When Wisdom Calls
Philosophical Protreptic in Antiquity
Edited by Olga Alieva Edited by Annemare Kotze Edited by Sophie Van der Meeren
Philosophy has never been an obvious life choice, especially in the absence of apparent practical usefulness. The intellectual effort and moral discipline it exacts appeared uninviting from the outside. However, the philosophical ideals of theoretical precision and living virtuously are what has shaped the cultural landscape of the West since Antiquity. This paradox arose because the ancients never confined their philosophy to the systematic exposition of doctrine. Orations, treatises, dialogues and letters aimed at persuading people to become lovers of wisdom, not metaphorically, but truly and passionately. Rhetorical feats, logical intricacies, or mystical experience served to recruit adherents, to promote and defend philosophy, to support adherents and guide them towards their goal. Protreptic (from the Greek, to exhort, to convert) was the literary form that served all these functions. Content and mode of expression varied considerably when targeting classical Greek aristocracy, Hellenistic schoolrooms or members of the early Church where the tradition of protreptic was soon appropriated. This volume seeks to illuminate both the diversity and the continuity of protreptic in the work of a wide range of authors, from Parmenides to Augustine. The persistence of the literary form bears witness to a continued fascination with the call of wisdom.
- Edited by Olga Alieva
- Edited by Annemare Kotze
- Edited by Sophie Van der Meeren
Other Titles in this Series
La statut de la perception sensible dans les Questions a Thalassios de Maxime le Confesseur
Volume 31
Scepticisme et religion
Constantes et evolutions, de la philosophie hellenistique a la philosophie medievale
Volume 21
To See into the Life of Things
The Contemplation of Nature in Maximus the Confessor and his Predecessors
Volume 18
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