Epictetus

The basic dictionary definition of freedom is the power to act without hindrance. That basic definition doesn’t have much to offer to the ideas of virtue, which is exemplary high moral standards. However, after studying how men such as Seneca, Epictetus, and Mill view freedom, the definition of freedom can be expound upon. The expansion on the definition of freedom leads to a stronger relation between freedom and virtue. Seneca viewed freedom as a person’s capacity to withdraw from earthly…

of only controlling what is under my control. Epictetus writes in The Art of Living, “Outside our control, however, are such things as what kind of body we have, whether we’re born into wealth or strike it rich, how we are regarded by others, and our status in society. We must remember that those things are externals and are therefore not our concern. Trying to control or to change what we can’t only results in torment” (Page 3, par. 3). Here, Epictetus is writing about…

Do you think such a life would really be the most ethical life? Why or why not? According to Epictetus, Apatheia is a state of which passions do not disturb an individual. This type of attitude would bring about what he calls Ataraxia. Ataraxia is the lack of disturbance or strife when troubling things happen to an individual. I think that learning…

The prompt for King’s letter goal is to compare and contrast Letter from a Birmingham Jail and Handbook of Epictetus. One section of King’s letter dealt with the issue of just and unjust laws and how direct action would effect the outcome. King and Epictetus had two different ways of dealing with unjust laws and the effect of them on an individual person. Their thoughts are similar but not similar enough that one could come to the conclusion that they would both agree. Even though they would not…

philosophy as a whole is interwoven and blended together making it far too complex to comprehend all at once (De Lacy 1). Epictetus is a philosopher who studied Stoicism in Greece and agreed with the common belief of other Stoic philosophers that in order for students to grasp philosophy they needed to split it into three different ways of thinking: Logic, ethics, and physics. Epictetus says that when one has mastered logic, he can then approach ethics. When he has mastered ethics, he can then…

than Christianity. Epictetus is a Greek stoic philosopher who was born as a slave. However, since he got a great chance to study stoic philosophy under Musonius Rufus, he became free from the slave. He later even established a school in Nicopolis in Epirus(Brown). Like Jesus, Epictetus wrote nothing, but his teaching wrote down and published by his disciples in The Enchiridion. Epictetus taught that philosophy is a way of life and not just a theoretical discipline. To Epictetus, all external…

The ethical theories of both Aristotle and Epictetus, laid out in their books the Nicomachean Ethics and the Enchiridion, respectively, offer humanity insight into the most effective ways to achieve happiness and to exhibit virtue. Aristotle’s approach to happiness is that it must be looked at as the end to a means not as a means to an end. He feels that happiness should be viewed as the highest good within life. Although Epictetus agrees that happiness is the highest attainable good, he…

leading instead to an empty life. Such people ignore the philosophy of life and the soul’s true desire, as taught by philosophers such as Epictetus in his manual, The Art of Living. The character of Ivan Ilyich in The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy is no exception. Ivan Ilyich represents a life in which happiness is not achieved, though if Ilyich had followed Epictetus’ teachings of living simply, understanding mortality, and living truly, he would realized the emptiness in his life. Ivan…

For the chapter twelve discussion, for the topic on achieving happiness or the good life I have chose to discuss is Stoicism. The definition of Stoicism is, to prepare for the worst and develop a technique for dealing with it when the worst situation arises. Stoicism and epicureanism are different because epicureans avoid pain, and people who use stoicism learn to cope with pain and feel that pain is essential to living. Stoics embrace pain and learn to live with it and to make the best out of a…

and Skepticism offer differing ideals that one could almost consider being on opposite ends of the spectrum, yet both believe their way of life leads them to the success and truth humans are after. But which one offers the most logical position? Epictetus presents his thought of Stoicism in The Encheiridion, where he offers advice on how to obtain happiness. David Hume rejects the idea of Stoicism in his essay “The Skeptic”. In the article Hume highlights some of the misleading points of…