Introduction

In this chapter, authors examine how an array of philosophers conceived of the very activity of philosophy as transformative. The philosophical transformations discussed were considered special and in need of philosophical theorizing precisely because they are unusual by the standards of ordinary life. It examines accounts of different kinds of philosophical transformation, how they are possible, and what kinds of benefits and dangers come with them. The contributions to this part describe the early stages of philosophical traditions from across the globe. These contributions show how connecting the ancient discussions to the contemporary debates about transformative experience can enhance the people understanding of the ancient texts. Finally, Michael Griffin looks at Plotinus' theory of how the human soul can, through a series of transformations, itself become divine. Griffin shows how the transformation of the individual is a journey, as it were, through the Plotinian metaphysical system itself.