Epictetus Essays

  • Epictetus: The Enchiridion and Stoicism

    975 Words  | 2 Pages

    .. ...ndividual equally. View your father like you would a stranger; as another human being living through nature. All in all, distress is avoidable as long as one is able to live life to the full potential in a tolerant manner. Eudaimonia to Epictetus is continuous recognition that one’s life is not determined by the individual. One can only control his/her thoughts. By accepting the world, one can reach happiness.

  • Essay On The Enchiridion Of Epictetus

    795 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Enchiridion of Epictetus Epictetus started his life as a Roman slave who was owned by a man named Epaphroditus. He became a free man after his master was killed. During the years of his slavery he was allowed to go to philosophy lectures and as such, became a philosopher himself. Epictetus followed what is called Stoic tradition. A man going from a slave to a philosopher in the course of his lifetime is no small feat. His time as a slave surely gave Epictetus a different and unknown picture into

  • Aristotelian and Epictetus: On External Things

    2812 Words  | 6 Pages

    The internal things can be controlled, while the external can be harder to control. Some philosophers even believe that the external things cannot be controlled, and attempting to control them will just bring unhappiness. The Stoic philosopher Epictetus is one such philosopher. In The Enchiridion he outlined how to live a good life as a stoic. Anything that is not one's own action is out of their control and should be ignored. He lists "Body, property, reputation, and command" as examples.1

  • The Rules Of Life: Epictetus View

    1086 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Rules of Life: Epictetus’ View As rational beings, we can become conscious of the law that guides all things. Virtue consists in conscious agreement with the inevitable order of things. According to Epictetus’ The Enchiridion, one acts with the virtues of Stoicism: human imperfection, prudence, temperance, and courage. We can relate what Epictetus is saying to our own lives. It appears that some comfort comes in knowing that one has no control over the predetermined. Epictetus represents a myriad

  • Similarities Between Epictetus And Marcus Aurelius

    1294 Words  | 3 Pages

    Epictetus was a stoic philosopher who lived in Rome before his banishment. His teachings were written down and published in the discourses and the Enchiridion. Epictetus taught that philosophy is a way of life and not just a theoretical idea. Epictetus' philosophy influenced the Roman Emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Marcus often quotes Epictetus in his own work called, The Meditations, which was written during his campaign in Central Europe. The Meditations is a series of private notes and personal

  • Augustines God Vs. Epictetus God

    1061 Words  | 3 Pages

    At first glance, I was immediatly inclined to argue in epictetus' favor, because it pains me to argue that Christianity is good for anybody. In the following paragraphs, i will contrast the God of Epictetus, and the God of Augustine, and in the end, my stand will be clear. Epictetus and Augustine both identify God on basic level. Epictetus says, "Where the essence of God is, there too is the essence of good. What is the essence of God?......Right Reason? Certainly. Here then, without more

  • Marcus Aurelius, Rome's Greastest Emperor

    1168 Words  | 3 Pages

    imperishable benefit.” The character of Marcus Aurelius is truly special, but was molded by many important people and figures in his life. With the absence of honor and duty in Rome, influences such as Junius Rusticus, a book called “The Discourses of Epictetus”, and the Roman Emperor Hadrian, led Marcus Aurelius to become one of the most important stoics and one of Rome’s greatest Emperors. From the very beginning of his life, Marcus Aurelius Antonion Augustus was destine to become one of the worlds most

  • The Stoic Tradition

    1227 Words  | 3 Pages

    of a human being. One is either human, or a plant. Works Cited Aurelius, Marcus. "Meditations." Ancient Philosophy. 3rd Ed. Philosophic Classics, vols. 1. Baird, Forrest E., and Walter Kaufman. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2000. Epictetus. "Encheiridion." Ancient Philosophy. 31 Ed. Philosophic Classics, vols. 1. Baird, Forrest E., and Walter Kaufman. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2000. Plato. "Apology." Ancient Philosophy. 3rd Ed. Philosophic Classics, vols. 1. Baird, Forrest

  • Saint Paul's Letter To The Church Of Corinth

    1209 Words  | 3 Pages

    In The Manual of Epictetus, Arrian described the beliefs of Stoicism. The beliefs of the Stoics are similar to the philosophy of Saint Paul through the elements of behavior, actions and living a virtuous life. The Stoics desired to live without worry and attachments, letting

  • Xenophanes Reflection Paper

    1381 Words  | 3 Pages

    Epictetus in Chapter 29 says, “In every undertaking consider what comes first and what comes after, than proceed to the action itself. Otherwise you will begin with a rush of enthusiasm having failed to think of the consequences, only to find later, when difficulties

