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La Philosophie comme manière de vivre
Il est des livres dont on sort changé. C'est le cas de tous les ouvrages de Pierre Hadot, qu'ils traitent de Marc Aurèle ou de Plotin, du stoïcisme ou de la mystique ; avec une érudition toujours limpide, ils montrent que, pour les Anciens, la philosophie n'est pas construction de système, mais choix de vie, expérience vécue visant à produire un «effet de formation», bref un exercice sur le chemin de la sagesse.
Dans ces entretiens, nous découvrons un savant admirable, dont l'oeuvre a nourri de très nombreux penseurs, mais aussi un homme secret, pudique, sobre dans ses jugements, parfois ironique, jamais sentencieux. En suivant Pierre Hadot, nous comprenons comment lire et interpréter la sagesse antique, en quoi les philosophies des Anciens, et la pensée de Marc Aurèle en particulier, peuvent nous aider à mieux vivre. Et si «philosopher, c'est apprendre à mourir», il faut aussi apprendre à «vivre dans le moment présent, vivre comme si l'on voyait le monde pour la dernière fois, mais aussi pour la première fois».
Dans ces entretiens, nous découvrons un savant admirable, dont l'oeuvre a nourri de très nombreux penseurs, mais aussi un homme secret, pudique, sobre dans ses jugements, parfois ironique, jamais sentencieux. En suivant Pierre Hadot, nous comprenons comment lire et interpréter la sagesse antique, en quoi les philosophies des Anciens, et la pensée de Marc Aurèle en particulier, peuvent nous aider à mieux vivre. Et si «philosopher, c'est apprendre à mourir», il faut aussi apprendre à «vivre dans le moment présent, vivre comme si l'on voyait le monde pour la dernière fois, mais aussi pour la première fois».
280 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 4, 2001
22 people are currently reading
1210 people want to read
About the author
Pierre Hadot
50 books333 followersPierre Hadot (né à Paris, le 21 février 1922 - mort à Orsay, le 25 avril 2010) est un philosophe, historien et philologue français, spécialiste de l'antiquité, profond connaisseur de la période hellénistique et en particulier du néoplatonisme et de Plotin. Pierre Hadot est l'auteur d'une œuvre développée notamment autour de la notion d'exercice spirituel et de philosophie comme manière de vivre.
Spécialiste de Plotin et du stoïcisme, en particulier de Marc-Aurèle, il est un de ceux qui ont accompagné le retour à la philosophie antique, considérée comme pratique, manière de vivre et exercice spirituel. Ses livres, très agréables à lire et d'une très grande érudition, manifestent constamment un rapport avec l'existence, l'expérience, voire la poésie, la littérature et le mysticisme.
Spécialiste de Plotin et du stoïcisme, en particulier de Marc-Aurèle, il est un de ceux qui ont accompagné le retour à la philosophie antique, considérée comme pratique, manière de vivre et exercice spirituel. Ses livres, très agréables à lire et d'une très grande érudition, manifestent constamment un rapport avec l'existence, l'expérience, voire la poésie, la littérature et le mysticisme.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
April 28, 2023
„De fapt, întreaga filosofie este un exercițiu” (p.138).
Firește, și înainte de Pierre Hadot filosofia a înseamnat teorie +practică. Dar cercetătorul francez a descoperit, îndeosebi la filosofii de la sfîrșitul Antichității (cinici, epicureici, stoici, sceptici) faptul că practica devenise, în cazul lor, mult mai importantă decît exercițiul pur speculativ.
Pierre Hadot a inversat, așadar, ordinea consacrată de tradiție. Filosofia e, înainte de orice, practică (exerciții spirituale) și, abia în subsidiar, teorie. De pildă, Seneca discută într-o scrisoare către Lucilius ce a vrut să spună Aristotel prin termenul ousia etc., îl echivalează cu ens / essentia, dar în altele (cele mai multe) se referă la chestiuni de viață: cum să privim moartea, cum să ne ocupăm timpul, cum să citim, cum să-i ajutăm pe ceilalți, cum să renunțăm la vicii etc.
