Philosophy as a Way of Life

Philosophy as a Way of Life

The other day, I heard a meaningful sentence from a farmer: “Farming is a way of life.” And it occurred to me that any job done with care and diligence must be a way of life. The same applies to philosophy.

According to Pierre Hadot, a 20th-century French philosopher, philosophy was once considered a way of life, but with some exceptions, modern philosophy is primarily a discourse developed in a study and then transferred into books.

However, in the ancient world, for example in Greece and Rome, the philosophical system was seen merely as a necessary framework for a small number of succinctly expressed principles by which the philosopher lived their life. The practical example of these maxims can be seen in the Stoic philosopher Epictetus: “Learn to bear insults and endure others.” In this sense, philosophy is the art of living, and the goal of philosophy is to master this art: to become a master of the art of life.

We can say that this is the greatest art that explains all others. Hadot reveals that in antiquity, there existed to spoznaje kroz razmišljanje i promišljanje o svijetu, pa tako filozofija pruža razumijevanje veće slike stvarnosti.

If we are all one, we must try to live in harmony with our fellow human beings and finally stop thinking about ‘ourselves’ and instead think about ‘us’. A painter or musician must practice to perfect their craft; it is the same with philosophy as the art of living – it is impossible to be satisfied with theory alone. To be a philosopher means to strive to perfect the art of living.

It is interesting to note that every ancient philosopher sought to positively impact the world around them. For example, many pre-Socratic philosophers were statesmen; Plato sought to change the world with his political ideas; Epicurus said that the words of a philosopher are in vain if they do not alleviate any human suffering.

Isn’t it time for true philosophy to return to our world and play an important role in uniting human beings? How can we bring back their unity with themselves, with nature, and with others?