Epictetus

In 55 C.E. a well-known Greek Stoic philosopher by the name of Epictetus was born. As a young boy, Epictetus grew up in Hierapolis, Phrygia which is now known as the modern day western Turkey. By some means, he disembarked in Rome as a slave under Emperor Nero. While he was a slave he learned and studied from Musonius Rufus, a Roman Stoic Philosopher. After his master Nero died, his sentence of being a slave was over. Epictetus became a teacher and lectured in Rome. Soon after, he had to…

happiness, or to flourish. But what is happiness? A stoic named Epictetus goes into great detail to explain how one should find happiness. In theory, living by Epictetus’ guidelines of only worrying about things you can control would be worth it and make you flourish; however, it is impossible to do so because human nature causes us to focus on things that are out of our control. Epictetus describes being truly happy as being free (Epictetus 1). To become free, you must give up on anything…

hated enemies, Epictetus would advise one to take pride in themselves and be content with what they have in their lives. When one gains wealth in the beginning it is astonishing, however as they try to protect and upsurge their possessions they unavoidably attract enemies and negativity, inevitably bringing never-ending decay and demolition. If one remains indebted for their positon in life, they will not desire possessions, thus they will avoid inviting enemies. Epictetus would…

The literal translation of the word “Enchiridion” is “the manual.” The Enchiridion was written by Epictetus who was a greek slave before becoming a philosopher. In fact, Epictetus is not his proper name. The word Epictetus translates to mean “slave” or “servant” in Greek. He taught stoic philosophy in Rome and gained many disciples. One of his disciples is named Arian of Nicomedia, who received Epictetus’ teachings and published them into eight books creating the Enchiridion. The Enchiridion…

Epictetus was a pronounced stoic philosopher. Born a slave, he eventually gained freedom and lived the rest of his life peacefully in Greece. Although he had humble origins, Epictetus gained an immense following. Epictetus argued that philosophy is not just a learning, but a way of life. Epictetus’ conviction inspired many. Epictetus’s basic philosophical anthropology urges one to differentiate between what is in one’s control, and what is outside one’s control. Through this process, one…

Handbook of Epictetus and the Sun Tzu’s the art of war are the two book that were meaningful to me. The Handbook of Epictetus not only shows me the stoic philosopher’s thinking process but also teaches me how to manage my negative emotions, how to find the inner peace of my life, and how to cherish the thing that is in front of me. And for the first time, I realized that the philosophy thinkings could be implemented to and thus help to improve my daily life. In the hand book, Epictetus states…

The pursuit of happiness What are you doing to lead a good life? This is the question that Socrates, Aristotle, and Epictetus raised. The information gathered explains that goodness is not always associated with a person’s actions, but it can be attributed to a person’s character as well. In this paper I intend to show exactly what these three philosophers believe it took to live a good life, and I will do that by first analyzing Socrates fundamental statement based on his belief on what is…

few of these scenarios, Epictetus reveals stoic advice that is highly reasonable and would actually apply to life well, others however seem extreme and unbelievable. The first example of advice that I would accept is from the first scenario in the book. Epictetus states in the first sentence “some things are up to us and some are not up to us,” in this he is conveying to the reader that we must accept what we have, such as control over our mind, but not our bodies (Epictetus, 11). In this same…

Stephen Taylor Humanities Epictetus. Enchiridion. Dover Publications, 2004 28 September 2014 The philosopher Epictetus was born ca. 50 A.D. in southwest Turkey. He was a weak and frail bodied slave that resided in Rome. Even as a slave he was allowed to attend philosophy lectures. Eventually he was set free for having opposing views to the Emperor. After expulsion from Rome in 90 A.D. he spent the rest of his days in Greece. This brief history of Epictetus is vital to understanding his works;…

The Enchiridion by Epictetus, Epictetus wrote a short stoic ethical advice. Epictetus emphasized the aspects of life, we have control over and the ones that are out of our control. We control our actions, our desires, and our opinions but we do not control others that affect our lives. We can be content, even if things don't go as we planned. In which Epictetus lists from one to seventeen. And I tend to defend number one and eight from his list from one to seventeen. Epictetus claims that…