"Looking Down From A Height" - Pierre Hadot On The Spiritual Practice Of The Late Stoic Schoo

In ancient Greece,philosophy was generally regarded as a way of life,which contained both speculative and practical dimensions.In the study of the late Stoic School,Pierre Hadot found that the logic,physics,and ethics that make up Stoic philosophy can all be both theoretical and practical,and that these three components can only be understood as spiritual exercises related to the experience of life.Logic,as a spiritual exercise,is an act of exploring virtue guided by dialectics and rhetoric and practicing thoughts in daily life in a concrete way;Physics as a spiritual exercise,that is,an attitude towards the universe,aims to see things as they are,not from a personal or individual point of view,but from the view of the universe and nature,to achieve a selfless perception of the world;Ethics,as a spiritual exercise,is the actual ethical experience experienced with others in life,which means people’s survival and life choice,and is a kind of real philosophy as a way of life.Stepping up the ladder,the three components work together to elevate the self into a universal spiritual vision,thereby integrating the individual into the consciousness of the universe as a whole,thereby leading to the recognition of some lasting value.This whole process ultimately embodies the general character of "looking down from the above".Pierre Hadot’s elaboration of the spiritual exercises of the late Stoic School integrates philosophical thought with existence,ethics with practice,and reflects the late Stoic philosophy’s yearning for transcendental existence and the ultimate pursuit of freedom and happiness.This kind of philosophical practice is not only the way of life of people in the classical era,but its search for what is a good life is still deserve reference,consideration and continuous exploration for us in the current era.