Cărțile lui Pierre Hadot (completate de cursul lui Michel Foucault, Hermeneutica subiectului) au avut un ecou imens (nu numai în Franța), chiar dacă filosofii analitici (situați în Scandinavia, în Marea Britanie și Satele Unite) nu au acceptat niciodată că filosofia a fost și este „un mod de viață”. Prin scrierile lui Hadot, gînditori ca Seneca, Epictet, Marcus Aurelius, Plotin au devenit, brusc, vedete mediatice. Și inevitabilul s-a produs.
Filosofia a încăput pe mîinile diletanților și a devenit o „super-terapie”. Mulți entuziaști au susținut că, pentru a ne rezolva problemele de zi cu zi (dureri de cap, de șale, suferințe din dragoste), e bine să devenim stoici și să trăim ca Seneca. Numai că Seneca a fost un nobil foarte bogat și avea destui sesterți ca să fie stoic și să elogieze sărăcia. Am vorbit în altă recenzie despre cartea lui William B. Irvine, Ghid pentru o viață împlinită. Arta antică a bucuriei stoice. Nu mai insist.
Convorbirile adunate în acest volum s-au purtat, desigur, în scris. Răspunsurile lui Pierre Hadot sînt de o mare limpezime și acuratețe. Pentru a-și formula răspunsurile a consultat cărți și a transcris pasaje semnificative, indicînd în note de subsol autorii și lucrările din care a citat.
O carte excelentă pe care vă îndemn prietenește s-o citiți.
P. S. Un amănunt anecdotic: Pierre Hadot și-a redactat lucrarea de licență comentînd o afirmație a lui Henri Bergson: „Filosofia nu înseamnă construcția unui sistem, ci decizia de a privi cu naivitate în tine însuți și în jurul tău” (p.29).
Firește, și înainte de Pierre Hadot filosofia a înseamnat teorie +practică. Dar cercetătorul francez a descoperit, îndeosebi la filosofii de la sfîrșitul Antichității (cinici, epicureici, stoici, sceptici) faptul că practica devenise, în cazul lor, mult mai importantă decît exercițiul pur speculativ.
Pierre Hadot a inversat, așadar, ordinea consacrată de tradiție. Filosofia e, înainte de orice, practică (exerciții spirituale) și, abia în subsidiar, teorie. De pildă, Seneca discută într-o scrisoare către Lucilius ce a vrut să spună Aristotel prin termenul ousia etc., îl echivalează cu ens / essentia, dar în altele (cele mai multe) se referă la chestiuni de viață: cum să privim moartea, cum să ne ocupăm timpul, cum să citim, cum să-i ajutăm pe ceilalți, cum să renunțăm la vicii etc.
Cărțile lui Pierre Hadot (completate de cursul lui Michel Foucault, Hermeneutica subiectului) au avut un ecou imens (nu numai în Franța), chiar dacă filosofii analitici (situați în Scandinavia, în Marea Britanie și Satele Unite) nu au acceptat niciodată că filosofia a fost și este „un mod de viață”. Prin scrierile lui Hadot, gînditori ca Seneca, Epictet, Marcus Aurelius, Plotin au devenit, brusc, vedete mediatice. Și inevitabilul s-a produs.
Filosofia a încăput pe mîinile diletanților și a devenit o „super-terapie”. Mulți entuziaști au susținut că, pentru a ne rezolva problemele de zi cu zi (dureri de cap, de șale, suferințe din dragoste), e bine să devenim stoici și să trăim ca Seneca. Numai că Seneca a fost un nobil foarte bogat și avea destui sesterți ca să fie stoic și să elogieze sărăcia. Am vorbit în altă recenzie despre cartea lui William B. Irvine, Ghid pentru o viață împlinită. Arta antică a bucuriei stoice. Nu mai insist.
Convorbirile adunate în acest volum s-au purtat, desigur, în scris. Răspunsurile lui Pierre Hadot sînt de o mare limpezime și acuratețe. Pentru a-și formula răspunsurile a consultat cărți și a transcris pasaje semnificative, indicînd în note de subsol autorii și lucrările din care a citat.
O carte excelentă pe care vă îndemn prietenește s-o citiți.
P. S. Un amănunt anecdotic: Pierre Hadot și-a redactat lucrarea de licență comentînd o afirmație a lui Henri Bergson: „Filosofia nu înseamnă construcția unui sistem, ci decizia de a privi cu naivitate în tine însuți și în jurul tău” (p.29).
