One of the favourite serious recreations of educated people in Augustine’s day was the ‘philosophical weekend’. This was a little like a modern conference where a group of people with a specialist interest meet to listen to papers and discuss topics arising from them, except that it was not attended by specialists. It was a leisure pursuit anyone might follow, but with the serious purpose of making ordinary educated people see themselves as real practicing philosophers. For philosophy in the ancient world was not merely an intellectual exercise; it required of its adherents a way of life, the practice of Read more