Hello Hivers! 👋
So in my introduction post , I talked of my appreciation for Philosophy and the great writings of the ancients. So in today's update, I will be sharing more on why I believe Philosophy is transformative other being merely a source for Wisdom and a Guide towards leading a life with purpose.
It is quite apparent that many of us today consider philosophy to be a superfluous enterprise, valuable only to a few. The view may be partially attributable to the growing interest that modern philosophers have with producing ideas intended only for their fellow academics. 20th-century French philosopher Pierre Hadot pointed this out, writing in his book Philosophy as a Way of Life:
"...modern philosophy appears above all as the construction of a technical jargon reserved for modern specialists"
Pierre Hadot
This view though was not shared by the ancient philosophers, they were concerned not with the production of 'a technical jargon reserved for specialists' but with the attainment of wisdom for the sake of instigating a transformation of the self. They were the artists of life. Or as Seneca stated in Letters from a Stoic:
"…he [the philosopher] is the one, in fact, who knows the fundamental thing, how to live."
Seneca
"The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation."
Henry David Thoreau
The only thing that would enable an individual to break free from the grind of daily human existence, and attain a higher state of being, observed the ancients is wisdom.
The ancients did not study philosophy for the same purpose as most of us today do. One studied philosophy to become a fully developed individual, one who is able to navigate through life as successfully as possible, immune to troubles. worries and fears which unfortunately plague the minds of most.
In their quest for wisdom, a rupture from the status-quo was radical for the philosopher. The Cynics owned little, lived on the streets, and openly shunned and mocked social norms and conventions. The Epicureans removed themselves from society altogether, setting up their own small community of philosophers, while the Stoics sought to construct an inner impenetrable fortress, unaffected by either men or gods.
Along with instigating a transformation of the self and one getting a new way of seeing the world, the ancient philosopher also sought to become an autonomous individual, meaning an individual who is a law unto himself.
The unfortunate thing being in our modern age of calm despotism and ever-increasing social conformity, autonomy is rare. Autonomous individuals are rare.
In a world becoming increasingly uniform and unfree, more autonomous individuals are needed. For they the few who abide by the ancient conceptions of philosophy as a new way of life, those who unsettle things, are the much-needed beacons of individuality and originality. In the words of Nietzsche
Where there have been powerful societies, governments, religions, public opinions, in short wherever there has been tyranny, there the solitary philosopher has been hated; for philosophy offers an asylum to a man into which no tyranny can force its way, the inward cave, the labyrinth of the heart: and that annoys the tyrants.
So there goes my first official update, I mean apart from the introduction post.
I would greatly appreciate hearing what your thoughts are.
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