A New Paradigm for the History of Philosophy: Philosophy as a Way of Life (PWL)

“Philosophy as a Way of Life” (PWL) designates a both metaphilosophical and methodological approach, which prioritizes practice over theory, and is hence intended to impact on human life rather than—merely—augment human knowledge. According to Pierre Hadot (1922–2010), this paradigm shaped ancient philosophy, and while it was confronted with rival conceptions after the end of antiquity, it did not disappear. This article aims to show that reconstructing this anything but linear permanence over the centuries is a path which historians of philosophy should follow. The first section discusses the genesis and impact of Hadot’s thesis as belonging to the history of ancient philosophy. The second section shifts to the history of philosophy more broadly, and affirms PWL as a new historiographic methodology, which enables reassessing the master narrative and reconfiguring the canon. The third section provides a brief introduction to the German Enlightenment philosopher Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (1729–1781) as a case in point.