What is Philosophy As Spiritual Practice?
Philosophy as spiritual practice treats philosophical inquiry not as abstract theorizing but as a lived discipline aimed at transforming perception, character, and consciousness. The approach centers on “spiritual exercises”—practices intended to modify one’s cognitive, perceptual, and emotional responses to the world and oneself. Unlike academic philosophy, which primarily seeks to accumulate and systematize knowledge, philosophy as spiritual practice involves practices ranging from dialogue and meditative reflection to theoretical contemplation, aimed primarily to form, rather than only to inform, the philosophical student.
These practices are “intended to effect a modification and a transformation in the subjects who practice them”, addressing fundamental questions about how to live rather than merely what to think.
Origins & Lineage
The practice of spiritual exercises in the West first appears in Socrates, who proclaimed that “the unexamined life is not worth living”. Students practiced reading, writing, research, and dialogue, but also employed exercises associated with religious organizations: self-control, therapies to calm the passions, self-examination, meditation, and memorization of school principles.
The Hellenistic schools developed distinct approaches. Stoics cultivated a state of “spiritual tension” (tonos) involving unceasing mindfulness (prosochē) of thoughts and desires, while Epicureans focused on “bringing the soul back from the worries of life to the simple joy of existing”. Epicureanism, founded in 307 BCE by Epicurus, and Stoicism both developed systematic programs of exercises.
Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations (written circa 170-180 CE) exemplifies spiritual exercises as a private notebook in which the Roman emperor engaged in written exercises aimed at self-examination. In 529 CE, Emperor Justinian closed the Athenian Academy, ending classical philosophy’s teaching in the West, and Christianity alone became the recognized way of life, reducing philosophy to handmaiden to theology.
How It’s Practiced
Ancient practitioners employed diverse techniques. In Stoicism, students premeditated worst-case scenarios, assessed situations while bracketing subjective judgments, and imagined troubles from cosmic perspective to appreciate their smallness. One Stoic exercise involved repeatedly writing down philosophical ideas to keep them firmly in mind; Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations is thought to exemplify this practice.
Pierre Hadot notes that Stoics and Epicureans used attention-related practices to cultivate heightened present-moment awareness, practiced alongside philosophical inquiry and reflections on important virtues. The exercises included cognitive reframing, memorization of key principles, daily self-examination, contemplation of nature’s order, and dialogical inquiry.
These were not mental gymnastics but practices conducted within the context of belief in cosmic order, aiming to bring the soul into harmony with the universe’s order.
Philosophy As Spiritual Practice Today
The 20th-century French philosopher Pierre Hadot revived interest in this approach. Hadot is best known for his conception of ancient philosophy as a bios or way of life, and his work has been widely influential in classical studies and on thinkers including Michel Foucault. Hadot’s 1995 book Philosophy as a Way of Life: Spiritual Exercises from Socrates to Foucault emerged from the original French Exercices spirituels et philosophie antique.
Contemporary seekers encounter this approach through multiple channels. Modern Stoicism offers free online courses including Stoic Week (running each October) and Stoic Mindfulness and Resilience Training (SMRT), a four-week course. Philosophy retreats provide opportunities for 10-20 persons to experience Stoic philosophy through presentations, readings, small groups, philosophical plays, and discussions.
Following Hadot’s work, philosophers such as Gerd B. Achenbach started the contemporary philosophical practice movement in the 1980s, applying philosophical theories and methods to life issues mainly through philosophical counseling and therapy. University courses, Meetup groups, and retreat centers now offer structured engagement with ancient texts as living practices.
Common Misconceptions
Philosophy as spiritual practice is not reducible to “life hacks” or simple self-improvement techniques. Too many current presentations make Stoicism sound like a “life hack” philosophy of simple tools for being your best self, while the philosophy goes much deeper.
Hadot has been criticized for limiting spiritual exercises to mental exercises, excluding bodily practices like yoga or tai chi. Additionally, some scholars maintain that what is central to ancient philosophy is reasoning, argument, and understanding, not just “spiritual exercises,” and Hadot’s definition of spiritual exercises as “voluntary, personal practices intended to bring about transformation” does not actually exclude reasoned argument or contemplation.
It is also not inherently religious, though it shares territory with religious practice. Hadot’s picture more accurately describes philosophy as practiced by Socrates and the Hellenistic schools of Stoicism and Epicureanism rather than the schools of Plato and Aristotle.
How to Begin
For those new to this approach, begin with primary sources. Recommended starting texts include Epictetus’s Enchiridion (“Handbook”) and Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations. The revival of interest in spiritual exercises is largely Hadot’s result, with influential works including Martha Nussbaum’s The Therapy of Desire and Michel Foucault’s second and third volumes of The History of Sexuality.
Practical entry points include free, guided day-by-day, week-long courses as an introduction to Stoic philosophy as a way of life, and courses teaching how to practice Stoic psychological techniques in daily life for building emotional resilience, consisting of six lessons on different exercises from ancient Stoic philosophy.
Local practice groups, annual events like Stoicon, and philosophical counseling sessions offer communal engagement. The key is treating philosophical texts not as museum pieces but as instructions for exercises you actually perform.