June 22, 2012
Pierre Hadot is maybe one of the smartest people I've ever read. This is my third book of his. I wouldn't start with it though. So if you haven't read Philosophy as a Way of Life or The Inner Citadel, read those first. Hadot's point has been this: the concept of philosophy as an overarching system that explains our words is a fundamental misinterpretation of what ancient philosophers did and set out to do. Yet it's through this lens that we attempt to decipher Aristotle or Plato and the like. It's how we can say foolish things like, "Epicureanism is full of contradictions." The reality is that almost all of philosophy was articulated through dialog or correspondence, through human beings interacting with each other to address the basic problems of everyday life. Instead of trying to explain and systemize the world, philosophy has been about the practical pursuit of the good life (being free from fear, anxiety, unnecessary pain, being happy, excelling). Philosophy as a Way of Life is essentially a book about the wisdom these men cumulatively acquired and how we can use the same exercises in our struggles. The Inner Citadel is mostly about Marcus Aurelius and the stoic concept of the self as a fortress. This book is a series of interviews with Hadot. A better way to describe it would be watching a master at work. See if you can't sprint to keep up with him by reading it-doing it for just a few pages is worth the whole thing.
April 2, 2021
«В минулім чи вдалось,
в майбутньому чи вдасться.
Лише в теперішнім знаходимо ми щастя»
Фауст, Гете
в майбутньому чи вдасться.
Лише в теперішнім знаходимо ми щастя»
Фауст, Гете
August 26, 2012
Pierre Hadot is to Philosophy what Joseph Campbell is to mythology
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December 17, 2020Este libro deslumbrante recoge 10 conversaciones con el filósofo Pierre Hadot en torno a los temas que marcaron su vida y su obra. La conversación fluida y culta, cargada de oportunas referencias a la filosofía de ayer y hoy, versa sobre interpretación literaria, religión, el asombro ante el mundo y, por supuesto, la filosofía antigua en todas sus ramificaciones que tanto amó y estudió Hadot. Las preguntas de los entrevistadores son siempre puntuales y las respuestas dignas todas ellas de mención y en algunos casos directamente emocionantes. Más allá de la belleza del contenido, el libro contiene enseñanzas muy edificantes sobre filosofía antigua y contemporánea, hermenéutica y filología. Un libro excelente para introducirse al pensamiento de Hadot y al pensamiento en general.
March 13, 2021
Preot, teolog, filosof.
O personalitate care te frapeaza prin firescul si logica dialogului.
Autor a nenumarate studii si fin cunoscator al muzicii, el insusi organist.
Pierre Hadot talmaceste "starea filosofica" cu acuratetea unei metafore ascunse in aforism.
Filosofia este calea care te pregateste pentru acceptarea si priceperea trecerii in nefiinta, dar si cerul instelat care te face sa simti pulsul universului.
Ideile filosofice sunt atemporale, iar fiecare timp aduce perceptii si descifrari diferite, completand intregul cunoasterii.
De la Platon la Wittgenstein, de la discutia in aer liber la tomul scris si rescris in biblioteci infinite nu se afla decat omul cautand noi dimensiuni de intelegere a rostului de a fi.
Desi necunoscator in profunzime al filosofiei mari, am strabatut volumul de fata cu certitudinea ca nimic nu este in zadar.
Dincolo de lumina este intotdeauna... o alta lumina.
O personalitate care te frapeaza prin firescul si logica dialogului.
Autor a nenumarate studii si fin cunoscator al muzicii, el insusi organist.
Pierre Hadot talmaceste "starea filosofica" cu acuratetea unei metafore ascunse in aforism.
Filosofia este calea care te pregateste pentru acceptarea si priceperea trecerii in nefiinta, dar si cerul instelat care te face sa simti pulsul universului.
Ideile filosofice sunt atemporale, iar fiecare timp aduce perceptii si descifrari diferite, completand intregul cunoasterii.
De la Platon la Wittgenstein, de la discutia in aer liber la tomul scris si rescris in biblioteci infinite nu se afla decat omul cautand noi dimensiuni de intelegere a rostului de a fi.
Desi necunoscator in profunzime al filosofiei mari, am strabatut volumul de fata cu certitudinea ca nimic nu este in zadar.
Dincolo de lumina este intotdeauna... o alta lumina.
