Abstract:
Starting from the premise, recently shared by authors such as Jacques Derrida and Pierre Macherey (for whom a state of crisis is inherent to the university) that of the humanities constitute the specific terrain in which to propose new experiments, this article attempts to verify what is at stake in an approach to philosophy as a way of life, in the context of the current academic form. In doing so, following Hadot and Foucault, it describes philosophical spirituality, and conversion, as the determining elements of a philosophy connected to the practices of existence. Secondly, it shows how the criticisms of the philosophy linked to the state, of Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, and Bourdieu – as well as the criticisms of the philosophy linked to the neoliberal market – determine the urgency of thinking of a philosophy as spirituality within universities. In what terms, however, is it possible to practice this philosophy without changing the very forms of the contemporary county university? And how is it possible to change the contemporary university without giving philosophy the utopian place it deserves?
Keywords:
philosophical spiritualities, utopian studies, conversion, university, Humanities
How to cite:
Ferraro, Gianfranco. “Philosophy as a Spiritual Way of Life and the Utopia of a University Without Condition.” Eidos. A Journal for Philosophy of Culture 8, no. 3 (2024): 69-91. https://doi.org/10.14394/eidos.jpc.2024.0016.
Author:
Gianfranco Ferraro
Center for Global Studies, Open University
Rua Almirante Barroso, 52, 1000-013 Lisbon, Portugal
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4449-6127
gianfranco.ferraro@uab.pt
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