Life is a characteristic of all living organisms, but only in humans can it transform into a way of life, which requires an art of living, a "care of the self," and this is one of the central themes of this book.

In the second volume of his trilogy on the Politics of Life, Theophanis Tassis examines the space between the purely personal and the exclusively public, between the ethical and the political where this art can be practiced. His fundamental question is the influence of the "iconic" society, where the self gradually etherealizes into an image, on the exercise of a reflective art of living, that is, on the individual's effort to create their own, unique way of life while simultaneously remaining an active member of the world to which they belong.

In this significant work, Tassis, knowledgeable of both the philosophical tradition and technical advancements, connects the themes of ancient Greek philosophy to contemporary society in an original way. He defends the Socratic principle, "the unexamined life is not worth living for a human being," but places this examination within a necessary political context.

Alexander Nehamas, Professor of Philosophy at Princeton University