Coaching practices for Philosophy as Training
Describe almost anything you are working through and IX Coach finds the practices whose real-world fit is closest. For Philosophy as Training, these are the strongest matches in the current practice library.
Does this sound like the set of challenges you might be facing?
- I’ve read all the Stoics and I can quote them, but when I actually look at my week none of it has changed anything
- Every conversation I have about anything that matters turns into each side trying to win, and I’m tired of it
- When I sit and try to think hard about the big questions in my life, nothing comes
- I read all the Stoic ideas and nod along, but the moment real life pushes on me I crumble exactly the same as before
- I’m realizing how much of what I believe about myself and the world I just absorbed from somewhere and never actually checked against my own experience
Practices that may help
- Practice philosophy as a daily exercise
Reserve time each day not for reading philosophy but for performing a philosophical exercise.
Philosophy as a Way of Life - Philosophy as a Way of Life
Pierre Hadot argued that ancient Greek and Roman philosophy — Stoic, Epicurean, Platonic — was not primarily a system of theories but a set of "spiritual exercises": repeated, structured practices for transforming how you perceive, judge, and live. The academic thesis is Hadot’s own and is well established in classical scholarship. The practices he describes overlap with studied mechanisms in mindfulness, CBT, and behavioral change — though that was not Hadot’s own claim. - Philosophical dialogue as a practice
Use careful, good-faith conversation — not debate — to examine your assumptions together.
Philosophy as a Way of Life - Pair philosophical practice with physical exercise
Use a regular physical practice (walking, exercise) as the occasion for philosophical reflection — as the ancients did.
Pierre Hadot’s Spiritual Exercises - Daily training of the ruling faculty
Treat every day’s difficulties as training material for strengthening the ruling faculty.
The Inner Citadel - Prioritize direct experience over inherited belief
Test philosophical claims through personal practice rather than accepting them on authority.
The Perennial Philosophy, Made Practical - Live what you study
Make your practice your philosophy — not a separate reading life and a separate daily life.
Philosophy as a Way of Life - Use close friendship as a moral laboratory
Cultivate deep friendships deliberately — they are the arena where practical wisdom is practiced and tested.
Phronesis: Aristotle’s Practical Wisdom - Act as if sages were watching — the practice of the philosophical community
Before any action, ask: would a person I genuinely respect — who embodies the values I aspire to — approve of this?
Pierre Hadot’s Spiritual Exercises - Attention to the present moment (prosoche)
Practice "prosoche" — continuous, vigilant attention to what you are actually doing and thinking, right now.
Philosophy as a Way of Life
Related concerns
- Ancient Philosophy Practices
Pierre Hadot argued that ancient Greek and Roman philosophy — Stoic, Epicurean, Platonic — was not primarily a system of theories but a set of "spiritual exercises": repeated, structured practices for transforming how you perceive, judge, and live. The academic thesis is Hadot’s own and is well established in classical scholarship. The practices he describes overlap with studied mechanisms in mindfulness, CBT, and behavioral change — though that was not Hadot’s own claim.
- Hadot Exercises Ancient Philosophy
Pierre Hadot showed that ancient philosophy was not primarily a set of doctrines to be believed but a collection of "spiritual exercises" — daily practices that transformed perception, desire, and action. The exercises include attention to the present moment, self-examination, meditation on death, the view from above, and physical dialogue — each designed to change not what you know but who you are.
- Hadot Living According To Logos
Act in accord with your rational nature and with the nature of the whole — not by instinct alone.
Live according to nature
- Peripatetic Philosophy Walking
Use a regular physical practice (walking, exercise) as the occasion for philosophical reflection — as the ancients did.
Pair philosophical practice with physical exercise
- Philosophical Community Practice
Form or join a small group that meets regularly to examine how to live well — not just to succeed.
Creating a philosophical community of practice
- Philosophical Dialogue Practice
Use careful, good-faith conversation — not debate — to examine your assumptions together.
Philosophical dialogue as a practice
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