A Vademecum for the Study of Ancient Philosophy by Prof. Dr. Estiphan Panoussi is a scholarly guide designed to train readers to study ancient philosophy historically, comparatively, and critically. Rather than functioning as a conventional textbook, the document is conceived as a “symphony of quotations”—a carefully curated anthology of primary texts and authoritative scholars that allows philosophical traditions to speak in their own voices.
 
The central argument is that ancient philosophy must be understood in context, as a living sequence of problems, debates, and conceptual developments, not as isolated doctrines reorganized by modern categories. Panoussi emphasizes major philosophical themes such as participation, metaphysics, dualism, and the problem of evil, showing how these ideas emerge across Greek, Iranian (Zoroastrian), Indian, Gnostic, and later Neoplatonic and medieval traditions.
 
A key contribution of the work is its sustained challenge to the myth of Greek philosophical isolation. Through extensive documentation and methodological reflection, the Vademecum argues for a connected Eurasian intellectual history, highlighting cultural transmission, shared metaphysical concerns, and overlooked Iranian and Eastern influences on Greek and Western philosophy. The ultimate aim is pedagogical and ethical: to cultivate historically responsible thinkers who can compare traditions without anachronism, resist cultural exclusivity, and recover a deeper sense of intellectual gratitude across civilizations.