April 8, 2023
Un llibre esplèndid sobre Pierre Hadot, un filòsof-historiador del misticisme i l'Antiguitat. En format entrevista, ens parla des de la seva infantesa i educació fins a, i sobretot de, l'epicureisme, l'estoicisme, Sòcrates, Plató, Marc Aureli i d'altres referents històrics que van fer de la filosofia no només un fil dialèctic, sinó una manera de ser-en-el-món. Molt interessant, aquesta perspectiva d'estudi històric i contextualització que aporta com a necessaris per a comprendre la filosofia dels autors, especialment dels grecs, en tant que cada escrit anava dirigit a solucionar un problema en particular, i no a crear un sistema de pensament.
June 11, 2025
I accidentally purchased this book, thinking it was another of his, as I'd heard people speak about his 'Philosophy as a Way of Life' a fair bit, and seeing the title, thought it must have been that. Turns out that English title was a deviation from the original French, and then this current book has been named in reference to the English title. So don't be fooled like me.
Coming to the end of this book, I find myself unfortunately quite unclear as to what its intended purpose was. Why did they make this? The format - interviews - seems unusual for philosophy. It is common for philosophers to have their lectures transcribed into books (Heidegger's 'What is Called Thinking?' comes to mind), but I had never seen this style of presentation before. Partway through, it hit me, as Hadot continually critiques the idea that it's necessary to have a philosophical system, and that the absolutely watertight, fleshed-out exposé of one's work is the only format possible. The Greeks, for example, valorised dialogue as an extremely important form of philosophical presentation. So, my guess it that this is Hadot's attempt to breathe a little life from the Attic world back into philosophy today.
If that is the case, however, I think it has neglected a disanalogy between the Greek philosophical dialogues and an actual interview. Plato was not transcribing actual conversations. If these were ever real conversations that occurred, they are certainly heavily edited, so as to make the philosophical inquiry at hand (e.g. what is love, what is justice, what is the ideal society, etc.) incredibly clear. The dialogue is a form, therefore, but there is a lot of planning and execution that has gone into laying it out in a coherent manner. Socrates, of course, did practice real dialogues in the street and in the agora, but it would be naïve to think Plato's works are in any way real transcriptions of those dialogues. They are more likely the summation of many hundreds of conversations had by Socrates, where many different people are condensed into discrete characters for the purposes of philosophical exposition.
So, Hadot's interviews in this book are not in any way like a Platonic dialogue. They have virtually no linking thread. We get a long, unnecessarily detailed recount of his childhood, talking about his experience growing up in Reims and his adolescence in the theological seminary, preparing to be a priest, before eventually leaving the church aged 30.
Then, the book is supposed to get more philosophical (and the interviewer also changes from a social scientist to a professional philosopher), but I was disappointed. Let it be clear, first up, that I actually agree with much of what Hadot professes here. However, the way it is presented is incredibly aimless, with the same ideas often being repeated about four or five times, without much extra depth or complication. Hadot mainly talks about: mysticism, living in the present moment, compassion, devoting oneself to others, feeling that one is just a small part of a much larger whole, and feeling connected to nature. He says that modern philosophy has neglected these qualities, and become focused upon erudition and system-building. Sure. I agree! But I just told you that in one paragraph! Why do we need a 270-page book to understand this?
And the real question is: what can we do about the state of modern philosophy? Hadot himself admits that we cannot go back, and pretend it were the ancient times all over again. So we cannot reject modern philosophy. But then he (and the interviewers) proceed to completely ignore the question of how one might INTEGRATE modern philosophy with that original impulse to walk some kind of spiritual path. To my mind, this question of integration is literally THE most important question that could be asked, for someone who has both spiritual leanings and an appreciation for heavily intellectual philosophy. Is there a connection that might be built between the two?
Hadot, on this question, is totally silent.
Perhaps it's unfair to criticise a specialist of Greece and Rome for not speaking enough about modern philosophy. He might simply not be familiar enough. Fair point. But we don't get much depth on ancient philosophy in the book either. It feels more like the 'pop philosophy' anecdotes about stoicism that you might here from self-help guys like Ryan Holiday - not from someone who was a philosopher at the Collège de France. Hadot just offers a few "Seneca did this, Marcus Aurelius had this experience one time..."
