There is a problem with the teaching of ancient philosophy. Traditional text-based approaches tend to be not only insufficient but misleading in that they efface the inherently ‘performative’ aspects of ancient philosophical thinking, reading, and writing. Fundamental to Greek and Roman philosophy is the concept of the ‘craft of living’ (ars vivendi, hê technê tou biou ), which maintains that wisdom is at heart a public performance, and thus entails particular modes of action, engagement, and self-presentation and stylization. Philosophical theory and practice, thoughts and deeds—what one believes and how one lives as a result of holding those beliefs—are inextricably bound, and together contribute to the philosophical craft of constructing, performing, and becoming the right sort of character. We will demonstrate that the exploration of techniques drawn from contemporary performance theory in highly performative, experimental, and collaborative learning environments helps students both

(1) to have a greater appreciation for this particular sort of philosophical activity, more particularly as it was written and performed in the ancient world, and

(2) to develop this craft for themselves for more effective skills of critical thinking, problem-solving, and self-presentation and exploration.

The Philosophical Stages project at Stanford University is an innovative and interdisciplinary venture in experimental philosophy: we develop new strategies for using the dramatic arts to teach philosophy—this performative craft and its historical contexts—to pre-college and early-college students. We investigate how emerging technologies in the humanities (e.g. collaborative web-based authoring environments) can be used to promote not only 'communities of inquiry', but new performative spaces for collaborative, creative artistic projects which make philosophy not only more exciting but more immediately relevant to the lives of young students. Philosophy can involve a functional and practical dimension, and action-oriented, dramatic exercises have traditionally provided and can now provide an excellent outlet for young adults to explore and articulate their ideas with confidence and distinction.

Our interactive and multimedia workshop will present an evaluation of the process and impact of our previous efforts, a discussion of pedagogical strategies which make use of emerging technologies and the dramatic arts in conjunction with more traditional modes of teaching, and seeks to establish a forum for future directions.