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Stoic's Fallacy In Epictetus 'To Those Who Fear Want'

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The Stoic’s Fallacy In his epistle, “To Those Who Fear Want,” Epictetus challenges the rationale in an affluent society’s fearing poverty. Through the lens of Stoicism, Epictetus contends that men should not fear what they cannot control; a person who fears hunger, poverty, and death is shameful because he unknowingly ridicules a group of people who, largely, are not wholly responsible for their qualities of life. In truth, this wealthy person only fears his loss of luxury. Likewise, Epictetus defends his position by use of rhetorical questions, metaphors, and syllogisms to assuage the privileged. Yet, Epictetus’ audience will also observe that the stoic’s qualms with the higher-class reveals a major flaw in his logic; his inability to perceive …show more content…

In the same way, Epictetus’ claim that men should not fear poverty is senseless in the socioeconomic context of 100 CE. Likewise, Epictetus’ life in poverty causes the philosopher to lose his authority as a speaker. For example, throughout the epistle, an almost arrogant and persecuting tone serves to ridicule the rich for their fates while simultaneously esteeming his own. Epictetus’ audience observes his argument collapses in itself as he unearths his own hypocrisy, “Wretch, are you so blind, and don’t you see the road to which the want of necessaries leads?—Well, where does it lead?—To the same place to which a fever leads, or a stone that falls on you, to death” (537). Moreover, Epictetus mentions a fever as killing people during the time of his writing this epistle—more reason to believe the rich had a valid reason to fear poverty and its deathly results. Accordingly, the fact of the rich fearing the poor is not shameful; in fact, this fear is only natural. A stoic such as Epictetus has the ability to accuse the rich of fearing the poor because he has nothing to fear, his entire life lurking at the nadir of the social hierarchy. He never had anything to lose. Men hold dear their luxuries; equally, Epictetus’ antagonizing tone only undertones his incapability to perceive losing …show more content…

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

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