Epictetus Essay

impacted all the classes of Rome, Stoicism did have a profound effect on the wealthy and governing classes of Rome because of influential Stoics and their encouragement to participate in government affairs. Although certain Stoic philosophers such as Epictetus tried to spread Stoicism to the less wealthy classes of Rome, these attempts did not sway the fact that wealthy Romans most largely studied Stoicism. Furthermore, very few people outside of the wealthy and educated classes of Rome knew much about

Matt Westermeyer Epictetus and Aristotle in Practice Mankind has been searching for existential reasoning since our earliest beginnings. One of the biggest questions, the one that keeps me up at night, “How ought we to live?” will be explained from the viewpoints of Epictetus in his Enchiridion and Aristotle in Nicomachean Ethics. In this paper, I will discuss both philosophies in principle and practice, while giving insight to how to they may function in a modern world situation. Although both

understanding Melquíades had to José had for one another, yet the philosopher Epictetus in The Handbook would find all the mourning asinine. Epictetus claims one should not get upset over a death of a loved one or friend because they are just a human being, as seen in this quote, “If you kiss your child or your wife, say that you are kissing a human being; for when it dies you will not be upset” (Epictetus 55). Epictetus beliefs of Stoicism did not just stop at seeing mourning as unnecessary, but

The stoic way of thinking, as presented by Roman philosopher Epictetus, would have us see suffering as a universal force in life that we may escape to achieve happiness. Others, like writer David Brooks, present suffering as the ultimate teacher, the force that shows us how to surpass our physical and mental limits. I agree with David Brooks and his idea about learning from the suffering we experience. I do not, however, agree with Epictetus and his stoic ideology. He believes that the forces of pain

During my reading of The Enchiridion, I realized that some of Epictetus’ precepts were very comparable to methods and thought patterns I’ve used in coping with my anxiety. The very first

Being a leader requires obtaining certain characteristics that guide others to life in harmony within a state. In Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave,” Epictetus’ Enchiridion, and “Plutarch’s Lives:Volume 1,” there is a common theme of what defines an influential leader. While diligence is the core of a strong leader, maintaining prudence initiates the efficiency necessary to build a state’s stability. To become a leader, one must show diligence, mentally and physically, to effectively improve a state’s

knowledge. It also has to do with letting go of other people's beliefs and focusing entirely on oneself. Being able to focus on only what is in our control is essential when it comes to stoicism because that is the only way to reach happiness. Epictetus wanted to get rid of any and all desires. In order to be happy, one must know the difference between desire and aversion. “Remember, what a desire proposes is that you gain what you desire, and what an aversion proposes is that you not fall into

To Desert Ones Fate is to Deceive Oneself Epictetus says, “Remember that you are an actor in a play, which is as the playwright wants it to be: short if he wants to short, long if he wants it long. If he wants you to play a beggar, play even this part skillfully, or a cripple, or a public official, or a private citizen. What is yours is to play the assigned part well. But to choose it belongs to someone else” (#17). Epictetus comes from a stoic school of philosophy, this maxim means that people

optimism and reinforcement of self-worth, providing mental strength often needed in times of the worst possible suffering. In his Handbook, Epictetus suggests that man believes that certain innate “things that are up to us and some things are not up to us. Our opinions are up to us, our impulses, desires, aversions – in short whatever is our own doing” (Epictetus, ch1). He contends such elements of the individual are “by nature free, unhindered, and unimpeded,” thus

Epictetus says, “Remember that you are an actor in a play, which is as the playwright wants it to be: short if he wants to short, long if he wants it long. If he wants you to play a beggar, play even this part skillfully, or a cripple, or a public official, or a private citizen. What is yours is to play the assigned part well. But to choose it belongs to someone else” (#17). Epictetus comes from a stoic school of philosophy, this maxim means that people are who they are meant to be. Everything that