So, at the end of the book, it seems that Hadot has failed to motivate his central point: that philosophy itself can be a way of life. Really, he means (some) philosophy (i.e. only ancient philosophy) might help think about life. But he fails to ever clarify why we need to go back to the texts themselves. If we can extract platitudes from them, and present them through interviews, what stops the self-help circus from doing the same thing, convincing us that there's no need to go back to reading the originals? What philosophy offers, which I think is unique, is the notion of grappling with the texts, reading them severely and critically, but also with a radical openness. This process of questioning and investigation is, again, not addressed.
I'm still curious to read Hadot, but I think the only opportunity to get any value from his work would be to read a carefully-written book, and definitely not this haphazard, scarcely edited, rambling conversation.
Coming to the end of this book, I find myself unfortunately quite unclear as to what its intended purpose was. Why did they make this? The format - interviews - seems unusual for philosophy. It is common for philosophers to have their lectures transcribed into books (Heidegger's 'What is Called Thinking?' comes to mind), but I had never seen this style of presentation before. Partway through, it hit me, as Hadot continually critiques the idea that it's necessary to have a philosophical system, and that the absolutely watertight, fleshed-out exposé of one's work is the only format possible. The Greeks, for example, valorised dialogue as an extremely important form of philosophical presentation. So, my guess it that this is Hadot's attempt to breathe a little life from the Attic world back into philosophy today.
If that is the case, however, I think it has neglected a disanalogy between the Greek philosophical dialogues and an actual interview. Plato was not transcribing actual conversations. If these were ever real conversations that occurred, they are certainly heavily edited, so as to make the philosophical inquiry at hand (e.g. what is love, what is justice, what is the ideal society, etc.) incredibly clear. The dialogue is a form, therefore, but there is a lot of planning and execution that has gone into laying it out in a coherent manner. Socrates, of course, did practice real dialogues in the street and in the agora, but it would be naïve to think Plato's works are in any way real transcriptions of those dialogues. They are more likely the summation of many hundreds of conversations had by Socrates, where many different people are condensed into discrete characters for the purposes of philosophical exposition.
So, Hadot's interviews in this book are not in any way like a Platonic dialogue. They have virtually no linking thread. We get a long, unnecessarily detailed recount of his childhood, talking about his experience growing up in Reims and his adolescence in the theological seminary, preparing to be a priest, before eventually leaving the church aged 30.
Then, the book is supposed to get more philosophical (and the interviewer also changes from a social scientist to a professional philosopher), but I was disappointed. Let it be clear, first up, that I actually agree with much of what Hadot professes here. However, the way it is presented is incredibly aimless, with the same ideas often being repeated about four or five times, without much extra depth or complication. Hadot mainly talks about: mysticism, living in the present moment, compassion, devoting oneself to others, feeling that one is just a small part of a much larger whole, and feeling connected to nature. He says that modern philosophy has neglected these qualities, and become focused upon erudition and system-building. Sure. I agree! But I just told you that in one paragraph! Why do we need a 270-page book to understand this?
And the real question is: what can we do about the state of modern philosophy? Hadot himself admits that we cannot go back, and pretend it were the ancient times all over again. So we cannot reject modern philosophy. But then he (and the interviewers) proceed to completely ignore the question of how one might INTEGRATE modern philosophy with that original impulse to walk some kind of spiritual path. To my mind, this question of integration is literally THE most important question that could be asked, for someone who has both spiritual leanings and an appreciation for heavily intellectual philosophy. Is there a connection that might be built between the two?
Hadot, on this question, is totally silent.
Perhaps it's unfair to criticise a specialist of Greece and Rome for not speaking enough about modern philosophy. He might simply not be familiar enough. Fair point. But we don't get much depth on ancient philosophy in the book either. It feels more like the 'pop philosophy' anecdotes about stoicism that you might here from self-help guys like Ryan Holiday - not from someone who was a philosopher at the Collège de France. Hadot just offers a few "Seneca did this, Marcus Aurelius had this experience one time..."
So, at the end of the book, it seems that Hadot has failed to motivate his central point: that philosophy itself can be a way of life. Really, he means (some) philosophy (i.e. only ancient philosophy) might help think about life. But he fails to ever clarify why we need to go back to the texts themselves. If we can extract platitudes from them, and present them through interviews, what stops the self-help circus from doing the same thing, convincing us that there's no need to go back to reading the originals? What philosophy offers, which I think is unique, is the notion of grappling with the texts, reading them severely and critically, but also with a radical openness. This process of questioning and investigation is, again, not addressed.
