Philosophy and Philosophical Sages in the Graeco-Roman World

Abstract

This chapter addresses the question of the ways in which the ancients discussed and viewed philosophy as a discipline. Basing its main argument on the work of Pierre Hadot, the study argues that ancient philosophers understood philosophy primarily as the ‘art of living’, a way of life, which, in turn, points to the importance of classical virtue theory in this respect. The chapter also examines the question of how Graeco-Roman philosophers described the character of the philosophical sage, focusing on such descriptions in the first and second century, using the writings of Seneca as an example. Descriptions of the philosophical sage are most prominent in Stoic sources.