
Philosophy as a Way of Life
Spiritual Exercises from Socrates to Foucault
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $27.97
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Mike Fraser
-
By:
-
Pierre Hadot
About this listen
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.
This audiobook is expertly read by Mike Fraser. It was produced and published by Echo Point Books & Media, an independent bookseller in Brattleboro, Vermont.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©1995 Pierre Hadot (P)2025 Echo Point Books & Media, LLC.Listeners also enjoyed...
-
The Practicing Stoic
- By: Ward Farnsworth
- Narrated by: John Lescault
- Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The great insights of the Stoics are spread over a wide range of ancient sources. This book brings them all together for the first time. It systematically presents what the various Stoic philosophers said on every important topic, accompanied by an eloquent commentary that is clear and concise. The result is a set of philosophy lessons for everyone - the most valuable wisdom of ages past made available for our times, and for all time.
-
-
I would guess the book is better
- By Education Expert on 03-07-20
By: Ward Farnsworth
-
The Notebook
- A History of Thinking on Paper
- By: Roland Allen
- Narrated by: Mark Elstob
- Length: 10 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
We see notebooks everywhere we go. But where did these indispensable implements come from? How did they revolutionize our lives? And how can using a notebook help change the way you think? In this wide-ranging history, Roland Allen reveals how the notebook became our most dependable and versatile tool for creative thinking.
-
-
A fascinating look at an often overlooked powerful tool.
- By Andrew Darlow on 12-28-24
By: Roland Allen
-
How to Be a Stoic
- Using Ancient Philosophy to Live a Modern Life
- By: Massimo Pigliucci
- Narrated by: Peter Coleman
- Length: 6 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Whenever we worry about what to eat, how to love, or simply how to be happy, we are worrying about how to lead a good life. No goal is more elusive. In How to Be a Stoic, philosopher Massimo Pigliucci offers Stoicism, the ancient philosophy that inspired the great emperor Marcus Aurelius, as the best way to attain it. Stoicism is a pragmatic philosophy that teaches us to act depending on what is within our control and separate things worth getting upset about from those that are not.
-
-
Great book needs better narration
- By Caleb on 11-07-18
-
Psychopolitics
- Neoliberalism and New Technologies of Power
- By: Byung-Chul Han
- Narrated by: Peter Noble
- Length: 2 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Byung-Chul Han, a star of German philosophy, continues his passionate critique of neoliberalism, trenchantly describing a regime of technological domination that, in contrast to Foucault’s biopower, has discovered the productive force of the psyche.
-
-
Jargon and ambiguity are not honest intellectualism
- By carsonwelker on 10-18-24
By: Byung-Chul Han
-
The Way of Chuang Tzu (Second Edition)
- By: Thomas Merton
- Narrated by: Greg Chun
- Length: 2 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Working from existing translations, Thomas Merton composed a series of his own versions of the classic sayings of Chuang Tzu, the most spiritual of Chinese philosophers. Chuang Tzu, who wrote in the fourth and third centuries BC, is the chief authentic historical spokesperson for Taoism and its founder, Lao Tzu (a legendary character known largely through Chuang Tzu’s writings).
-
-
Way of Merton -- Chuang Tzu, not so much
- By Philo on 01-11-20
By: Thomas Merton
-
The Dangerous Life and Ideas of Diogenes the Cynic
- By: Jean-Manuel Roubineau, Malcolm DeBevoise - translator, Phillip Mitsis - editor
- Narrated by: James Cameron Stewart
- Length: 4 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Beyond the rehashed clichés, this book inspires us to rediscover Diogenes' philosophical legacy—whether it be the challenge to the established order, the detachment from materialism, the choice of a return to nature, or the formulation of a cosmopolitan ideal strongly rooted in the belief that virtue is better revealed in action than in theory.
-
-
Diogenes is something else!
- By Josiah S. on 01-31-25
By: Jean-Manuel Roubineau, and others
-
The Practicing Stoic
- By: Ward Farnsworth
- Narrated by: John Lescault
- Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The great insights of the Stoics are spread over a wide range of ancient sources. This book brings them all together for the first time. It systematically presents what the various Stoic philosophers said on every important topic, accompanied by an eloquent commentary that is clear and concise. The result is a set of philosophy lessons for everyone - the most valuable wisdom of ages past made available for our times, and for all time.
-
-
I would guess the book is better
- By Education Expert on 03-07-20
By: Ward Farnsworth
-
The Notebook
- A History of Thinking on Paper
- By: Roland Allen
- Narrated by: Mark Elstob
- Length: 10 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
We see notebooks everywhere we go. But where did these indispensable implements come from? How did they revolutionize our lives? And how can using a notebook help change the way you think? In this wide-ranging history, Roland Allen reveals how the notebook became our most dependable and versatile tool for creative thinking.
-
-
A fascinating look at an often overlooked powerful tool.
- By Andrew Darlow on 12-28-24
By: Roland Allen
-
How to Be a Stoic
- Using Ancient Philosophy to Live a Modern Life
- By: Massimo Pigliucci
- Narrated by: Peter Coleman
- Length: 6 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Whenever we worry about what to eat, how to love, or simply how to be happy, we are worrying about how to lead a good life. No goal is more elusive. In How to Be a Stoic, philosopher Massimo Pigliucci offers Stoicism, the ancient philosophy that inspired the great emperor Marcus Aurelius, as the best way to attain it. Stoicism is a pragmatic philosophy that teaches us to act depending on what is within our control and separate things worth getting upset about from those that are not.