I'm still curious to read Hadot, but I think the only opportunity to get any value from his work would be to read a carefully-written book, and definitely not this haphazard, scarcely edited, rambling conversation.
January 24, 2025
Această carte are puterea de a-ți schimba viața, de a te face să iubești vechi adevăruri și de a te îndruma către un mod de viață mai sănătos, un mod de viață filosofic. Ea este structurată precum un interviu, în cadrul căruia bătrânul Hadot, la 79 de ani, răspunde întrebărilor puse de doi colegi mai tineri (Arnold Davidson și Jeannie Carlier). Tema principală a primei părți a dialogului este viața și cariera lui Pierre Hadot, astfel că filosofia ca mod de viață este prezentată indirect prin descrierea experienței trăite de autor. În cea de-a doua parte a dialogului se discută despre ce este filosofia antică, cum trebuie citită și interpretată, se răspunde la întrebarea dacă mai este ea relevantă astăzi, pentru ca discuția finală să se întoarcă la experiența personală a lui Hadot cu exercițiile spirituale despre care a scris în cărțile sale.
September 11, 2021
Another great book by Hadot. What I loved about this book were the Q&A and his background in tracing his philosophical beginnings as a young man and on towards the end of his life. If you've read Inner Citadel and Philosophy as a Way of Life, you will see a lot of familiar stuff. But the biographical aspect of this book is why it's unique.
August 27, 2025
Pierre Hadot diu en diverses ocasions que una conversa no és el lloc per tractar segons quins temes, per ser massa complexos, i els entrevistadors acostumen a preguntar segons guió, sense seguir la conversa. Llavors, en general, tot el llibre es basa en plantejaments que mai son explorats i dades biogràfiques de l'entrevistat.
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September 15, 2020Encontré este libro como fuente sobre las ideas del estoicismo. Pensé que sería un libro complejo y difícil de leer. Al contrario, encontré un manual que explica con sencillez (sin abandonar la profundidad) un montón de ideas de filosofía para los que somos profanos.
July 23, 2022
Les premières 92 pages sont laborieuses à lire. Pierre Hadot parle de son parcours et, tout à son honneur, mentionne les noms de tous ceux qui l’ont inspirés et aidés.
Après cette longue introduction, il parle de philosophie, et c’est alors passionnant.
Après cette longue introduction, il parle de philosophie, et c’est alors passionnant.
June 3, 2023
Un libro estremamente piacevole, utile a ricondurre la filosofia su un piano più terreno. La sottile intelligenza di Hadot non annoia mai e con delicatezza accompagna il lettore sulla strada della riscoperta di che cosa singificava fare filosofia nel mondo antico.
July 9, 2023
This book is a summary of all other books by Hadot, so it's worth reading after you have read a few of his books.
In this book we also have the opportunity to learn a bit about Hadot's personal opinions.
In this book we also have the opportunity to learn a bit about Hadot's personal opinions.
December 6, 2023
Es un libro que prometía pero se trató de abarcar tantos temas que prácticamente quedó como una biografía. Solamente dedica sus últimas páginas a exaltar el estoicismo como filosofía de vida. Pero inclusive su título no está tan relacionado con el contenido como esperaba. Pudo ser mejor.
December 19, 2019
Books of interviews can be underwhelming, but this one is an exception. Hadot is lucid and judicious, and the interviewers are, generally, incisive in their questions.
January 12, 2023
Illuminante
February 20, 2025
Interessante ma non indispensabile. una serie di interviste che ripercorrono la vita, la formazione e il pensiero di Hadot.
October 6, 2019
Un libro meraviglioso. Trattandosi di una serie di conversazioni ha, tra gli altri, un grande merito: è un testo esplicito. Un testo nel quale Hadot non solo espone, con lucidità e chiarezza, il proprio modo di pensare la filosofia, ma suggerisce anche svariati atteggiamenti concreti per praticare una vita filosofica. Hadot fa questo in modo “indiretto”, riflettendo cioè su momenti chiave della vita e della filosofia di alcuni grandi pensatori dell’Occidente: da Platone a Montaigne, da Epitteto a Wittgenstein.
