Epictetus

Infobox Philosopher
region = Western Philosophy
era = Ancient philosophy
color = lightsteelblue

---

image_size = 200px
image_caption = An artistic impression of Epictetus
name = Epictetus
birth = ca. 55
Hierapolis, Phrygia
death = ca. 135
Nicopolis, Greece
school_tradition = Stoicism
main_interests = Ethics
notable_ideas =
influences = Musonius Rufus, Socrates, Diogenes, Zeno of Citium, Cleanthes, Chrysippus
influenced = Arrian, Junius Rusticus, Marcus Aurelius

Epictetus (Greek: polytonic|Ἐπίκτητος; ca. 55–ca. 135) was a Greek Stoic philosopher. He was probably born a slave at Hierapolis, Phrygia (present day Pamukkale, Turkey), and lived in Rome until his exile to Nicopolis in northwestern Greece, where he lived most of his life and died. His teachings were noted down and published by his pupil Arrian in his "Discourses". Philosophy, he taught, is a way of life and not just a theoretical discipline. To Epictetus, all external events are determined by fate, and are thus beyond our control, but we can accept whatever happens calmly and dispassionately. Individuals, however, are responsible for their own actions which they can examine and control through rigorous self-discipline. As part of the universal city that is the universe, human beings have a duty of care to all fellow humans. The person who followed these precepts would achieve happiness.

Life

Epictetus was born c. 55 AD, [His year of birth is uncertain. He must have been old enough to teach philosophy by the time Domitian banished all philosophers from Rome c. 93 AD. He also describes himself as an old man to Arrian c. 108 AD. cf. [http://classics.mit.edu/Epictetus/discourses.html "Discourses"] , i.9.10; i.16.20; ii.6.23; etc.] at Hierapolis, Phrygia. [Suda, "Epictetus".] The name given by his parents, if one was given, is not known—the word "epiktetos" in Greek simply means "acquired." He spent his youth as a slave in Rome to Epaphroditus, a very wealthy freedman of Nero. Epictetus studied Stoic philosophy under Musonius Rufus, [Epictetus, [http://classics.mit.edu/Epictetus/discourses.html "Discourses"] , i.7.32.] as a slave. [Epictetus, [http://classics.mit.edu/Epictetus/discourses.html "Discourses"] , i.9.29.] It is known that he became crippled, and although one source tells that his leg was deliberately broken by Epaphroditus, [Origen, [http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/origen167.html "Contra Celcus. vii.] ] more reliable is the testimony of Simplicius who tells us that he had been lame from childhood.Simplicius, "Commentary on the Enchiridion", 13.]

It is not known how Epictetus obtained his freedom, but eventually he began to teach philosophy at Rome. Around 93 AD Domitian banished all philosophers from Rome, and ultimately, from Italy, [Suetonius, [http://www.fordham.edu/Halsall/ancient/suet-domitian-rolfe.html "Domitian"] , x.] and Epictetus traveled to Nicopolis in Epirus, Greece, where he founded a philosophical school. [Aulus Gellius, "Attic Nights", xv. 11.]

His most famous pupil Arrian studied under him as a young man (c. 108 AD) and claims to have written the famous "Discourses" based on his lecture notes, although some scholars argue that they should rather be considered an original literary composition by Arrian comparable to the Socratic literature. [Hendrik Selle: "Dichtung oder Wahrheit – Der Autor der Epiktetischen Predigten". Philologus 145 [2001] 269-290] Arrian describes Epictetus as being a powerful speaker who could "induce his listener to feel just what Epictetus wanted him to feel."Epictetus, [http://classics.mit.edu/Epictetus/discourses.html "Discourses"] , prologue.] Many eminent figures sought conversations with him, [Epictetus, [http://classics.mit.edu/Epictetus/discourses.html "Discourses"] , i.11; ii.14; iii.4; iii. 7; etc.] and the Emperor Hadrian was friendly with him [ [http://www.fordham.edu/Halsall/ancient/aelius-hadrian.html Historia Augusta, "Hadrian"] , 16.] and may have listened to him speak at his school in Nicopolis. [Fox, Robin "The Classical World: An Epic History from Homer to Hadrian" Basic Books. 2006 pg 578] [A surviving 2nd or 3rd century "Altercatio Hadriani Et Epicteti" gives a fictitious account of a conversation between Hadrian and Epictetus.]

He lived a life of great simplicity, with few possessions. He lived alone for a long time, [Simplicius, "Commentary on the Enchiridion", 46. There is also a joke at Epictetus' expense in Lucian's [http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/6829 "Life of Demonax"] about the fact that he had no family.] but in his old age he adopted a friend's child who would otherwise have been left to die, and raised it with the aid of a woman to help him. [Simplicius, "Commentary on the Enchiridion", 46. He may have married her, but Simplicius' language is ambiguous.] He died sometime around 135 AD. [ He was apparently alive in the reign of Hadrian (117-138). Marcus Aurelius (born 121 AD) was an admirer of him but never met him, and Aulus Gellius ( [http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Gellius/2*.html#18.10 ii.18.10] ) writing mid century, speaks of him as if belonging to the recent past.] After his death his lamp was purchased by an admirer for 3000 drachmae. [Lucian, [http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/6829 "Remarks to an illterate book-lover"] .]

