In the world there are two distinct types of things. There are things that exist external to us, such as one's reputation or a relationship. We do not have direct control over these things since they exist outside of us. Then there are internal things that we do have control over, like out desires, or things we dislike. 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 …show more content…
By acting in this manner the individual pays attention to the external things. While Epictetus believes we have no control, it seems that we may have some control. We have control over our actions, and our actions can influence these external things. In this case the care and sympathy, have an effect on the man. While no one can directly control things that are not their actions, they still have things in their control, namely their actions. In fact, our actions can even have an effect on the things that Epictetus believes we can not influence.
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According to Epictetus things that are not our actions are out of our control, and attempting to control them will only bring pain. As examples he gives body, property, reputation, and command.8 He thinks people should abandon those things. However, there are certainly times it pays to make an effort to control these things. A person does not just stop paying any attention to their body because they cannot influence the time it takes to heal from an injury. While people do not always have direct control over their body, that alone is not sufficient to say it should be ignored. If someone took this Epictetian view that the body cannot be controlled, then they would have no reason to care for their body. Some things like, disease or injury cannot always be controlled but the body should be cared for and maintained. Epictetus gives no reason to do that, and even encourages that we not
However, for a disabled slave in the Roman Empire, this attitude was what allowed him to stomach his life, and his options. Nowadays, a person with an injury, theoretically, has options to heal and possibly correct it. Epictetus did not. He also did not live in a society where basic human rights were exercised in the way we expect now. Stoic philosophy, for Epictetus, was a set of guidelines he could use to ‘roll with the punches’. Many other people, when in situations where they have very little control, have turned to Stoic, and specifically, Epictetus’, philosophy. James Stockdale was a prisoner of war in Vietnam. He endured years of torture and brutal conditions and survived because of Epictetus’ Stoic
He interrogates his audience continually and each subsequent confrontation cheapens the last. Epictetus proves his habit, asking, “Is that shameful to you which is not your own act, that of which you are not the cause, that which has come to you by accident, as a headache or fever? [Moreover, this fever, if one is poor, will more than likely kill the individual in this era, thus justifying the rich’s fear of poverty.] If your parents were poor, and left their property to others, and if while they live, they do not help you at all, is this shameful to you” (537)? While true, Epictetus presents a valid argument when he explains that men should not fear what they cannot control. However, fearing the surrounding conditions of what one cannot control serves as the chief stressor for the rich. No hypothetical person that Epictetus describes prefers relegation to his or her social status, and those that are at the bottom, like himself, have nothing to value. Thus, Epictetus’ stoic ideology is born. Moreover, one might argue that the scenarios described in Epictetus’ quote does not quite align with the philosopher’s thesis. Likewise, his audience must consider all aspects that might make the rich frightful of hunger, poverty, and the death to which the lifestyle will
Born of different backgrounds, upbringings, and experiences, Epictetus and Seneca are Roman philosophers who outwardly appear very different. Epictetus spent most of his youth as a slave while Seneca was born into money and became a tutor of Nero. Although these two men seem to be very dissimilar, they each shared a common purpose in studying philosophy and teaching people on how to live well. Each suggested different paths for how to do so. Epictetus suggests in his book, The Discourses and The Enchiridion, that living a life in accordance with nature could be achieved by living moderately. Seneca suggests in his work, Letters from a Stoic, that a happy man is self-sufficient and realizes that happiness depends only on interior perfection. Despite the differences, both Epictetus and Seneca are considered Stoics because of their shared belief in the idea that character is the only guarantee of everlasting, carefree happiness. The world outside ourselves will never give us happiness, nor will it be responsible for our unhappiness. It doesn’t matter what’s happening outside ourselves, Epictetus and Seneca claim that the only thing that matters is how we interpret those events. Further evaluating Seneca’s, Letters from a Stoic and Epictetus’s, The Discourses and The Enchiridion, we will clearly be able to differentiate the two in their ideas and opinions regarding stoicism and the keys to living a well, happy life.
To be able to have control over a situation, first you need to have control over yourself. We can use as an example Stephen King´s novel Cujo written in 1981. In the book, Donna Trenton´s four year-old son dies and the reason for that is because Donna wasn´t able to grasp control of the situation. Her desperation didn´t allow her to think clearly and she never actually stopped and tried to figure out a solid plan, she just did everything as she went along. If Donna had been able to have control over herself and stop her desperation from clouding her mind, she might have been able to
Sometimes having control can go another way which could be happiness. The play A midsummer night’s dream is a example of this like how Hippolyta and Theseus both take control in confessing their love to each other and that leads to them getting married. “‘Now, fair Hippolyta, Our nuptial hour draws on apace. Four happy days bring in another moon’”. (I.i.1-3) You can tell by reading this quote that there is happiness in their voice and happiness by tracking the days till their wedding. This is how gaining control can lead to happiness by two people’s love for eachother like Theseus and Hippolyta. Also in the movie She’s the man at the end Viola tells the truth and they all forgive each other which makes everybody happy.
