The purpose of the study of wisdom

In order to undertake the way of life of the philosopher early wisdom seekers believed in a spiritual practice, which involved exercising the soul as well as the body. These exercises “combined to shape the true person: free, strong, and independent.” (Hadot, 189) Despite the differences in the ancient schools of thought, some common features were apparent.

Most prevalent was the agreement that developing one’s spiritual and intellectual skill involved dialoguing with a master, as well as reading the texts and treatises of the masters. In this close community, not only was a specific lifestyle observed, but also masters would speak candidly with their pupils, disciplining and guiding them, since a transformation of self was expected. This self-transformation took place in two ways.

One, a going inward, focused on meditation and reflection on the texts and discourses. Contemplation on the higher values of moral and ethical conduct and Intellect produce a self-awareness of these same qualities within the individual often producing a mystical experience of oneness with the divine. The results were creating the environment within one’s self not to solve abstract or theoretical questions, but to acquire the ability to recognize and choose this type of life at every moment. This was a process to be aspired to, not a possession to be gained. (177, 193)

The second practice focused on self-expansion—finding the divine through an examination of nature and physics, as well as exercising one’s trust and imagination. Part of this comes about also through dialogue while appreciating the rights and position of one’s partner. Agreeing with the knowledge of the other allows for a larger truth horizon and therefore the recognition of a more universal perspective.

Discovering that cosmic perspective can also be attained in the contemplation of nature, studying and researching the earth and the stars, finding the depth and immensity of the world around us leaving us feeling insignificant yet caught up in the pleasure and elevation of thought of a divine nature. At each moment, I am myself and yet part of the whole, loving along with the universe. This experience brings with it a change in values as the possessions of daily life become insignificant in the face of this totality. (203, 207, 211)

A love of wisdom, or philosophy, then, is to the ancients a practice of raising “themselves to a cosmic perspective, plung[ing] into the immensity of space and time, and thereby transform[ing] their vision of the world . . . It is essentially an effort to become aware of ourselves, our being-in-the-world, and our being-with-others.” (276)

The purpose of the study of wisdom then would be to bring us back to an original state of communion: one with Nature, humanity, and the divine. This would be a lived life, and not a static or stagnant experience, with each change and each moment making a difference in the whole, for “a single drop of wine can be mixed with the entire sea and diffused throughout the whole world.” (Chrysippus qtd. in Hadot, 211)

Quotes and citings from “Wisdom As A Way of Life” by Pierre Hadot