This book presents a history of spiritual exercises from Socrates to early Christianity, an account of their decline in modern philosophy, and a discussion of the different conceptions of philosophy that have accompanied the trajectory and fate of the theory and practice of spiritual exercises. Hadot's book demonstrates the extent to which philosophy has been, and still is, above all else a way of seeing and of being in the world.

About the Author
Pierre Hadot is Professor of the History of Hellenistic and Roman Thought at the College de France. He studied philosophy at the Sorbonne from 1942 to 1946, later becoming first a researcher and then director of studies at the Ecole Practique des Hautes Etudes in Paris. He is the author of several landmark essays, collected together in Exercices Spirituels et Philosophie Antique (Second Edition, 1987).

Reviews
"Hadot's essays exhibit impressive scholarship and a habit of profound reflection. This is not a book for the casual reader but it is an important publication and should be a required text for every student of philosophy, classics and the history of ideas, and for any serious teacher of these subjects." The Tablet

"Hadot's work is very engaging, knowledgeable, well written and insightful. I highly recommend this book for both general and professional readers." Richard S. Findler, Phil dept, Slippery Rock University for the History of European Ideas

"Recommended for upper-division undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty." H. L. Shapiro, University of Missouri for Choice

Book Information
ISBN 9780631180333
Author Pierre Hadot
Format Paperback
Page Count 320
Imprint Wiley-Blackwell
Publisher John Wiley and Sons Ltd
Weight(grams) 476g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 152mm * 20mm