-
-
Great book needs better narration
- By Caleb on 11-07-18
-
Psychopolitics
- Neoliberalism and New Technologies of Power
- By: Byung-Chul Han
- Narrated by: Peter Noble
- Length: 2 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Byung-Chul Han, a star of German philosophy, continues his passionate critique of neoliberalism, trenchantly describing a regime of technological domination that, in contrast to Foucault’s biopower, has discovered the productive force of the psyche.
-
-
Jargon and ambiguity are not honest intellectualism
- By carsonwelker on 10-18-24
By: Byung-Chul Han
-
The Way of Chuang Tzu (Second Edition)
- By: Thomas Merton
- Narrated by: Greg Chun
- Length: 2 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Working from existing translations, Thomas Merton composed a series of his own versions of the classic sayings of Chuang Tzu, the most spiritual of Chinese philosophers. Chuang Tzu, who wrote in the fourth and third centuries BC, is the chief authentic historical spokesperson for Taoism and its founder, Lao Tzu (a legendary character known largely through Chuang Tzu’s writings).
-
-
Way of Merton -- Chuang Tzu, not so much
- By Philo on 01-11-20
By: Thomas Merton
-
The Dangerous Life and Ideas of Diogenes the Cynic
- By: Jean-Manuel Roubineau, Malcolm DeBevoise - translator, Phillip Mitsis - editor
- Narrated by: James Cameron Stewart
- Length: 4 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Beyond the rehashed clichés, this book inspires us to rediscover Diogenes' philosophical legacy—whether it be the challenge to the established order, the detachment from materialism, the choice of a return to nature, or the formulation of a cosmopolitan ideal strongly rooted in the belief that virtue is better revealed in action than in theory.
-
-
Diogenes is something else!
- By Josiah S. on 01-31-25
By: Jean-Manuel Roubineau, and others
-
An Introduction to Zen Buddhism
- By: D. T. Suzuki
- Narrated by: David Rintoul
- Length: 4 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One of the world's leading authorities on Zen Buddhism, D. T. Suzuki was the author of more than a hundred works on the subject in both Japanese and English, and was most instrumental in bringing the teachings of Zen Buddhism to the attention of the Western world. Written in a lively, accessible, and straightforward manner, An Introduction to Zen Buddhism is illuminating for the serious student and layperson alike.
-
-
great introduction to zen
- By Cliente de Kindle on 05-07-23
By: D. T. Suzuki
-
Letters from a Stoic
- Penguin Classics
- By: Seneca, Robin Campbell
- Narrated by: Julian Glover
- Length: 7 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Seeing self-possession as the key to an existence lived 'in accordance with nature', the Stoic philosophy called for the restraint of animal instincts and the importance of upright ethical ideals and virtuous living. Seneca's writings are a profound, powerfully moving and inspiring declaration of the dignity of the individual mind.
-
-
Returned - Not "Unabridged"
- By Michael Augustus Ennis on 12-03-21
By: Seneca, and others
-
The Extinction of Experience
- Being Human in a Disembodied World
- By: Christine Rosen
- Narrated by: Suzie Althens
- Length: 8 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The Extinction of Experience, Christine Rosen investigates the cultural and emotional shifts that accompany our embrace of technology. In warm, philosophical prose, Rosen reveals key human experiences at risk of going extinct, including face-to-face communication, sense of place, authentic emotion, and even boredom. Considering cultural trends, like TikTok challenges and mukbang, and politically unsettling phenomena, like sociometric trackers and online conspiracy culture, Rosen exposes an unprecedented shift in the human condition, one that habituates us to alienation and control.
-
-
Timely, thought-provoking, and invitational
- By Duncan Idaho on 03-22-25
By: Christine Rosen
-
Selections from Parerga and Paralipomena Volume 1
- By: Arthur Schopenhauer
- Narrated by: Leighton Pugh, David Rintoul
- Length: 15 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Parerga means 'supplementary to a main work', and Paralipomena suggests a further supplement, but these two books were anything but a casual addition to his major opus, The World as Will and Idea. For a start, it was the publication of Parerga and Paralipomena in 1851 which brought Schopenhauer to the attention of the general public, decades after The World as Will and Idea first appeared.
-
-
Knowledge for the patient
- By Juan Camilo Forero on 06-13-20
-
Jung - An Introduction to His Psychology
- By: Frieda Fordham
- Narrated by: Helen Lloyd
- Length: 5 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This classic introduction to the psychology of Carl Gustav Jung is important because it is the only English original text he sanctioned in his lifetime. In his personal foreword, he wrote: 'Mrs Frieda Fordham has undertaken the by no means easy task of producing a readable resumé of all my various attempts at a better and more comprehensive understanding of the human psyche. She has delivered a fair and simple account of the main aspects of my psychological work. I am indebted to her for this admirable piece of work.'
-
-
A great introduction to Jung's work thought & life
- By Loren Moss on 09-02-20
By: Frieda Fordham
-
The Socratic Method
- A Practitioner’s Handbook
- By: Ward Farnsworth
- Narrated by: John Lescault
- Length: 7 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
About 2,500 years ago, Plato wrote a set of dialogues that depict Socrates in conversation. The way Socrates asks questions, and the reasons why, amount to a whole way of thinking. This is the Socratic method - one of humanity’s great achievements. More than a technique, the method is an ethic of patience, inquiry, humility, and doubt. It is an aid to better thinking, and a remedy for bad habits of mind, whether in law, politics, the classroom, or tackling life’s big questions at the kitchen table.
-
-
Needs a new version
- By Robin Hampton on 11-01-21
By: Ward Farnsworth