When he was gifted with his liberty, Epictetus started “teaching principles of personal freedom and tranquility” (Traylor, 2004. P 11). His followers became so numerous that it alarmed the Roman Empire rulers. When the emperor requested that he “shave off his beard to show the public his subservience to the emperor”, he declined (Traylor, 2004. P 12). Subsequently, Epictetus was ordered into exile. In Greece, his place of exile, he opened a small school. According to Traylor, this school taught students “how to live a life of serenity and purpose” (p 12). Traylor wrote, “He was said to be a kind and good-hearted man, passing away around the year 130 A.D” (p. 12).
Considering me and my family came from a country, now known with its war and its endless revolution, we got used to hearing bad news about it every other day. We came from Syria, which was a beautiful place to live in before the revolution started. Most of my friends had to leave it because they don't have a place to live in anymore, their house have been destroyed. But for us, we lived in a safe area and our house is still there sheltering our cousins who didn’t leave their country.
Epictetus was a Greek Stoic philosopher who was credited with writing the famous quote “No great thing is created suddenly.” Stoicism is a form of ancient Greek philosophy that teaches self-control in order to overcome otherwise destructive moments. In 50 CE, Epictetus was born as a slave in Hierapolis, but in 130 CE, he passed away as one of the best-known philosophers. After being liberated from slavery in 68 CE, Epictetus began teaching Stoicism in Rome. Comparable to the “great thing” that was not created suddenly in Epictetus’ quote, Epictetus’ freedom from slavery was also not granted to him suddenly. Since Epictetus was a slave for eighteen years, he knew that it takes time for great things to happen.
As people age, they begin to wonder what is the meaning of life, particularly their own life. It is a natural curiosity and has been thought about for several centuries. Philosophers claim to know, or at least be fairly aware of, what the meaning of life is. Three that come to mind are Rene Descartes, Epictetus, and Plato; these three philosophers have lived through different time periods and differ greatly in theories. Descartes had no true theory but used skepticism to establish his philosophy, Epictetus was a Stoic, and Plato was a Platonist. One, Descartes, lived questioning anything and everything to only be sure of two existences, another, Epictetus, lived perhaps too happily since he believed that everything that occurred in life was a part of God’s plan, but one lived in the middle of these two philosophers. This philosopher was Plato, he was not too skeptical of life nor was he too engulfed in “God’s plan,” instead he was rational about life and searched for the deeper meaning to his own being. For this reason, his theories are far more well thought-out and reasonable than those of Descartes and Epictetus.
One piece of advice offered by Epictetus that Socrates would agree with is that “if you want to make progress, let people think you are a mindless fool about externals, and do not desire a reputation for knowing about them” (#13). Socrates does not try to convince others that he has supreme knowledge or expertise, nor does he have the desire too. However, since the oracle proclaimed that Socrates is the wisest of all men, he repeatedly proves to pompous individuals that they are not wise, even though they think they are. Socrates is considered so wise because he consciously admits what he doesn’t know, rather than lying to himself like most other men (Apology, 22 d-e).
We have noted how Epictetus admonishes us to concentrate all our efforts on our will, on the way we make choices and decisions. The goodness or quality of people is a matter of the good-ness or quality of their will. To be good the will has to be such that it accords with nature, that is to say, it has to be such as it is intended to be by nature or God. But by nature, we are told, the will is intended to be free. Epictetus claims that he wishes it to be his main concern, up to the very last moment of his life, that his will be free. What is it for the will to be free?
The deterioration of the Aristotelian worldview began around the time of the Reformation of the Catholic Church. The reformation of the Catholic Church up until this time had been in control of the teachings and discoveries at that time until Martin Luther questioned the Church and its teachings. Luther had brought to people’s attention how controlling the Church was over what was being taught and the people began to realize that there could be more out in the world to discover. People began to become curious and wanted to read the Bible and think for themselves. Along with the Reformation, the pushing of the Muslims from the East created an opportunity of scientific discoveries to occur. The Muslims had caused the people to move and take ancient books with them that contained different philosophical discoveries from scientist such as Hippocrates, Galen, Euclid, etc. Scientist were amazed at the discoveries and beliefs that were founded and could not believe that they had not known about them. Reading about their discoveries and beliefs caused scientist to build off of what the early philosophers had founded. Scientists that played important roles in the deterioration of the Aristotelian worldview was Nicolas Copernicus, Johannes Kepler, and Galileo. These men put forth information that early men of astronomy and philosophy could not imagine and the advancement in technology was to thank for that.
Humans desire to have control over the many things which affect them. Being unable to control something, especially something which can cause damage and
Epictetus was a Stoic philosopher who wrote, The Enchiridion, a manual which instructed people on how to live their life ethically and honorably on a social level. His belief was that regardless of personal conditions, people could live with pride and discipline. Epictetus tells us differentiating between what is in our own power to control and what is not is the key to a noble life (281).
Comparing the political theories of any two great philosophers is a complex task. Plato and Aristotle are two such philosophers who had ideas of how to improve existing societies during their individual lifetimes. While both Plato and Aristotle were great thinkers, perhaps it is necessary first to examine the ideas of each before showing how one has laid the groundwork and developed certain themes for the other.