Do We Need to Choose Between Theory and Practice? On the Place of Logos and Praxis in Philosophy as a Way of Life

The distinction between theory and practice, as well as their specific role, function, and relevance within philosophy is at the core of most metaphilosophical discussions of philosophy as a way of life (PWL). At the same time, Hadot’s emphasis on the practical dimension of ancient philosophy and it...

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Main Author: Marta Faustino
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Warsaw 2024-12-01
Series:Eidos. A Journal for Philosophy of Culture
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Online Access:https://eidos.uw.edu.pl/do-we-need-to-choose-between-theory-and-practice/
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author Marta Faustino
author_facet Marta Faustino
author_sort Marta Faustino
collection DOAJ
description The distinction between theory and practice, as well as their specific role, function, and relevance within philosophy is at the core of most metaphilosophical discussions of philosophy as a way of life (PWL). At the same time, Hadot’s emphasis on the practical dimension of ancient philosophy and its alleged privilege of practice over theory is one of the most polemic and controversial aspects of his account of PWL. In this paper I will discuss three alternative ways of interpreting Hadot’s characterization of PWL and the roles and functions of theory and practice in his account: John Cooper’s, Miranda Vilchi’s and Matthew Sharpe’s. After critically evaluating each one of these readings, I will present my own view on the matter and conclude with some reflections on the relevance (or irrelevance) of maintaining the opposition between theory and practice in our account of PWL.
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spelling doaj-art-58b2130a98b24ad68fc04d6d5767c8cd2025-01-28T13:03:02ZengUniversity of WarsawEidos. A Journal for Philosophy of Culture2544-302X2024-12-0184689410.14394/eidos.jpc.2024.0024Do We Need to Choose Between Theory and Practice? On the Place of Logos and Praxis in Philosophy as a Way of LifeMarta Faustino0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5492-8539IFILNOVA (Nova Institute of Philosophy), NOVA University of Lisbon, PortugalThe distinction between theory and practice, as well as their specific role, function, and relevance within philosophy is at the core of most metaphilosophical discussions of philosophy as a way of life (PWL). At the same time, Hadot’s emphasis on the practical dimension of ancient philosophy and its alleged privilege of practice over theory is one of the most polemic and controversial aspects of his account of PWL. In this paper I will discuss three alternative ways of interpreting Hadot’s characterization of PWL and the roles and functions of theory and practice in his account: John Cooper’s, Miranda Vilchi’s and Matthew Sharpe’s. After critically evaluating each one of these readings, I will present my own view on the matter and conclude with some reflections on the relevance (or irrelevance) of maintaining the opposition between theory and practice in our account of PWL.https://eidos.uw.edu.pl/do-we-need-to-choose-between-theory-and-practice/philosophy as a way of lifetheory-practicepierre hadotjohn coopermiranda vilchismatthew sharpe
spellingShingle Marta Faustino
Do We Need to Choose Between Theory and Practice? On the Place of Logos and Praxis in Philosophy as a Way of Life
Eidos. A Journal for Philosophy of Culture
philosophy as a way of life
theory-practice
pierre hadot
john cooper
miranda vilchis
matthew sharpe
title Do We Need to Choose Between Theory and Practice? On the Place of Logos and Praxis in Philosophy as a Way of Life
title_full Do We Need to Choose Between Theory and Practice? On the Place of Logos and Praxis in Philosophy as a Way of Life
title_fullStr Do We Need to Choose Between Theory and Practice? On the Place of Logos and Praxis in Philosophy as a Way of Life
title_full_unstemmed Do We Need to Choose Between Theory and Practice? On the Place of Logos and Praxis in Philosophy as a Way of Life
title_short Do We Need to Choose Between Theory and Practice? On the Place of Logos and Praxis in Philosophy as a Way of Life
title_sort do we need to choose between theory and practice on the place of logos and praxis in philosophy as a way of life
topic philosophy as a way of life
theory-practice
pierre hadot
john cooper
miranda vilchis
matthew sharpe
url https://eidos.uw.edu.pl/do-we-need-to-choose-between-theory-and-practice/
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