Abstract

This paper presents partial comparison of two philosophers with very different intellectual backgrounds. Pierre Hadot´s and Michel Foucault´s research intersects in one theme – Spiritual exercises or praxis of ascesis. It seems, that the differences in their understanding of this phenomenon comes from different contexts of their analyses. Hadot presents spiritual exercises as universal, transhistorical ethical practices, which can be used by modern men. We tried to look at this suggestion from Foucault´s point of view. Foucault´s definite rejection of returns to the past solutions of ethical problems is contrasted here with Hadot´s revitalisation of ancient spiritual practices.