© 2023 Greg Früchtnicht-Ponchak [![[80x15.png]]](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) Download: [[Ascesis 2023.pdf | pdf]] &nbsp >Οὐδέν γε μὴν ἔλεγε τὸ παράπαν ἐν τῷ βίῳ χωρὶς ἀσκήσεως κατορθοῦσθαι, δυνατὴν δὲ ταύτην πᾶν ἐκνικῆσαι D.L. 6.71 &nbsp 1 For each (form-of-)living, there is a lived(-experience) which is – or lived(-experiences) which are – necessary to render it livable. 1.1 Lived(-experience) is lived in living. 2 A (form-of-)living can be considered ascetic to the extent that it is lived *in order to* live the lived(-experience) necessary to render a formerly unlivable (form-of-)living livable (§1, §1.1).[^1] 2.1 In this way, ascesis has for its occasion an unlivable (form-of-)living. 2.2 In ascesis, the lived(-experience) which is necessary to render the occasioning (form-of-)living livable is lived through the living of already-livable (forms-of-)living. 2.3 There are not ascetic (forms-of-)living and non-ascetic (forms-of-)living; rather, a (form-of-)living is only ascetic to the extent that it is lived *in order to* live the lived(-experience) necessary to render the occasioning (form-of-)living livable.  2.3.1 Each (form-of-)living *can* be lived as ascesis (§1.1, §2.2). 3 Two (forms-of-)living can be said to be ‘incompatible’ to the extent that the lived(-experience) which is necessary to render one (form-of-)living livable also renders the other unlivable. 3.1 Insofar as the occasioning (form-of-)living is incompatible with other (forms-of-)living, ascesis necessarily entails the renunciation of those incompatible (forms-of-)living. 3.2 In ascesis, the renunciation of a (form-of-)living is secondary to, and a consequence of, the living of the lived(-experience) necessary to render the occasioning (form-of-)living livable. 3.3 Ascesis does not entail the renunciation of living *as such*, only the renunciation of (forms-of-)living which are incompatible with the occasioning (form-of-)living (§3.1). 4   To the extent that lives share a (form-of-)living, they can be said to live-in-common. 4.1   Just as there is a lived(-experience) which is – or lived(-experiences) which are – necessary to render each (form-of-)living livable (§1), there is also a lived(-experience) which is – or lived(-experiences) which are – necessary to render each ((form-of-)living-in-)common livable. 4.2   Ascesis, insofar as it is lived *in order to* live the lived(-experience) necessary to render a formerly unlivable (form-of-)living livable, can also be lived *in order to* live the lived(-experience) necessary to render a formerly unlivable ((form-of-)living-in-)common livable. 5 The (form-of-)living which occasions ascesis can be adopted as either *the* (form-of-)living or as *a* (form-of-)living. 5.1 Insofar as the occasioning (form-of-)living is adopted as *the* (form-of-)living, it does not merely serve as an occasion for ascesis, but also as *the* telos for living.  5.1.1 As *the* telos for living, *the* occasioning (form-of-)living is adopted as *the* form-of-(forms-of-)living. 5.1.2 In order for the occasioning (form-of-)living to serve as *the* telos for living, it must be possible for every livable (form-of-)living to be lived in accordance with it. 5.1.3 Thus, ascesis, insofar as its occasion is adopted as *the* (form-of-)living, is lived *in order to* live the lived(-experience) necessary for all livable (forms-of-)living to be lived in accordance with the occasioning (form-of-)living, thereby rendering the occasioning (form-of-)living livable as *the* (form-of-)living. 5.2 Insofar as the occasioning (form-of-)living is adopted as *a* (form-of-)living, it serves *merely* (cf. §5.1) as an occasion for ascesis (and therefore living). 5.2.1 As a mere occasion for living, the occasioning (form-of-)living is adopted as one (form-of-)living amongst others (cf. §5.1.1). 5.2.2 As such, ascesis, insofar as its occasion is adopted as *a* (form-of-)living, is *simply* (cf. §5.1.3) lived *in order to* live the lived(-experience) necessary to render the occasioning (form-of-)living livable as *a* (form-of-)living. 5.3 To adopt the occasioning (form-of-)living as *the* (form-of-)living is to adopt it as *the* end of living (living *for the* form). On the contrary, to adopt the occasioning (form-of-)living as  *a* (form-of-)living is to adopt it as a means for (en-livening) living (*a* form *for* living). ## Notes [^1]: Here, ‘ascesis’ is described by means of ‘living’  in order to unbind it from the (religious, spiritual, moral, athletic, etc.) teloi which often restrict it, thereby making possible the conception of novel forms of ascesis – forms of ascesis which are necessary to render yet-unlived (forms-of-)living livable.