The Art of Living: From Socrates to Aquinas

Perennial Lives | Stoics, Saints, and Sages

The School of Athens by Raphael (c. 1509-11)

Welcome to The PATH (Monday Meditation): A weekly reflection on the art of living. Today’s meditation begins a 12-part series called Perennial Lives — Stoics, Saints, and Sages or simply The Art of Living: From Socrates to Aquinas.

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Perennial Lives | Stoics, Saints, and Sages

The Perennial Lives series explores the life of philosophy of 12 figures (one per week), from Socrates (470—399 BC) to St. Thomas Aquinas (1225—1274). To assist us in our journey, we’ll turn to the Lives of Eminent Philosophers by Diogenes Laertius along with more recent works like Examined Lives by James Miller, Socrates’ Children by Peter Kreeft, and finally, Lives of the Stoics by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman.

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The Art of Living — From Socrates to Aquinas

The Stoic philosopher Seneca once stressed in a letter to Luciulius that one should follow the adage, “As long as you live, never stop learning how to live.” But it begs the question, how does one learn to live? In his new boxed set, Socrates’ Children, philosopher Peter Kreeft suggests, “The best way to teach philosophy is by a story: the dramatic story of the history of philosophy, the narrative of the ‘great conversation,’ which you find in the ‘great books.’”

According to Kreeft,

The most effective way to teach anything is through a story, a narrative. All the great teachers used stories, parables, examples, analogies, and illustrations. It’s really very easy to get ordinary human beings interested in philosophy: just put the picture back into the frame. The frame is the abstract, difficult questions that philosophers ask. The picture is the context of history, where they actually came from — the real, lived human conversations and arguments that passionately divided real individuals like Socrates and the Sophists.

Philosophy is the search for wisdom. By studying the lives of Stoics, Saints, and Sages, we can gain a greater love of the search for wisdom. According to Kreeft (and others), the best way to learn philosophy is through its history. The history of philosophy is not a series of dead facts but living examples. We are wise to apprentice ourselves to the great minds of the past for our sakes, not for theirs; for the sake of the present and the future, not the past.

Who is Your Stoic, Saint, or Sage?

Do you have someone (past or present) you turn to for guidance on the art of living? A recent conversation with Massimo Pigliucci (author of The Quest for Character) revealed that there is significant research behind the notion of role models. Massimo Pigliucci explains that the quest for character is a difficult path. Mentors, role models, and friends are valuable resources on that path.

In the Enchiridion, Epictetus utilized the life of Socrates to help his students,

From now on, then, resolve to live as a grown-up who is making progress, and make whatever you think best a law that you never set aside. And whenever you encounter anything that is difficult or pleasurable, or highly or lowly regarded, remember that the contest is now: you are at the Olympic Games, you cannot wait any longer, and that your progress is wrecked or preserved by a single day and a single event. That is how Socrates fulfilled himself by attending to nothing except reason in everything he encountered. And you, although you are not yet a Socrates, should live as someone who at least wants to be a Socrates.

Seneca urged his friend Lucilius to “choose yourself a Cato” or find someone whose life and words have won your approval. “There is a need,” observed Seneca, “for someone as a standard against which our characters can measure themselves. Without a ruler to do it against, you won’t make crooked straight.”

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Thank you for reading; I hope you found something useful.

Until next time, be wise and be well,

P.S. Feel free to comment, ask questions, or make suggestions!