Abstract:
In my paper, I attempt to show how the Hadotian metaphilosophical perspective of philosophy as a way of life (PWL for short) implies another conception of what true, philosophical knowledge is: a conception that one should understand through Hadot’s reading of what is Sophia for ancient philosophy. To do so, I present my account of PWL according to Hadot as a way of understanding philosophy in which the way of life comes first and the discourse comes second and which is practiced fundamentally through the spiritual exercises of attention to the present moment and cosmic consciousness. Through this exposition, I show that the PWL conception of knowledge is one in which to know is to be that which is known. I then connect this discussion to contemporary philosophical debate and critique of our current society by Byung-Chul Han and Ailton Krenak, pointing out how the PWL conception of knowledge is relevant to that debate and, thus, crucial for the reflection on alternatives to the way we live today, led by demands of productivity and utility.
Keywords:
philosophy as a way of life, philosophical discourse, sophia, know-how, spiritual exercises, attention to the present, cosmic consciousness
How to cite:
Machado, Lucas Nascimento. “To Know Is To Be – Wisdom in Philosophy as a Way of Life and Its Implications for our Understanding of Knowledge.” Eidos. A Journal for Philosophy of Culture 8, no. 4 (2024): 43-67. https://doi.org/10.14394/eidos.jpc.2024.0023.
Author:
Lucas Nascimento Machado
Department of Philosophy, University of Campinas
Rua Cora Coralina, 100, Cidade Universitária Zeferino Vaz, Barão Geraldo Campinas, São Paulo, Brasil, CEP 13083-896, Brazil
lucasmachado47@gmail.com
References:
Cohoe, Caleb M., and Stephen M. Grimm. “What it Takes to Live Philosophically, or: How to Progress in the Art of Living.” Metaphilosophy 51, nos. 2-3 (April 2020): 391-410). https://doi.org/10.1111/meta.12420.
Chase, Michael. “Observações sobre a conceção de filosofia como modo de vida de Pierre Hadot.” In Filosofia Como Modo de Vida: Ensaios Escolhidos. Edited and organized by Frederico Testa and Marta Faustino. Coimbra, Portugal: Edições 70, 2022.
de Miranda, Luis. “Five Principles of Philosophical Health for Critical Times: From Hadot to Crealectics.” Eidos. A Journal for Philosophy of Culture 5, no. 1 (2021): 70-89. https://doi.org/10.14394/eidos.jpc.2021.0005.
Hadot, Pierre. Exercícios Espirituais. Translated by Flávio Fontenelle Loque and Loraine Oliveira. São Paulo, Brazil: É Realizações, 2014.
Hadot, Pierre. Plotinus or The Simplicity of Vision. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1998
Hadot, Pierre. What Is Ancient Philosophy? Translated by Michael Chase. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2004.
Han, Byung-Chul. Psicopolítica. Translated by Maurício Liesen. Belo Horizonte, Brazil: Editora Ayiné, 2018.
Han, Byung-Chul. Vita Contemplativa ou Sobre a Inatividade. Translated by Lucas Nascimento Machado. Petrópolis, Brazil: Editora Vozes, 2023.
Plato. Apology of Socrates. In “The Last Days of Socrates.” London: Penguin Books, 1993.
Sellars, John. O que é a filosofia como modo de vida? In Filosofia Como Modo de Vida: Ensaios Escolhidos, edited and organized by Frederico Testa and Marta Faustino. Coimbra, Portugal: Edições 70, 2022.
Zhuangzi. The Complete Works of Chuang Tzu. Translated by Burton Watson. New York: Columbia University Press, 1968.
Open Access Statement:
This is an open access journal which means that all content is freely available without charge to the user or his/her institution. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author, as long as the author and original source are properly cited. This is in accordance with the BOAI definition of open access.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Submitting a text to Eidos. A Journal for Philosophy of Culture means that the author agrees with the general conditions of this license. The author does and will maintain copyrights and publishing rights for his/her article without any restrictions.