Thought

So far as is known, Epictetus himself wrote nothing. All that remains of his work was transcribed by his pupil Arrian (author of the Anabasis Alexandri). The main work is "The Discourses," four books of which have been preserved (out of an original eight). [Photius, "Bibliotheca", states that there were eight books.] Arrian also compiled a popular digest, entitled the "Enchiridion", or "Handbook". In a preface to the "Discourses," addressed to Lucius Gellius, Arrian states that "whatever I heard him say I used to write down, word for word, as best I could, endeavouring to preserve it as a memorial, for my own future use, of his way of thinking and the frankness of his speech".

Epictetus focused more on ethics than the early Stoics had. Repeatedly attributing his ideas to Socrates, he held that our aim was to be masters of our own lives. The role of the Stoic teacher, according to Epictetus, was to encourage his students to learn, first of all, the true "nature of things", which is invariable, inviolable and valid for all human beings without exceptions.

The "nature of things" is further partitioned into two categories: those things that are subject to our exclusive power ("prohairetic" things) and those things that are not subject to our exclusive power ("aprohairetic" things). The first category of things includes judgment, impulse, desire, aversion, etc. The second category of things, which can also be called "adiaphora", includes health, material wealth, fame, etc. Epictetus then introduced his students to two cardinal concepts: the concept of Prohairesis and the concept of Dihairesis. Prohairesis is what distinguishes humans from all other creatures. It is the faculty that, according to our own judgments, makes us desire or avert, feel impelled or repel something, assent to or dissent about something. Epictetus repeatedly says that "we are our prohairesis". Dihairesis is the judgement that is performed by our Prohairesis, and that enables us to distinguish what is subject to our exclusive power from what is not subject to our exclusive power. Finally, Epictetus taught his students that good and evil exist only in our Prohairesis and never in external or aprohairetic things. The good student who had thoroughly grasped these concepts and employed them in everyday life was prepared to live the philosophic life, whose objective was "ataraxia" ("an undisturbed and serene state of mind"). This meant fully understanding that we should not be affected by the external objects of our lives, because they are exclusively not up to us. This reasoning is in accordance with the knowledge of the true "nature of things," that is, the predetermined and complexly fixed order of the universe and the cosmos. This ataraxia was Epictetus', and the Stoics', ideal model of eudamonia, or "happiness and fulfillment."

The essence of Epictetus's psychology is revealed by two of his most frequently quoted statements:

We are disturbed not by events, but by the views which we take of them.

I must die. Must I then die lamenting? I must be put in chains. Must I then also lament? I must go into exile. Does any man then hinder me from going with smiles and cheerfulness and contentment?

The final entry of the "Enchiridion", or "Handbook"; which is Arrian's anthology of quotes by Epictetus, begins "Upon all occasions we ought to have these maxims ready at hand":

Conduct me, Zeus, and thou, O Destiny, Wherever thy decree has fixed my lot. I follow willingly; and, did I not, Wicked and wretched would I follow still. (Diogenes Laertius quoting Cleanthes; quoted also by Seneca, Epistle 107.)"

Whoe'er yields properly to Fate is deemed Wise among men, and knows the laws of Heaven. (From Euripides' Fragments, 965)

O Crito, if it thus pleases the gods, thus let it be. (From Plato's "Crito")

Anytus and Meletus may indeed kill me, but they cannot harm me. (From Plato's "Apology")

Influence

Military

Marcus Aurelius

The philosophy of Epictetus was an influence on the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius (121 to 180 A.D.) whose reign was marked by wars with the resurgent Parthians in southern Asia and against the Germanic tribes in Europe. Aurelius quotes from Epictetus repeatedly in his own work, "Meditations", written during his campaigns in central Europe.

James Stockdale

The philosophy of Epictetus is well known in the American military through the writings and example of James Stockdale, an American fighter pilot who was shot down over North Vietnam, became a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War, and later a vice presidential candidate. In "Courage under Fire: Testing Epictetus's Doctrines in a Laboratory of Human Behavior" (1993), Stockdale credits Epictetus with helping him endure seven and a half years in a North Vietnamese military prison - including torture - and four years in solitary confinement. [Stockdale, James Bond. 1993. "Courage Under Fire: Testing Epictetus's Doctrines in a Laboratory of Human Behavior." Stanford: Hoover Institution/Stanford University.] In his conclusion, Stockdale quoted Epictetus as saying, "The emotions of grief, pity, and even affection are well-known disturbers of the soul. Grief is the most offensive; Epictetus considered the suffering of grief an act of evil. It is a willful act, going against the will of God to have all men share happiness" (p. 235).

