Pierre Hadot 1922 – 2010
Pierre Hadot was a French philosopher and historian of ancient thought. Trained as a classicist and editor of the Plotinian and Marcus-Aurelian corpora, he developed in a long series of essays the thesis that ancient philosophy is best understood not as a body of doctrine but as a way of life sustained by spiritual exercises. His Philosophy as a Way of Life and What is Ancient Philosophy? reshaped the modern reception of the Greek and Roman philosophical traditions, and his work influenced the later Foucault and a wide popular audience. He held a chair at the College de France.
Key facts
- Nationality
- French
- Era
- Contemporary
- Movements
- Continental
Selected quotes
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Attributed to Pierre Hadot:
“Philosophy in antiquity was a way of life.”
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Attributed to Pierre Hadot:
“Spiritual exercises are the practical heart of ancient philosophy.”
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Attributed to Pierre Hadot:
“We must learn to live the present, but the present is everything.”
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Attributed to Pierre Hadot:
“Ancient philosophy proposed to mankind an art of living.”
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Attributed to Pierre Hadot:
“To philosophize is to learn how to die.”