Epictetus (#1): "The Art of Living" by Sharon Lebell
After much foot-dragging, I'm finally posting my favorite parts of The Art of Living by Sharon Lebell. Not a direct translation, it's a loose interpretation of The Enchiridion, by Epictetus, the ancient Greek Stoic philosopher.
Check out The Stoic Place for a good summary of Stoic ethics and values, by Prof. Jan Garrett. Basic Stoic ideas. How Stoicism applies today.
Here's a good summary of Epictetus's ideas.
All my previous posts on Epictetus.
Epictetus was born a slave, endured a permanent physical disability, studied Stoicism under Musonius Rufus, was exiled by the Roman emperor Domitian, and then founded a famous school of philosophy in Greece. His most famous student became the great Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius.
They say Epictetus never wrote anything himself, but some of his lectures were written down by his student, Arrianus, and became The Discourses. They "appear to record the exchanges between Epictetus and his students after formal teaching had concluded for the day." The Enchiridion (or "Handbook" or "Manual") is perhaps an abridgement of The Discourses. Soldiers brought it into battle, as a self-help book.
Some say that Stoicism is grim and serious, encourages passively accepting our fates, and is better for the life of a slave (like Epictetus) or someone with heavy suffering. Former prisoners of war, like Vice Admiral James Stockdale, used Stoic ideas to help them survive their bleak imprisonment.
But I think we can learn many practical ideas from this philosophy today. Let's start! I will number my posts and put them all under the " Epictetus" tag.
If you want to follow along, buy Sharon Lebell's book or read this excellent translation of The Enchiridion.
Check out The Stoic Place for a good summary of Stoic ethics and values, by Prof. Jan Garrett. Basic Stoic ideas. How Stoicism applies today.
Here's a good summary of Epictetus's ideas.
All my previous posts on Epictetus.
Epictetus was born a slave, endured a permanent physical disability, studied Stoicism under Musonius Rufus, was exiled by the Roman emperor Domitian, and then founded a famous school of philosophy in Greece. His most famous student became the great Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius.
They say Epictetus never wrote anything himself, but some of his lectures were written down by his student, Arrianus, and became The Discourses. They "appear to record the exchanges between Epictetus and his students after formal teaching had concluded for the day." The Enchiridion (or "Handbook" or "Manual") is perhaps an abridgement of The Discourses. Soldiers brought it into battle, as a self-help book.
Some say that Stoicism is grim and serious, encourages passively accepting our fates, and is better for the life of a slave (like Epictetus) or someone with heavy suffering. Former prisoners of war, like Vice Admiral James Stockdale, used Stoic ideas to help them survive their bleak imprisonment.
But I think we can learn many practical ideas from this philosophy today. Let's start! I will number my posts and put them all under the " Epictetus" tag.
If you want to follow along, buy Sharon Lebell's book or read this excellent translation of The Enchiridion.