hard to read。 Outside of researchers of Ancient Greek philosophy， the book has limited audience。 But it does go deep when it comes to explaining what were the origins of Greek philosophy。 Starting from Socratic school of thought， it explains the Platonic， Stoic， Epicurean， and Cynic definition of philosophy。 For some philosophy was dialectic while for some it was a way of life。 Ancient philosophers weren’t different from their philosophy， they didn’t preach it， they lived it。 When one joined these ancient schools， he （or rarely she） didn’t just study philosophy， it became their way of life。 The philosopher embodied his philosophy。 Hadot then explains how these ancient schools transformed in the Middle Ages， how Plato influenced Judaism and eventually Christianity。 How modern philosophers were influenced by ancient philosophy and some wrote about eliminating religious aspects from philosophy。 “Nietzsche， for instance， wrote as follows: “So far as praxis is concerned， I view the various moral schools as experimental laboratories in which a considerable number of recipes for the art of living have been thoroughly practiced and lived to the hilt。 The results of all their experiments belong to us， as our legitimate property。 Thus， we will not hesitate to adopt a Stoic recipe just because we have profited in the past from Epicurean recipes。”The models ancient philosophy schools offer can be actualized only if they are reduced to their essence or their most profound significance。 “They must be detached from their antiquated cosmological and mythical elements， so that their fundamental positions， which the schools themselves considered essential， can be brought out。”Hadot believes that the models ancient philosophers provided correspond to a permanent， fundamental attitudes which all human beings， ancient or modern， will find necessary when they seek wisdom。 Knowledge and wisdom should be inseparable in the person of the philosopher。 His philosophy demanded that he live it， and he himself was its vehicle。 Living in accordance with his philosophical convictions was a part of his philosophy。Ancient philosophy teaches us not to resign ourselves， but to continue to act reasonably and try to live according to the norm constituted by the Idea of wisdom， whatever happens， and even if our action seems very limited to us。In the words of Marcus Aurelius: “Do not wait for Plato’s Republic， but be happy if one little thing leads to progress， and reflect on the fact that what results from such a little thing is not， in fact， so very little。 。。。more

Angelo Montinovo ，

Bellissima ed esauriente introduzione alla filosofia occidentale antica。 Utilissimi i rimandi del continuo spazio temporale che arriva ai nostri giorni ed i pochi ma fondamentali rimandi al mondo orientale。 Opera fondamentale per chiunque voglia avvicinarsi alle origini della filosofia occidentale。

Collin ，

I keep thinking I'll find philosophy interesting， but I'm always wrong。The book itself is probably good if you are interested in philosophy， but I didn't enjoy it or get much out of it。 I keep thinking I'll find philosophy interesting， but I'm always wrong。The book itself is probably good if you are interested in philosophy， but I didn't enjoy it or get much out of it。 。。。more

sigurd ，

R。 Shaerer ha scritto: «L'essenza del platonismo è e rimane dunque sopradiscorsiva»。 Egli intendeva dire， con queste parole， che il dialogo platonico non dice tutto， non dice cosa sono le Norme， non dice cosa sono le Forme， né la Ragione， né il Bene， né la Bellezza: tutto ciò non si può esprimere con il linguaggio e non è suscettibile di essere definito。 Viene sperimentato o mostrato nel dialogo， ma anche nel desiderio。 Tuttavia， non se ne può dire nulla。 （pg。75）Platone non ci dice nulla eppure R。 Shaerer ha scritto: «L'essenza del platonismo è e rimane dunque sopradiscorsiva»。 Egli intendeva dire， con queste parole， che il dialogo platonico non dice tutto， non dice cosa sono le Norme， non dice cosa sono le Forme， né la Ragione， né il Bene， né la Bellezza: tutto ciò non si può esprimere con il linguaggio e non è suscettibile di essere definito。 Viene sperimentato o mostrato nel dialogo， ma anche nel desiderio。 Tuttavia， non se ne può dire nulla。 （pg。75）Platone non ci dice nulla eppure tra i suoi dialoghi sembra filtrare un venticello rinfrescante che ci accarezza la fronte。 è quando due uomini discutono e cedono al discorso la loro individualità che quel venticello trasmette un sentimento nuovo; con il suo tocco unico ed eterno spinge le sue verità inesprimibili nel nostro desiderio， e questo basta per renderci migliori。 。。。more