Philosophy

Bernard Stiegler

When Bernard Stiegler was imprisoned for five years for armed robbery in France, he assembled an "ensemble of disciplines" which he called (in reference to Epictetus) his "melete". This ensemble amounted to a practice of reading and writing which Stiegler derived from the writings of Epictetus. This led to his transformation, and upon being released from incarceration he became a professional philosopher. [Bernard Stiegler, "Passer à l'acte" (Paris: Galilée, 2003). An extract from this work has been published in translation as "Philosophising By Accident," "Public" 33 (2006). ]

Literature

James Joyce

Epictetus is mentioned in "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" by James Joyce. In the fifth chapter of the novel the protagonist Stephen Daedalus discusses Epictetus's famous lamp with a Dean of his college: "-Epictetus also had a lamp, said the dean, which was sold for a fancy price after his death. It was the lamp he wrote his philosophical dissertations by. You know Epictetus? / -An old gentleman, said Stephen coarsely, who said that the soul is very like a bucketful of water. / -He tells us in his homely way, the dean went on, that he put an iron lamp before a statue of one of the gods and that a thief stole the lamp. What did the philosopher do? He reflected that it was in the character of a thief to steal and determined to buy an earthen lamp next day instead of the iron lamp" (pgs. 202-203 of the Penguin Edition). Epictetus reoccurs several times throughout this chapter.

J. D. Salinger

Epictetus is mentioned briefly in "Franny and Zooey" by J. D. Salinger. At one point Franny says: "I sat and I sat, and finally I got up and started writing things from Epictetus all over the blackboard. I filled the whole front blackboard--I didn't even know I'd re"mem"bered so much of him. I erased it--thank God!--before people started coming in. But it was a childish thing to do anyway--Epictetus would have absolutely "hated" me for doing it--but..."

Matthew Arnold

Epictetus is referred to, but not mentioned by name, in Arnold's sonnet "To a Friend." Arnold provides three historical personalities as his inspiration and support in difficult times, (Epictetus is preceded by Homer and succeeded by Sophocles):

Much he, whose friendship I not long since won,
That halting slave, who in Nicopolis
Taught Arrian, when Vespasian's brutal son
Cleared Rome of what most shamed him. [Matthew Arnold, [http://www.poetry-online.org/arnold_to_a_friend.htm "To A Friend"] ]

Tom Wolfe

The philosophy of Epictetus plays a key role in the 1998 novel by Tom Wolfe, "A Man in Full". This was in part the outcome of discussions Wolfe had with James Stockdale (see above). The importance of Epictetus' Stoicism for Stockdale, its role in "A Man in Full", and its significance in "Gladiator (2000 film)" is discussed by William O. Stephens [ [http://puffin.creighton.edu/phil/bill.htm William O. Stephens, Ph.D ] ] in "The Rebirth of Stoicism?" [ [http://puffin.creighton.edu/phil/Stephens/rebirth_of_stoicism.htm The Rebirth of Stoicism ] ]

Psychology

Albert Ellis

Psychologist Albert Ellis, the founder of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, credited Epictetus with providing a foundation for his system of psychotherapy. [ [http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2003/10/13/031013ta_talk_green Ageless, Guiltless, by Adam Green] .] [ [http://news.independent.co.uk/people/obituaries/article2816649.ece Obituary by Morton Schatzman in "The Independent"] .] [ [http://www.guardian.co.uk/obituaries/story/0,,2146455,00.html Obituary by Oliver Burkeman in "The Guardian"] .]

Notes

References

* Epictetus, Nicholas P. White (trans.), "The Handbook", ISBN 0-915145-69-3, 1983.
* Epictetus, George Long (trans.), "Enchiridion", ISBN 0-87975-703-5, 1955.
* Adolf Friedrich Bonhoffer, William O. Stephens trans., "The Ethics of the Stoic Epictetus", ISBN 0-8204-5139-8, 2000.
* A. A. Long, "Epictetus: A Stoic and Socratic Guide to Life", ISBN 0-19-924556-8, 2002.
* William O. Stephens, "Stoic Ethics: Epictetus and Happiness as Freedom", ISBN 0-8264-9608-3, 2007.
* Epictetus, "The Discourses (The Handbook, Fragments)", Everyman Edition, Edited by Christopher Gill, ISBN 0-460-87312-1, 2003.
* Robert Dobbin, "Epictetus Discourses: Book 1" (Clarendon Later Ancient Philosophers), Oxford: Clarendon Press, ISBN 0-19-823664-6, 1998.
* Michel Foucault, "The Hermeneutics of the Subject: Lectures at the Collège de France, 1981–1982", New York: Picador, 2005, ISBN 0-312-42570-8.
* "Epictetus: The Discourses," trans. W. A. Oldfather. 2 vols. (Loeb Classical Library edition.) Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1925 & 1928. ISBN 0-674-99145-1 and ISBN 0-674-99240-7.

External links

*
* [http://www.utm.edu/research/iep/e/epictetu.htm Epictetus] entry at The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
* [http://books.google.com/books?ie=ISO-8859-1&id=VGz_OMkbZPwC&jtp=126 "Dialogue between Hadrian and Epictetus"] - a fictitious 2nd or 3rd century composition, translated into English in "The Knickerbocker" magazine, August 1857