Dei molti e interessantissimi spunti ne riporto uno soltanto, a titolo d’esempio. È il commento a queste parole di Bergson: “La filosofia non è una costruzione di sistemi, ma la risoluzione presa una volta per tutte di guardare ingenuamente in sé e intorno a sé”.
Cosa significano queste parole, concretamente? In particolare, cosa significa “ingenuamente”?
Hadot commenta così: si tratta d’intendere la filosofia “come una trasformazione della percezione […] trasformazione del suo sguardo, a liberarsi da tutte le abitudini che abbiamo nel vedere le cose […] affrancarsi dall’artificiale […] ritornare in fondo a una percezione per così dire elementare, scevra di ogni pregiudizio”.
Spetta poi al lettore il cercare di mettere in pratica questo esercizio (che, per altro, è tipicamente stoico).
Dei molti e interessantissimi spunti ne riporto uno soltanto, a titolo d’esempio. È il commento a queste parole di Bergson: “La filosofia non è una costruzione di sistemi, ma la risoluzione presa una volta per tutte di guardare ingenuamente in sé e intorno a sé”.
Cosa significano queste parole, concretamente? In particolare, cosa significa “ingenuamente”?
Hadot commenta così: si tratta d’intendere la filosofia “come una trasformazione della percezione […] trasformazione del suo sguardo, a liberarsi da tutte le abitudini che abbiamo nel vedere le cose […] affrancarsi dall’artificiale […] ritornare in fondo a una percezione per così dire elementare, scevra di ogni pregiudizio”.
Spetta poi al lettore il cercare di mettere in pratica questo esercizio (che, per altro, è tipicamente stoico).
November 11, 2021
--3.5 stars rounded down--
I read this on the recommendation of a friend who is a fan of Hadot and his ideas about practicing spiritual exercises in everyday life. He advised me to skip the (apparently) autobiographical beginning of the book and to start with Chapter 3, which served as a fantastic first step into the philosophy of Hadot and his interpretation of ancient philosophy.
The book lost me a little around chapter 5 (I think) when Hadot got onto the topic of mysticism, as this is a topic I have little interest in, but by chapter 7 I was utterly engrossed again and remained so to the end.
Hadot's endorsement of practices such as trying to habitually look at the world as though one were seeing it for the first and last time, his elaborations on the position that ancient philosophy was intended 'not to inform, but to form', as well as his insightful explanations of the ideas of the Stoics and the various representations of Socrates, were some of the highlights for me.
Overall, an interesting read that makes me curious about reading more of Hadot's work and mindful of how best to incorporate his teachings into my own life.
I read this on the recommendation of a friend who is a fan of Hadot and his ideas about practicing spiritual exercises in everyday life. He advised me to skip the (apparently) autobiographical beginning of the book and to start with Chapter 3, which served as a fantastic first step into the philosophy of Hadot and his interpretation of ancient philosophy.
The book lost me a little around chapter 5 (I think) when Hadot got onto the topic of mysticism, as this is a topic I have little interest in, but by chapter 7 I was utterly engrossed again and remained so to the end.
Hadot's endorsement of practices such as trying to habitually look at the world as though one were seeing it for the first and last time, his elaborations on the position that ancient philosophy was intended 'not to inform, but to form', as well as his insightful explanations of the ideas of the Stoics and the various representations of Socrates, were some of the highlights for me.
Overall, an interesting read that makes me curious about reading more of Hadot's work and mindful of how best to incorporate his teachings into my own life.
December 8, 2010
It's very good for getting an overview of Hadot's thought and especially the trajectory of his thinking and how he arrived at the views he has. It's a pretty quick read compared his other books and may help you understand his other books a little more.
Want to read
November 30, 2009I didnt read it yet! I must do
May 23, 2012
Outstanding book covering philosophy and its personal effects on someone's life.
March 27, 2016
Not my favorite. To much academics.
March 29, 2016
Aussi éclairant que brillant. Pour les penseurs néophytes, comme pour les bretteurs éprouvés. Afin que les premiers ne s'égarent pas et que les seconds puissent revenir sur leurs faux pas.
May 11, 2016
Too much an autobiography of Pierre Hadot's not so interesting life.
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