2.

Method

Option for a way of life. Care of the self

Search for a master.
Conversion.
School of philosophy.
Reading, speaking, dialogue, writing
 Usefulness of philosophy.

Philosophy as care of the self

Philosophy and society

Care of the self. Epicurus, Letter to
Menoeceus

So we must exercise ourselves in the things which bring

happiness, since, if that be present, we have everything,
and, if that be absent, all our actions are directed
towards attaining it.
 The care of the self
epimeleia heautou (cura sui)
attending to oneself, being conceed about
oneself,

Originates in Deplhic precepts

Gnothi seauton - founding expression of
the question of the relations betwen the
subject and truth.
Meaning: examine yourself before asking
irrelevant questions
Meden agan (not too much). Moderation:
do not ask the oracle too many questions
Eggue (the pledges): do not promise what
you cant honor.
 Plato,
Apology
of
Socrates,
20d
Socrates task
telling people :
Attend to yourselves
 Plato,
Apology
of
Socrates,
36 b-c
Socrates task
telling people :
Attend to
yourselves
 Socrates encouraging others to care for
themselves
1. an activity entrusted to him by the gods.
because the gods care for the Athenians
2. neglect activities self-interested, profitable, and advantageous. Sacrifices
himself
his wealth, civic advantage, political career,
3. He awakens people. Care for oneself is a moment of awakening.
4. Socrates is a horsefly: chases and bites, must be stuck in men's flesh, drive
into their existence.
a principle of restlessness, continuous concern throughout life.

Socrate is always, esentially and fndamentally, the person who stops young
men in the street and tells them: "You must care about yourselves.

epieleia heautou remained a fundamental principle for describing the

philosophical attitude throughout Greek, Hellenistic, and Roman culture.
Plotinus, (Enn, Il.9.l8.); "Then we will contemplate the same object as the soul of
the universe, because we also will be well prepared thanks to our nature and our
eort (epimeleiais)"
 Epicurus
Every man should take care of his soul day and
night and throughout his life.
"take care of" - the verb therapeuein. Refers to
medical care (a kind of therapy for the soul)
service provided by a servant to his master.
duties of worship to a deity or divine power.
 Christianity
"Considering the seventh day to be very holy and a great festival, they accord it a special
honor: on this day, after caring for the soul (tis psuches epimeleian), they anoint their
bodies with oil." Philo of Alexandria, On the Contemp!ative Life, 477 M IV.36.
"The law eliminates fate by teaching that virtue is taught and develops if one applies
oneself to it (ex epimeleias pros ginomenen)." Methodius of Olympus, The Banquet, 172c.
"When excessive care for the body becomes useles for the boy and harmful to the soul,
submitting to it and attaching oneself to it seems an obvious madness. Basil of Caesarea,
Sermo de legendis libris gentilium, 584d.
Now that Moses had raised himself to the highest level in the virtues of the soul, both by
lengthy application (makras epimeleias) and by knowledge from on high, it is, rather, a
happy and peaceful encounter that he has with his brother . . . The help given by God to
our nature . . . only appears . . . when we are suiciently familiarized with the life from on
high through progress and application (epimeleias). Gregory of Nyssa, La Vie de Moses ou
Traite de la perfection en matiere de la vertue, 337c-d, 43-44
But now I have returd here to this same grace, joined by love to my master; also
strenghten in me what what is ordered and stable in this grace, you the fiends of my
fiance, who, by your (cares (epimeleias) and attention, preserve the impulse in me
towards the divine" Gregory of Nyssa, Le Cantique des cantiques, (Paris, Migne, 1990). p.
106.
If, on the other hand, you purify the dregs spread out in your heart by taking care of your
life, the divine beauty will shine within you, Gregory of Nyssa, De Beatitudinibus, Oratio
VI.
 Epimeleia heautou as practice of
subjectivity
a. an attitude towards the self, others, and the world
one takes responsibility for oneself
one changes, purifies, transforms, and transfigures oneself
b. critical function. Related to meleth, which means both exercise and
meditation.
rid oneself of bad habits and false opinions got from
the crowd
bad teachers,
parents
associates.
c. Not just training, but fight all life. A form of life. Involves a series of
practices (exercises) or techniques
of meditation
of memorization of the past
of examination of conscience,
of checking representations which appear in the mind etc.
d. Therapeutic function.
medical model. Pathos = the soul's passion as well as the body's illness;
expressions like nursing, curing, amputating, scarifying, and purging to be applied to both
the body and the soul.
 Context for epimeleia heautou
A multiplicity of social relations that can serve as context for practising
philosophy

strictly scholastic organizations:

Epictetus's school. Temporary auditors accepted alongide permanent students
technical lessons for these future practitioners of the culture of the self.
private counselors, especially in Rome.
entourage of great figures
Education for group, oer political opinions,
direct the education of young people,
provide assistance in the important occasions of life.
family relationships ( Seneca writes a consolation to his mother when he is
exiled);
relationships of protection (Seneca takes charge of both the career and
the soul of the young Serenus, a provincial cousin just arrived in Rome);
friendship relations (Seneca and Lucilius);
relationships with a highly placed figure offering useful advice
Philosophy for the men in
power. Plutarch

Philosophy
as motor
of
everything
Philosophy for the men in
power. Plutarch
 To read:
Plutarch, THAT A PHILOSOPHER OUGHT TO
CONVERSE ESPECIALLY WITH MEN IN POWER,
(pp. 29-49).
Plato, Apology of Socrates
Michel Foucault, The Hermeneutics of the
Subject. Lectures at the Collge de France
1981-1982 (pp. 491-505, Course summary)