Epictetus
Philosopher · c. 50-135 AD · Philosophy, stage 3: Meet the thinkers
A former slave whose Stoic teaching narrowed ethics down to a single question: what is, and isn't, up to you.
Overview
Epictetus was born a slave in Asia Minor, later gained his freedom, and spent much of his life teaching Stoic philosophy in Rome and then in Greece after philosophers were expelled from Rome. He wrote nothing himself; what survives, the Discourses and the short summary called the Enchiridion, comes from lecture notes taken by his student Arrian. His teaching centers on a sharp distinction between what is up to us, our judgments, intentions, and reactions, and what is not, everything else, including our bodies, reputation, and other people's actions. Because his own life gave him direct, hard experience of things outside his control, his version of Stoicism carries a bluntness that later readers, including Marcus Aurelius, found more useful than abstract theory.
Where to start reading
Enchiridion c. 125 AD
A short handbook, compiled by his student Arrian, distilling Epictetus' Stoic teaching into a compact set of practical reminders and rules.
Discourses c. 108 AD
A longer collection of Epictetus' lectures, recorded by Arrian, covering the same Stoic themes at greater length and with more classroom back and forth.
