204 research outputs found
On the benefits of philosophy as a way of life in a general introductory course
Philosophy as a way of life (PWOL) places investigations of value, meaning, and the good life at the center of philosophical investigation, especially of oneâs own life. I argue PWOL is compatible with general introductory philosophy courses, further arguing that PWOL-based general introductions have several philosophical and pedagogical benefits. These include the ease with which high impact practices, situated skill development, and studentsâ ability to âthink like a disciplinarianâ may be incorporated into such courses, relative to more traditional introductory courses, as well as the demonstration of philosophyâs value to students by explicitly tying philosophical investigation to students own lives
A lĂ©lek metamorfĂłzisa : kĂsĂ©rlet az Ăłkori filozĂłfia Ă©letgyakorlatkĂ©nt valĂł Ă©rtelmezĂ©sĂ©re
Why practice philosophy as a way of life?
This essay explains why there are good reasons to practice philosophy as a way of life. The argument begins with the assumption that we should live well but that our understanding of how to live well can be mistaken. Philosophical reason and reflection can help correct these mistakes. Nonetheless, the evidence suggests that philosophical reasoning often fails to change our dispositions and behavior. Drawing on the work of Pierre Hadot, the essay claims that spiritual exercises and communal engagement mitigate the factors that prevent us from living in accord- ance with our conceptions of the good life. So, many of us have reasons to engage in philosophical reasoning along with behavioral, cognitive, and social strategies to alter our behavior and attitudes so that theyâre in line with our philosophical commitments. In these respects, many of us should practice philosophy as a way of life
White Habits, AntiâRacism, and Philosophy as a Way of Life
This paper examines Pierre Hadotâs philosophy as a way of life in the context of race. I argue that a âway of lifeâ approach to philosophy renders intelligible how anti-racist confrontation of racist ideas and institutionalized white complicity is a properly philosophical way of life requiring regulated reflection on habits â particularly, habits of whiteness. I first rehearse some of Hadotâs analysis of the âway of lifeâ orientation in philosophy, in which philosophical wisdom is understood as cultivated by actions which result in the creation of wise habits. I analyze a phenomenological claim about the nature of habit implied by the âway of lifeâ approach, namely, that habits can be both the cause and the effect of action. This point is central to the âway of lifeâ philosophy, I claim, in that it makes possible the intelligent redirection of habits, in which wise habits are more the effect than simply the cause of action. Lastly, I illustrate the âway of lifeâ approach in the context of anti-racism by turning to Linda MartĂn Alcoffâs whiteness anti-eliminativism, which outlines a morally defensible transformation of the habits of whiteness. I argue that anti-racism provides an intelligible context for modern day forms of what Hadot calls âspiritual exercisesâ insofar as the âway of lifeâ philosophy is embodied in the practice of whites seeing themselves seeing as white and seeing themselves being seen as white
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