Abstract

This presentation explores the historical and ongoing relationship between Pierre Hadot's concept of philosophy as a way of life (PWL) and modern psychotherapy. Hadot noted that many ancient philosophical schools, such as the Epicureans, Skeptics, and Stoics, viewed philosophy as “the art of living,” focusing on practical exercises to transform one’s way of being. Scholars like Martha Nussbaum and Michel Foucault have also highlighted ancient philosophy’s therapeutic practices, known as "therapeia tēs psuchēs," or “cure of the soul.” For the purpose of this presentation, I will primarily focus on Hadot’s (1995, 2002) view of ancient philosophy being a PWL and its therapeutic agenda, as well as Martha Nussbaum’s (1994) argument, presented in her book "The Therapy of Desire: Theory and Practice in Hellenistic Ethics," that ancient philosophy principally constitutes a form of therapy, as well as the position offered by Michel Foucault (1988), who suggested that we ought conceptualize Socrates along with Hellenistic and Roman thought in the context of self-care or ‘care of the self.’ This presentation is divided into three parts. After the introduction, the second part examines Hadot’s notion of ‘spiritual exercises.’ The third part surveys the view of philosophy as a distinct form of therapy or "therapeia," as a thread that runs through ancient, classical and modern philosophy (the aim is not to be comprehensive but merely to highlight the continuity). The conclusion, and final part, explores how the meta-philosophy of PWL, when applied as a meta-therapeutic and a meta-paradigmatic framework, can inform contemporary psychotherapy, as part of an interdisciplinary approach, which as I will suggest may be beneficial to both the emerging field of PWL and psychotherapy theory and practice—in addressing perennial issues of human suffering and how to live the good life.