![]() ![]() He is a professional philosopher in the Anglophone, analytic tradition. ![]() Setiya shows that it can be practiced today. It has been relatively weak in the modern West. That is exactly the combination offered by the Hellenistic Schools (Stoicism, Epicureanism, Skepticism) and by the classical Indian traditions. ![]() So we need habits that are at least consistent with the best arguments, and, ideally, habits that actually include argumentation. We may train ourselves to be foolish or selfish. But a mental habit or practice can lead us away from the findings of our critical reason. We also need practices or mental disciplines to accompany our arguments. Therefore, arguments-no matter how valid and rigorous-will not change us. And we must remember that people are habitual and affective creatures. However, arguments should have a purpose: to improve a life. The philosophical life is one of critical reason. I read Kieran Setiya’s Midlife (Princeton, 2017) not only because I have that condition and am sometimes troubled by its complaints, but also because I appreciate the style of thought that Pierre Hadot named “ philosophy as a way of life.” Practitioners of this style acknowledge that it is important to develop and test arguments. ![]()
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