Philosophy as a way of life
Philosophy today has a bad reputation.
It’s dry, academic, pure theory.
Philosophy wasn’t like that in the ancient world. Philosophy was a way of life.
In fact to be a philosopher meant to live a certain way, not to believe certain things or develop abstract theories.
There were many famous philosophers who never developed any theories at all or left any writings. They simply lived a certain way, in accordance with the teachings of the philosophical school to which they subscribed.
Death is nothing to us
Ancient philosophers did of course develop detailed theories on the physical world, logic and ethics. But the point is that these theories were not the ends, but rather the means.
Their goal was eudaimonia (happiness).
For example, the Epicureans developed a complex physical theory of atoms. They taught that everything was made of atoms (an idea which when rediscovered in the Renaissance led to amazing scientific discoveries).
They taught this theory however not because it was interesting, but because they wanted people to realize what they themselves actually were. They taught that you are made of atoms, even your soul. Therefore, when you die, the atoms of your body and soul are dispersed back into the cosmos and your personal sensory experiences will cease.
So as Epicurus said: “When we are here, death is not. When death is here, we are not. Therefore, death is nothing to us”.
Epicurus taught this because he wanted people to stop fearing death and the afterlife. He thought that was a major impediment to enjoying life.
There will be no punishment in the afterlife, don’t worry about it! You should instead, focus on the present moment! That is all you have.
The Four-part Cure
Everything the Epicureans did was in service of what they called the four-part cure:
- Don’t fear god
- Don’t worry about death
- What is good is easy to get
- What is terrible is easy to endure
(Philodemus, Herculaneum Papyrus)
Their physical, logical and ethical theories were all in the service of helping people lead happy, worry-free lives.
Philosophy in daily life
Philosophy in this way can change from an abstract, theoretical pursuit to a concrete, meaningful exploration of the nature of reality with real consequences for your life. If there’s something about traditional religion that you find unfulfilling, the rationality and beauty of philosophy can fill the gaping chasm left by religion.
When you pursue philosophy as a way of life, it becomes something you can use as a guide in everything you face, the way it was for the ancients.
But rather than rely on divine revelation, it relies on your own ability to think and reason. Philosophy puts you in control, which is at once both terrifying and liberating.
Most people would probably be better served by a traditional religion, which is probably why Christianity supplanted philosophy and the ancient religions. It’s a lot of work to think things through, it’s much easier to simply follow some good rules and probably more effective for society as a whole. Most people don’t have the time or inclination to educate themselves thoroughly in order to live philosophically.
But for some of us, we can’t simply accept what other people ask us to believe. We have to find out for ourselves. For those of us in this position, only philosophy can illuminate the way.