Ben ，

A very good introduction to ancient philosophy， especially for the beginner！

Marcus Vinicius ，

Filosofia como Modo de VidaA exposição da filosofia antiga levada a cabo nesta obra é original e bem fundamentada。 Pierre Hadot postula ser a filosofia não só uma atividade teórica e conceitualizante， mas também， na Antiguidade， “。。。 a escolha que o filósofo faz de um modo de vida que condiciona e determina as tendências fundamentais de seu discurso filosófico” （p。 383）。 A exposição das principais escolas filosóficas da antiguidade， a relação que mantêm entre si e a influência exercida sobre o n Filosofia como Modo de VidaA exposição da filosofia antiga levada a cabo nesta obra é original e bem fundamentada。 Pierre Hadot postula ser a filosofia não só uma atividade teórica e conceitualizante， mas também， na Antiguidade， “。。。 a escolha que o filósofo faz de um modo de vida que condiciona e determina as tendências fundamentais de seu discurso filosófico” （p。 383）。 A exposição das principais escolas filosóficas da antiguidade， a relação que mantêm entre si e a influência exercida sobre o nascente cristianismo são expostos num texto claro， fluente。 Para isso contribuiu a cuidadosa tradução levada a efeito por Dion Davi Macedo。 A interpretação da filosofia antiga que faz Pierre Hadot é fecunda。 Abre avenidas para a reflexão。 Demonstra o valor inestimável do esforço feito pelos antigos para compreender o mundo e o homem。 Uma leitura muito proveitosa e que convida o leitor a conhecer mais do pensamento do autor。 。。。more

Jess ，

Slow going at first for anyone already schooled in their Plates and Stots， as we used to call them。 But the long middle section on the Hellenistic schools is worth the wait。 Convincing portraits of various cosmic-pragmatic narratives around which ancient lives were built—not disembodied discourses， not abstract worldviews， but ways of life: radically different， but agreed as to the goal of wisdom。

Gabriel ，

4，5 tbh， still a fantastic book。

Minäpäminä ，

Mainio teos！ Hadot osoittaa， kuinka filosofia näivettyi loputtomaksi kommentoinniksi ja erkani eletystä elämästä。 Antiikin loiston päivistään nykyisin niin kaukana riutuva， kuiva， akateeminen， puhtaan henkinen harjoite antoi kristinuskon elämänkiellon vaikuttaa itseensä。 Tosin tämä elämänfilosofinen puoli ei koskaan kuollut， Hadot sanoo。 Minun korvaani se kuulosti hieman toiveajattelulta。 Uskon kuitenkin， kuten Hadot'kin， että se voidaan herättää jälleen henkiin ja näin uskonkin käyvän， kun nyky Mainio teos！ Hadot osoittaa， kuinka filosofia näivettyi loputtomaksi kommentoinniksi ja erkani eletystä elämästä。 Antiikin loiston päivistään nykyisin niin kaukana riutuva， kuiva， akateeminen， puhtaan henkinen harjoite antoi kristinuskon elämänkiellon vaikuttaa itseensä。 Tosin tämä elämänfilosofinen puoli ei koskaan kuollut， Hadot sanoo。 Minun korvaani se kuulosti hieman toiveajattelulta。 Uskon kuitenkin， kuten Hadot'kin， että se voidaan herättää jälleen henkiin ja näin uskonkin käyvän， kun nykyiset uskonnolliset muodot väistämättä horjuvat。 Ja。。。toisaalta: näin tarkat rajat ovat keinotekoisia。 Tavallaan kristinusko syrjäytti filosofian asemastaan ylimpänä eettisenä ohjenuorana。 Niin， perusteesi on petollisen yksinkertainen。 Herää kysymys: miksi vaivautua lukemaan koko opusta？ No， jos teema yhtään kiinnostaa， suosittelen teosta erittäin lämpimästi， sillä Hadot'n yksityiskohtaiset esimerkit todella iskostavat päähän， kuinka läpikotaisin käytännöllistä antiikin filosofia oli。 Esimerkiksi Marcus Aureliuksen Itsetutkiskeluja oli Hadot'n mukaan henkistä harjoitusta filosofikeisarille: hän ikään kuin vakuutti itsensä joka päivä uudelleen stoalaisuuden totuudesta。 Näin siis teksti palveli elämää。 Tietysti kaikki Aristoteleen säilyneet teokset ovat vain muistiinpanoja luentoja varten， Platonin dialogit harjoituksia ja Plotinoksen Enneadit vastauksia varsinaisilla oppitunneilla nousseisiin kysymyksiin。 "Olla filosofi" ei antiikissa tarkoittanut "filosofoida"， vaan "elää filosofisesti"。 。。。more

Aaron ，

This is how ancient philosophy should be taught。

Tomq ，

Disclaimer: I read this in 2006 - 12 years ago。 So this is a review from the distant future。 I also read the original French， though I hear the translation is very good。I read this as part of the first year of a bachelor in philosophy。 I was quite young and I don't think I understood everything， although it is written clearly。 Still， it felt like an easy read。 In any case， what I understood has stayed with me ever since。 This makes this little book （some 350 pages） one of the best philosophical Disclaimer: I read this in 2006 - 12 years ago。 So this is a review from the distant future。 I also read the original French， though I hear the translation is very good。I read this as part of the first year of a bachelor in philosophy。 I was quite young and I don't think I understood everything， although it is written clearly。 Still， it felt like an easy read。 In any case， what I understood has stayed with me ever since。 This makes this little book （some 350 pages） one of the best philosophical "investments" I've made。"What is ancient philosophy？" is simultaneously a very readable textbook on ancient philosophical schools and trends （the stoics， the epicureans， 。。。） and an investigation of the nature of ancient philosophy。 For Hadot， ancient philosophy is （unlike much of contemporary philosophy） not a means to show how well-read and clever you are， nor a profession， nor even a quest for understanding， or a search for meaning。 It is， in the most genuine sense， about actually living a good life。 。。。more

Olga ，

Ця книга， мабуть， одна із найкращих， які доводилось мені читати з історії філософії античності。 Читаючи її， будьте обережні， адже вона може вас змінити。

Cristian ，

Definiția filosofiei de-a lungul vremii pare să fi fost mereu asimilată obiectului de studiu la un moment anume al ei。 În Antichitate am putea spune că-i studiul ființei sau al existenței; în perioada medievală， a lui Dumnezeu; modernitate， a cunoașterii， iar în perioada contemporană， probabil a limbajului。 Pierre Hadot nu-și propune o nouă încercare de definire a esenței domeniului， încearcă în schimb să aducă la lumină latura uitată a filosofiei de la începuturile sale; latura practică。Pentru Definiția filosofiei de-a lungul vremii pare să fi fost mereu asimilată obiectului de studiu la un moment anume al ei。 În Antichitate am putea spune că-i studiul ființei sau al existenței; în perioada medievală， a lui Dumnezeu; modernitate， a cunoașterii， iar în perioada contemporană， probabil a limbajului。 Pierre Hadot nu-și propune o nouă încercare de definire a esenței domeniului， încearcă în schimb să aducă la lumină latura uitată a filosofiei de la începuturile sale; latura practică。Pentru cei mai mulți dintre noi， ideea că filosofia ar avea vreo utilitate directă e cel puțin năstrușnică。 Însă， zice Hadot， e greșit să privim filosofia doar ca pe acel discurs doct， cam obscur， cu pretenții științifice și afinități lirice de obicei。 Rolul filosofiei nu a fost pe atât de informativ， pe cât de formativ pentru cei ce și l-au însușit。 Pentru a înțelege ce vrea să zică e de ajuns să ne reamintim întrebările prime ale filosofiei， pe lângă cele ce țin de cunoaștere， cum îs: "Ce este omul？" "Ce este viața？"。 Întrebări existențiale， a căror răspuns poartă întotdeauna implicații etice。În ochii lui Hadot， filosofia are două laturi， cea teoretică-discursivă și cea care de atâtea secole încoace a fost dată uitării aproape: latura etică， ce ține de modul în care omul ar trebui să-și conducă viața。 Pentru omul antic cel puțin， partea teoretică exista și avea importanță în măsura în care justifica practica; un filosof era apreciat nu după discursul său， ci după gradul de coincidență dintre acesta și viața sa。 Nu conta că vorbeai de logică， sau natură și schimbare în genere， din ce ziceai trebuia să ajungi și la o conduită a vieții。Legătura este reîntregită în timpurile noastre de filosofi precum Nietzsche， Schopenhauer， Bergson， și existențialiștii mai ales， o mișcare salutară pentru integritatea filosofiei după Hadot。 Cauza ruperii practicii de filosofie， lucru foarte interesant， se poate explica prin venirea creștinismului， totuși nu mă voi lungi aici să detaliez。 Pierre Hadot dovedește că filosofia nu'i numai un joc steril de abstracții， ea avut un puls la un moment dat， iar azi asistăm la resuscitarea acestuia。 。。。more

Jolomo ，

Well done overview of the various schools of thought from the pre-Socratics up to late-Antiquity。 Translation is smooth and readable。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=What Is Ancient Philosophy?

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=What Is Ancient Philosophy?&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,What Is Ancient Philosophy?&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0