  • Philosophers in the World

    2315 Words  | 5 Pages

    life to be one lived in the world according to philosophical principles and values, drawing on Epictetus’ admonition: Eat like a man, drink like a man, get dressed, get married, have children, lead the life of a citizen … Show us all this, so that we can see whether or not you have really learned something from the philosophers. (Discourses III, 21, 5) One important thinker who exemplified Epictetus’ ideal was John Locke. Bored with the scholastic curriculum during his studies at Christ Church

  • Philosophies of Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

    2597 Words  | 6 Pages

    although he considered philosophy to be the "true, inward" religion, one which did not require ceremonies necessary in others. Throughout his childhood and early adulthood, Aurelius was taught by several talented teachers. When he was young, the great Epictetus tutored him, followed by a man named Q. Junius Rusticus, who would accompany Aurelius throughout much of his life. In 161 AD, Pius died, leaving Aurelius and Pius’s other adopted son, known as Verus, to rule together. The two brothers were quite

  • Perseverance in Robert Frost's Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

    1099 Words  | 3 Pages

    Perseverance in Robert Frost's Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening Epictetus once wrote, "First say what you would be; and then do what you have to do." This aphorism of self-discovery and obligation clearly describes Robert Frost's poem, "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening." In the course of the poem, Frost's speaker is confronted with two choices: he can either forget his problems or he can follow through with his responsibilities and make the most of life. It is through Frost's remarkable

  • Marcus Aurelius

    828 Words  | 2 Pages

    Marcus Aurelius was born on April 20, 121 AD into a family of royalty. His uncle and adoptive father, Antoninus Pius, was the emperor of Rome. Aurelius, too, was trained from birth to be a great ruler like his father. At age eleven, he dedicated himself to religion, although he considered philosophy to be the "true, inward" religion, one which did not require ceremonies necessary in others. He was appointed by Emperor Hadrian to priesthood in 129. The Emperor also supervised his education, which

  • Epictetus Philosophy

    1301 Words  | 3 Pages

    Epictetus, the Stoic philosopher, is one of the most influential ancient thinkers. Epictetus believed the purpose of moral philosophy was to help show people the way to lead better lives. He believed that some things in this world are un-controllable and some things are controllable; some things are up to us and some things are not up to us. Epictetus believed our opinions, impulses, desires, aversions, or whatever is our own doing is up to us; however, our bodies, our possessions, our reputations

  • The Philosophy Of Epictetus

    993 Words  | 2 Pages

    Epictetus was a philosopher that was born in 50 C.E.and died in 130 C.E., Epictetus was famous for his strong belief in self discipline. Unlike fellow philosopher Epicurus Epictetus does not believe that matter is the most important thing in the universe and that people should try to fulfill their pleasures. Epictetus believes that the most important thing in the universe is God. He believes that people should live their entire lives understanding where they stand in the cosmic universe. As stated

  • Women In Roman Society

    791 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout ancient civilizations, women were lower than men. In some civilizations like Mesopotamia society, women were below slaves. It is not shocking that they would still not be equal to men. In Roman society, women had more independence and people were more encouraging of women being educated in philosophy. In the Hans society, women did not have any freedom. They were required to follow what the men told them. By examining Gaius Musonius Rufus’ essay and Ban Zhao’s essay, the views of women

  • Analysis Of Epictetus In The Enchiridion

    2204 Words  | 5 Pages

    Epictetus is one undoubtedly of the most recognized Stoic philosophers of the ancient Greece. His work revolve around control or lack of thereof. In the Enchiridion he makes a distinction between things that are within ones power such as opinion, aim, desire, aversion and whatever affairs are our own and things that are beyond ones power such as body, property, reputation, office, and whatever are not properly our own affairs (Epictetus, 17). But with his advice also come complications for he voices

  • Epictetus Research Paper

    552 Words  | 2 Pages

    Epictetus, a revolutionary stoic of his time often makes some strong claims about the idea of stoicism. Stoicism is fundamentally promoting a lifestyle that yields a depleted happiness where everything is bounded by just desires being fulfilled and not enjoying the love and opportunities life brings to live it to the fullest and make life meaningful. Meaningful life is living with passion, happiness, love, and enjoying every moment you have because one only has one life. Being passionless is popular

  • Epictetus' Philosophy: A Constructive Critique

    960 Words  | 2 Pages

    Epictetus made many excellent points on how he believes would be the best way for people to live though there were a point or two where I differed from his opinion on how life should be lived. One point of differing would be at passage eleven when he is saying that you should just believe that you are giving something back when it is taken from you. I don’t think this is quite the best way to go about anything since it would, more or less, just be someone saying that their own property or the people