The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius are treasured today--as they have been over the centuries--as an inexhaustible source of wisdom. And as one of the three most important expressions of Stoicism, this is an essential text for everyone interested in ancient religion and philosophy. Yet the clarity and ease of the work's style are deceptive. Pierre Hadot, eminent historian of ancient thought, uncovers new levels of meaning and expands our understanding of its underlying philosophy.
Written by the Roman emperor for his own private guidance and self-admonition, the Meditations set forth principles for living a good and just life. Hadot probes Marcus Aurelius's guidelines and convictions and discerns the hitherto unperceived conceptual system that grounds them. Abundantly quoting the Meditations to illustrate his analysis, the author allows Marcus Aurelius to speak directly to the reader. And Hadot unfolds for us the philosophical context of the Meditations, commenting on the philosophers Marcus Aurelius read and giving special attention to the teachings of Epictetus, whose disciple he was.
The soul, the guiding principle within us, is in Marcus Aurelius's Stoic philosophy an inviolable stronghold of freedom, the "inner citadel." This spirited and engaging study of his thought offers a fresh picture of the fascinating philosopher-emperor, a fuller understanding of the tradition and doctrines of Stoicism, and rich insight on the culture of the Roman empire in the second century. Pierre Hadot has been working on Marcus Aurelius for more than twenty years; in this book he distills his analysis and conclusions with extraordinary lucidity for the general reader.

The Inner Citadel: The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius

Literature & Fiction

Pierre Hadot

History & Criticism

Harvard University Press

A magisterial mappa mundi of the terrain that Pierre Hadot has so productively worked for decades, this ambitious work revises our view of ancient philosophy―and in doing so, proposes that we change the way we see philosophy itself. Hadot takes ancient philosophy out of its customary realm of names, dates, and arid abstractions and plants it squarely in the thick of life. Through a meticulous historical reading, he shows how the various schools, trends, and ideas of ancient Greek and Roman philosophy all tended toward one goal: to provide a means for achieving happiness in this life, by transforming the individual’s mode of perceiving and being in the world.
Most pressing for Hadot is the question of how the ancients conceived of philosophy. He argues in great detail, systematically covering the ideas of the earliest Greek thinkers, Hellenistic philosophy, and late antiquity, that ancient philosophers were concerned not just to develop philosophical theories, but to practice philosophy as a way of life―a way of life to be suggested, illuminated, and justified by their philosophical “discourse.” For the ancients, philosophical theory and the philosophical way of life were inseparably linked.
What Is Ancient Philosophy? also explains why this connection broke down, most conspicuously in the case of academic, professional philosophers, especially under the influence of Christianity. Finally, Hadot turns to the question of whether and how this connection might be reestablished. Even as it brings ancient thoughts and thinkers to life, this invigorating work provides direction for those who wish to improve their lives by means of genuine philosophical thought.

What Is Ancient Philosophy?

Politics & Social Sciences

Michael Chase

Philosophy

Belknap Press: An Imprint of Harvard University Press

En prenant à son compte la distinction que proposaient les stoïciens entre le discours sur la philosophie et la philosophie elle-même, Pierre Hadot a toujours placé au centre de ses préoccupations la philosophie en la concevant comme une métamorphose totale de la manière de voir le monde et d'être en lui. En s'interrogeant notamment sur les « expériences de pensée » dans l'Antiquité, sur la figure de Socrate, sur la lecture que Michelet fait de Marc Aurèle, il montre de manière lumineuse que les Anciens concevaient la philosophie comme un mode de vie, comme un effort concret de transformation de soi par la méditation, comme un exercice spirituel de chaque instant vers la sagesse. Réédition du grand classique épuisé de Pierre Hadot, véritable « livre culte », augmentée de la Leçon inaugurale au Collège de France et de divers articles, eux aussi introuvables, publiés dans des revues confidentielles.

Exercices spirituels et philosophie antique

History

Europe

ALBIN MICHEL

Exercices spirituels et philosophie antique (French Edition)

Reference

Foreign Language Study & Reference

Etudes augustiniennes

O livro tem como objetivo descrever em traços gerais e comuns o fenômeno histórico e espiritual que representa a filosofia antiga. Exposta não como sistema mas como exercício preparatório para a sabedoria a filosofia surge sempre desde os pré-socráticos passando por Sócrates e Platão até os primórdios do cristianismo de uma opção por um modo de vida por uma visão global do universo numa decisão voluntária de viver o mundo com os outros em comunidade ou escola.

que é a Filosofia Antiga, O

Loyola

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Books by Pierre Hadot