Member-only story
What Ancient Philosophy Still Teaches Us About Modern Work and Life
A bike mechanic’s question that led me down a 2,500-year rabbit hole
The question of what a philosopher actually does all day gets asked almost daily in my line of work. It usually follows right after someone learns what I do for a living. Those who like to dig deeper inquire, with a skeptical undertone, what tasks a philosopher could possibly be assigned.
But the most interesting version of this question came recently during a visit to a bike shop here in Switzerland, where I work as a philosophy professor. The mechanic — who, after some gentle probing (I wanted to know if this was rhetorical or required a detailed answer), turned out to have studied German literature and dropped out just before finishing his Master’s to become a partner in a thriving high-end racing bike business — really wanted to know.
His question cut straight to the chase:
“What’s left of ancient philosophy? How does it help us in 2025 with our lives and work?”
Now that’s a deep dive. Nothing for the brief span between bleeding brake lines and changing brake pads. More like something for Medium, Substack, and maybe even a seminar with my students. So here goes:
