Selected Discourses - The Wisdom of Epictetus E-Book
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- Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
- Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
- Serie: Capstone Classics
- Sprache: Englisch
Explore the ancient Stoic way of thinking and the valuable lessons it holds for contemporary life
This new volume contains the Enchiridion and selected Discourses of the great Stoic philosopher Epictetus, who believed that moral philosophy should be a practical guide to leading a better life. His works offer timeless instruction on how to live authentically, “in accordance with nature”. Like other prominent Stoic thinkers Seneca and Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus teaches us to attain self-mastery through the use of reason and virtuous living. In this striking addition to the Capstone Classics series, you can discover—or rediscover—the renowned Greek philosopher's guide to living the best life possible. Epictetus teaches that personal power and peace of mind are your birthright.
Epictetus focused on maintaining discipline in matters that are under our control, and letting go of matters that are not. The key to improving oneself is to learn what is ‘in one's power’, not judging as good or bad anything over which we have no sway. In this remarkably simple yet transformative worldview, we gain peace of mind and have a greater impact on the world.
- Discover the practical moral philosophy of Epictetus, renowned Greek philosopher in the Stoic tradition
- Gain solace and peace of mind from the Stoic message of letting go of what we cannot control
- Learn the key messages of Epictetus in a new edition introduced by personal development author Tom Butler-Bowdon
- Gain the keys to a virtuous, productive, and happy life
Whether you are formally studying philosophy or pursuing your own personal development, Selected Discourses - The Wisdom of Epictetus will make an excellent addition to your library.
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Seitenzahl: 107
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024
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Table of Contents
COVER
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE
COPYRIGHT
INTRODUCTION
EPICTETUS: LIFE AND INFLUENCES
EPICTETUS'S ETHICS
INFLUENCE
SOURCES
A NOTE ON THIS EDITION
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ENCHIRIDION
NOTES
DISCOURSES
HOW TO BE TRUE TO YOURSELF IN EVERY SITUATION
WHAT WE CAN MAKE OF THE FACT THAT WE ARE PRODUCTS OF A SUPREME BEING
ON PROGRESS, OR MORAL ADVANCE
ON PROVIDENCE
ON AFFECTION FOR FAMILY
ON CONTENTMENT
HOW TO BEHAVE AROUND POWERFUL PEOPLE
IF YOU WISH TO BE ADMIRED
HOW TO DEAL WITH DIFFICULTIES
DEALING WITH DIFFICULTIES II
ON PEACE OF MIND
NOTES
NOTES
END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT
Guide
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Introduction
About the Author
Table of Contents
Begin Reading
End User License Agreement
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SELECTED DISCOURSES – THE WISDOM OF EPICTETUS
The Stoic Classic
EPICTETUS
With an Introduction byTOM BUTLER-BOWDON
This edition first published 2024
© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is Available:
ISBN 9780857089953 (hardback)ISBN 9780857089960 (ePub)ISBN 9780857089977 (ePDF)
INTRODUCTION
TOM BUTLER-BOWDON
Along with Marcus Aurelius and Seneca the Younger, Epictetus makes up the trio of Stoic philosophers who are widely read today.
Whereas Marcus and Seneca were powerful and rich men of the world who sometimes struggled to live up to their Stoic ideals, Epictetus was a different beast: a professional philosopher and Stoic teacher who had been born enslaved.
Epictetus taught philosophical theory, logic, and physics at the school he founded, but most of his teachings (at least those that have come down to us in the Enchiridion and Discourses) are about character development and self-improvement. His students were trained in philosophical method, but had real-life issues and worried about their futures. Epictetus would give his formal academic lectures in the mornings, but the afternoons were reserved for more free-flowing talks about what it means to live a virtuous and successful life. His students had the same goal of mental freedom and peace of mind that you and I have today.
It may be interesting to delve into the times in which Epictetus lived, but it's his insights into human nature that are the real topic of this volume. They remain inspiring because they are based on reason, and lie outside any requirement for faith or belief.
Epictetus believed in a universe of cause and effect. Our decisions and actions have consequences that we can't change. But we also have choice or volition to act in a way that creates our futures.
He tried to show how many of the common ethical ideas of his day, such as the pursuit of power, glory, and wealth, were dead ends if they led to the giving up of one's principles and the subsequent erosion of internal peace.
Through deploying reason, we could guard our emotions and instincts and gain control over the part of our lives that was in our scope to do so. Pursuing that which was not controllable was a fool's game that could only lead to anxiety or disappointment; in short, a wasted life.
If today you hear someone saying, ‘She is philosophical about it’, it means that whatever event has happened to that person, it is not being allowed to affect their underlying self. Epictetus taught his students how to remain the same (literally have integrity, like a stone), regardless of externals. That is of course a huge challenge, given that it's human nature to be blown about by the winds of emotion. Yet it is really the only thing that guarantees mental freedom and peace of mind.
Epictetus never sought to have his ideas published in his lifetime, but one of his students, Arrian (Flavius Arrianus, 86–160 CE), dutifully recorded his more accessible teachings in the Discourses (Diatribai). These were published not long after Epictetus died, so we can have some confidence that they are an accurate rendering of his thinking and his style of speaking and teaching. Xenophon helped immortalize Socrates by writing up some of his Dialogues and giving an account of his death. Similarly, it's only because of Arrian that we can learn from Epictetus today.
Image: Imaginary portrait of Epictetus from the frontispiece to Edward Ivie's Latin version of the Enchiridion (Epicteti Enchiridion Latinis versibus adumbratum). Printed in Oxford in 1715.
The native language of Epictetus was Koine, or common Greek, and Arrian's Discourses (of which four volumes from an original eight survive) were set down in Greek. Arrian also produced a kind of executive summary of the Discourses in the Enchiridion (Manual or Handbook). This Capstone Classics volume includes the Enchiridion along with selected chapters from the Discourses that relate to peace of mind and mental freedom.
EPICTETUS: LIFE AND INFLUENCES
Epictetus was born around 55 CE in Hierapolis (now Pamukkale in Turkey), a Greek-speaking city within the Roman Empire.
His mother was a slave, and as a result he grew up enslaved himself. At some point he moved to Rome, and worked in the household of Tiberius Claudius Epaphroditus, a freedman (former slave) who had become wealthy and who was a personal secretary to Emperor Nero.
Despite his very humble beginnings, Epictetus was brought into the proximity of power and influence. If he did not witness it firsthand, he would have been given accounts of people who had given up their integrity to win favour from the Emperor, or who forgot their ethics in order to avoid some fate like public shame, execution, bankruptcy, or exile.
Despite his status Epictetus had a fair amount of freedom, and was allowed to attend classes by Musonius Rufus, one of the great Stoic teachers of the day. That said, he did not get the comprehensive classical education that someone of his age might have received if they had noble and wealthy parents. He was largely self-taught and self-made.
Epictetus became a freedman comparatively young, sometime after the death of Nero in 68 CE. He began teaching philosophy in Rome, but was later banished (along with all philosophers, in a decree by Emperor Domitian) from the city. Epictetus established himself in Nicopolis, near the coast of present-day Western Greece but then the capital of the Roman province of Epirus Vetus.
The next few decades in his life were dominated by the school he had set up there. Wealthier Roman parents wanted their sons to have something of a classical Greek education, and Epictetus's little institution filled that gap and became successful. It was even, reputedly, visited by Emperor Hadrian, who was a Hellenophile and keen amateur philosopher. The pair were said to have enjoyed many conversations. There is a fictionalized account of them, the Altercatio, that was written in Latin by an unknown person in the second or third century.
Epictetus's great inspiration was Socrates: his philosophy, his life, and the way he accepted death—willingly, to preserve his principles. Other influences include Plato, Diogenes the Cynic, and of course all Stoic philosophy that came before him: Zeno, Cleanthes, and most notably Chrysippus.
