ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book aims to open the philosophical debate on self-cultivation. It describes its historical development, and demonstrates how a wide range of contemporary debates can contribute to this fascinating field of philosophical inquiry. The book focuses on a number of non-Aristotelian virtues that have appeared in recent philosophy and public discourse, and typifies those as 'structural' or 'formal' virtues and explores their defining characteristics. It also focuses on Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophy and develops the idea that elements of Nietzsche's thought are best taken as exercises directed at promoting individual flourishing. The book presents a more detailed analysis of Michel Foucault's texts. Finally, it concludes with an epilogue written by Quassim Cassam and the editors, which provides a critical overview of several contributions and relates the theme of self-cultivation to that of self-knowledge.
