Wandering philosophers in Classical Greece

Abstract

The wandering philosopher is best known to us as a Romantic ideal that projects one's longing for physical and mental withdrawal. Rousseau's ‘promeneur solitaire’ does not cover great distances to bring a message to the world. His wanderings, most often in the immediate surroundings, rather convey spiritual alienation. But the ‘promeneur solitaire’ is not the only kind of wandering philosopher known in Western culture. Itinerant philosophers existed already in antiquity. During the Roman empire, many sages wandered all over the Mediterranean world. They went about for the sake of intellectual and spiritual enrichment, but essentially to spread their teaching and to intervene in local quarrels as religious consultants. Wandering connoted their ambiguous status in society—both in and out—and thereby enhanced their charisma and endowed them with an aura of superior power.

Itinerant sages: The evidence of Sirach in its ancient Mediterranean context

“…28 See the reference list in Sami Yli-Karjanmaa, Reincarnation in Philo of Alexandria (SPhiloM, 7; Atlanta, GA: Society of Biblical Literature, 2015), p. 54n187 (see also the discussion on pp. [53][54][55][56][57]. Such cosmic journeys highlight that space is not 'just an attribute of the physical landscape'.…”

“…The transitory state further enabled a different mood and allowed one to observe oneself, or others, from a distinctive vantage point, which could lead to transformative experiences. 57 Travelling is recognised as a means to acquire knowledge already in Homeric epic. The Odyssey is a tale of one man's travel home to Ithaca over ten years; the protagonist had originally embarked on the journey reluctantly and thus longs to return home.…”

Creating positive wayfinding experience

“…Most of the early wayfinding activities are tightly connected to homing behaviors. In archaic and classical Greek culture, wandering is "the result of an external force that drives body and mind away from their normal course... words related to wandering become metaphors for suffering" [73]. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, to travel means "to torment, distress; to suffer affliction; to labour, toil;" or "to make a journey; esp.…”

“…To move away from home or the familiar was always associated with negative meanings. But some Presocratics set off "for the sake of observation and discovery" [73]. The love of knowledge is the motive that drives them to travel extensively.…”

“…Even though archaic and classical Greek culture always relate travel or wandering with suffering, "love of knowledge is the motive that drove Presocratics to travel extensively" [73].…”