Academic Philosophy as a Way of Life

Philosophy as a Way of LifeOver the past few decades, the idea of philosophy as a way of life (PWL) has gained undeniable prominence in contemporary debates about the nature and function of philosophy.Pierre Hadot forged the notion to denote the specific way in which ancient philosophers conceived of and practiced philosophy, stressing its performative character and its potential for self-transformation on the basis of what he called "spiritual exercises."Referring primarily to the Hellenistic and Roman eras, Hadot claimed that "philosophy was a mode of existing-in-the-world, which had to be practiced at each instant, and the goal of which was to transform the whole of the individual's life.")