Pierre Hadot’s holistic philosophy of communication attends to the health of the self and community through practice of spiritual exercises for the transformation of one’s entire being, working at the nexus of mind, body, soul, and cosmos. The task is ever-incomplete, works in an understanding of “human being as essentially an exposure that lacks a closed identity” and “keep[s] sight of the opening, wound, or lack that remains at the heart of any community and all communication” (Butchart 136). This is responsive to the present moment experiencing disjointed experience of time and space, increased anxiety, underdeveloped capacity for attention, and cultural forms that privilege stimuli over reflection. These conditions make it difficult to recognize and form responses to fundamental questions: How do I live a good life? What does death mean? What purpose is there in this life? This dissertation works through the major themes in Hadot’s work and demonstrates how it offers insight into adopting and adapting ancient philosophical attitudes, working toward inner peace in shifting existential conditions, gaining perspective by taking ‘a view from above’, and fostering a love of humankind all born through the understanding that we are fundamentally in relation with others in human communication.
","abstract_html":"<p>Pierre Hadot’s holistic philosophy of communication attends to the health of the self and community through practice of spiritual exercises for the transformation of one’s entire being, working at the nexus of mind, body, soul, and cosmos. The task is ever-incomplete, works in an understanding of “human being as essentially an exposure that lacks a closed identity” and “keep[s] sight of the opening, wound, or lack that remains at the heart of any community and all communication” (Butchart 136). This is responsive to the present moment experiencing disjointed experience of time and space, increased anxiety, underdeveloped capacity for attention, and cultural forms that privilege stimuli over reflection. These conditions make it difficult to recognize and form responses to fundamental questions: How do I live a good life? What does death mean? What purpose is there in this life? This dissertation works through the major themes in Hadot’s work and demonstrates how it offers insight into adopting and adapting ancient philosophical attitudes, working toward inner peace in shifting existential conditions, gaining perspective by taking ‘a view from above’, and fostering a love of humankind all born through the understanding that we are fundamentally in relation with others in human communication.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Crist, Jonathan"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"PhD","degree_level":"One-year Embargo","degree_discipline":"Communication and Rhetorical Studies","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Pat Arneson","Janie Harden Fritz","Erik Garrett"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2020,"date_issued":"2020-05-08T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2020-05-08T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:10:58Z","subjects":["Hadot","Pierre; Communication; Philosophy of Communication; Philosophy","History of Philosophy","Other Communication","Other Philosophy","Speech and Rhetorical Studies"],"languages":["English"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/1893","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Pat Arneson","Janie Harden Fritz","Erik Garrett"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Crist, Jonathan"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2021-05-08T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Communication and Rhetorical Studies"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["One-year Embargo"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["PhD"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Hadot","Pierre; Communication; Philosophy of Communication; Philosophy","History of Philosophy","Other Communication","Other Philosophy","Speech and Rhetorical Studies"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["English"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/1893"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Pierre Hadot’s holistic philosophy of communication attends to the health of the self and community through practice of spiritual exercises for the transformation of one’s entire being, working at the nexus of mind, body, soul, and cosmos. The task is ever-incomplete, works in an understanding of “human being as essentially an exposure that lacks a closed identity” and “keep[s] sight of the opening, wound, or lack that remains at the heart of any community and all communication” (Butchart 136). This is responsive to the present moment experiencing disjointed experience of time and space, increased anxiety, underdeveloped capacity for attention, and cultural forms that privilege stimuli over reflection. These conditions make it difficult to recognize and form responses to fundamental questions: How do I live a good life? What does death mean? What purpose is there in this life? This dissertation works through the major themes in Hadot’s work and demonstrates how it offers insight into adopting and adapting ancient philosophical attitudes, working toward inner peace in shifting existential conditions, gaining perspective by taking ‘a view from above’, and fostering a love of humankind all born through the understanding that we are fundamentally in relation with others in human communication.
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