Epictetus

death that it is dreadful--that is what is dreadful” (Epictetus, 5). Because death is something that we cannot avoid in our life and it is always with us since the beginning of our life, the only thing we can do is to adopt a proper attitude of being apathetic. It is our attitudes and judgments towards things, not the things themselves that cause us to be upset and distressed. Being indifferent toward the externals allows us to stay away from suffering. However, skepticism argues that we cannot only live on indifferences. When we destroy the nerves, the pleasure goes together with it. Life is like a game; there is no pleasure existed if we do not care about it at all. “We lose all the pleasure of the game by our phlegm and carelessness” (Hume, 355). Even so, I think the stoicism did not imply “indifferent” to be uncaring but rather having no intrinsic moral value that is neither good nor bad. The Stoics rely on the preferred indifferent, which is following your preferences in the world of externals. Because human beings naturally have inclinations to some externals, stoicism wants to maintain this choice to be an acceptance that every person is obliged to natural laws. Everyone does have to play the game of the life, what is…

well as an overview of the context in which it plays apart in Roman society. Stoicism originated as a Greek eudaimonic philosophy which is expected to be influenced by many contemporary minds along with critical analysis including Socratic thought processes. Eudaimonia is a term that guarantees, “…a life worth living.” Or happiness/flourishing. From this there are four main ideas based on Value: virtue and reason is what guarantees happiness. Emotions: projections of our judgements. Nature:…

more acceptable way. But if… they are rough and untrained and uncouth...then even if the blows of fated misfortune which strike them are trivial or nonexistent these men will plunge headlong into constant misdeeds and errors because of their own ineptitude and their voluntary impulse...” (Pereboom 15). Simplified, Gellius is saying that things that result from our character are up to us and that we are the source of our actions. As a result this belief, the Stoics also believe certain matters…

limits his or her ability to make choices in the future. Epictetus, a Greek philosopher, was a strong advocate of stoicism. I think that the main idea that Epictetus is trying to portray to us is that we should only worry about the things that we have control over. However, the line between the things we can control and the things we cannot control gets a little hazy, I think that Epictetus does a nice job of laying it out for us. Epictetus states, “Our opinions are up to us, and our impulses,…

according to nature is one that should be abided by or not. "perfectly good and wise gas." To begin with, Stoics held a particular view on God and fate. Although Stoics are materialists, they nevertheless, still held a view of God, who is described as a type of fiery breath that blends perfectly with everything in the cosmos: “perfectly good and wise gas” (Religion Facts, 2015). Stoics believed God to possess the power of transforming matter into what we see around us. Moreover, with regards…

and stable throughout the day. This is because all possible outcomes have already been played out in one’s mind already so that there are no surprises (Baltzly, 1996). One part of Stoicism that I found interesting was out it views the Universe. When Stoics refer to God, they are referring to the whole universe, as opposed to Christians who refer to God as a narrower anthropomorphic entity. So in essence, Stoics believe that God is all around us and in everything. The universe is God. Everything…

Epictetus was a Greek philosopher who lived in ancient Greek, being born 50 A.D. Epictetus had a long life of some 85 years, but is not known for sure, as being born a slave to a wealthy man of Rome who allowed him to study Stoic philosophy, which teaches the development of self-control along fortitude as a means of overcoming destructive emotions. Upon the death of his owner, Epictetus was a free man who began to teach philosophy around 93 A.D. Epictetus acquired many pupils, his most famous…

consumed by these thoughts, especially when alone, as it is a natural aspect of a human’s life. Although, since the nature of death is predetermined and inevitable, many argue that death, in fact, should not be feared. So if you were told you were going to die within a matter of days, you should not be struck by fear but rather have an understanding of your condition. Many philosophers believe that one should not fear death. Epicurus and Epictetus are two of these philosophers who present the…

Epictetus’ discourse begins by discussing the things that are in our power in addition to the things that are not. He provides examples that demonstrates the possibility of confusing the two. He explains, “How far does the grammatic art possess the contemplating power? As far as forming a judgment about what is written and spoken. And how far music? As far as judging about melody. Does either of them then contemplate itself? By no means.” Epictetus is explaining that humans have power over the…

In the reading of Epictetus, The Enchiridion, the attention is hovered over what is and is not in our control. There is only so much a person can control, and that is their own actions, and the uncontrollable happens to not be their own. It is preferred to “totally suppress desire: for, if you desire any of the things that are not in your control, you definitely will be disappointed… Use only the appropriate actions of pursuit and avoidance; and even these lightly, and with gentleness and…