The Discourses of Epictetus: The Handbook, Fragments

There's quite a few things about Epictetus that ought to disqualify his thought from consideration. Firstly, he's a theist. Replace "Zeus" with the jealous and ill-tempered Hebrew father god and he might be thought a Jew, or Christian. In fact, he reportedly had an influence on early Christian ascetics, hermits and other such riff-raff. To Epictetus, the "argument from design," popularized by Paley in the late 18th century, was incontestable. Hence, of course, he had no conception of natural selection nor much of any understanding of the natural world. Moreover, Epictetus is disgustingly anthropocentric in outlook. To him, nonhuman animals exist only to serve the needs of humans. Women exist only to bear children. He takes pederasty for granted yet rails against effeminacy. Etc. I wouldn't blame anyone for skipping the teaching of this 1st century CE bigot.Yet, in spite of all this, I find much about the Stoic philosophy to recommend it: Perfect your judgement. Direct your actions in accordance with nature. Do your best to make right decisions and don't fret whatever you have no control over. Others can't make you angry, sad, etc., unless you allow them to. Caesar can kill you but he can't harm you unless you let him. Grief is useless since all that live will die. Etc. Well, yeah. How could it be otherwise? Despite differences in wording and emphasis, I feel that the Stoics were saying much the same things that the Buddha taught. Could they have been influenced by the missionaries (Dhammarakkhita & Maharakkhita, et al.) Asoka sent to Alexandria and Athens circa three centuries before the time of Christ?A year ago I read Marcus Aurelius' "Meditations," which were heavily influenced by the teachings of Epictetus. The latter is more hard-headed, less compromising, than the former. Presumably, the emperor with an empire to run felt more constrained by pragmatism than did the exiled philosopher. So do I. My main objection to Epictetus, besides the stuff in the first paragraph above, is that he imposes inhumanly idealistic expectations on his students and readers. "After all, I'm only human..." I say to Epictetus. I won't beat myself up over the grief I feel for the recent loss of my hound dog, or for the loss, more mellowed by time, of other loved ones, human and non-. Grief is an evolved response, an adaptation. Adaptations are ordained by selection, are in accordance with nature. Epictetus didn't understand this.So, read the Stoics, if you're so inclined. Take from them what you need and disregard the arcane and archaic elements of their teachings.

This book is an extended variation on the stoic philosophy of Epictetus best captured by this passage from the first entry of his Handbook:“Some things are up to us and others are not. Up to us are opinion, impulse, desire, aversion, and, in a word, whatever is our own action. Not up to us are body, property, reputation, office, and, in a word, whatever is not our own action. The things that are up to us are by nature free, unhindered and unimpeded; but those that are not up to us are weak, servile, subject to hindrance, and not our own. Remember, then, that if you suppose what is naturally enslaved to be free, and what is not your own to be your own, you will be hampered, you will lament, you will be disturbed, and you will find fault with both gods and men. But if you suppose only what is your own to be your own, and what is not your own not to be your own (as is indeed the case), no one will ever coerce you, no one will hinder you, you will find fault with no one, you will accuse no one, you will not do a single thing against your will, you will have no enemy, and no one will harm you because no harm can affect you.[...]“Practise, then, from the start to say to every harsh impression, ‘You are an impression, and not at all the thing you appear to be.’ Then examine it and test it by these rules which you have, and firstly, and chiefly, by this: whether the impression has to do with the things which are up to us, or those which are not; and, if it has to do with the things that are not up to us, be ready to reply, ‘It is nothing to me.’”Though I love this book I’d probably recommend to those interested in Epictetus’s stoic philosophy to pick up just the Handbook (Enchiridion) first. You can, of course, purchase this book which includes both the Discourses and the Handbook. It’s just that the Handbook alone provides a more manageable distillation of Epictetus's philosophy. You should definitely read one of them though. You won’t regret it.But if you don’t I won’t mind. It’s not up to me whether you read Epictetus or not.

A compilation of writings by one of the most prominent Stoics, that calls you out on your failings 2000 years in advance. An excellent companion in the pursuit of always attaining what you desire and staying unhindered by what you want to avoid. And a very good translation / compendium at that. The only book that taught me a lesson even after I had lost my first copy, as the entire point is to develop a mindset unbothered by any mere object or external circumstance, and who cares if a petty bundle of papers gets lost when I have already taken what is valuable from them? Also good for getting yourself out of the slave attitude that's so easy to fall into with the comforts of modern life.

Stoicism is a good way to live. Accept what one cannot change. Fulfill one's own obligations, but don't depend too much on other people. Enjoy the good things of life, but understand all possessions and even life itself is only temporary. True freedom is tranquility on mind. Stoicism is not being emotionless, but being in control one's emotions instead of being controlled by emotions. Epictetus was a pagan, but he sounds like Saint Paul.

This book is food for your mind and as such I read a chapter every other night and think about the reality that we all see but most don't acknowledge ever. Nonetheless, it also put you think that nothing that we are living thru today is unique and the suffering of our ancestors is not that different of ours and again over the centuries the unconquerable human spirit triumphs over and over again after all. Love it. Recommend to everyone no matter their age!

A read through of the previous comments seems to suggest that many of these reviews aren't for this particular version or publisher. Long story short, this is an excellent edition with strong and consistent translation. Anyone interested in an edition of this classic of Stoicism but can't read it in its original language should pick it up.

good re-read

What can I say. Use it everyday.

Having now read all the classic surviving books on Stoicism I've personally found this one to be the most powerful, its one of the best books I've ever read, it has strongly influenced my thinking and I feel wiser having read it. Its very insightful and probably just as relevant to readers today as it was when it was written so many years ago. Most people I've heard discuss Stoicism seem to prefer Seneca and Aurelius works, their books are both shorter Seneca for me was definitely the easiest to of them to read, it doesn't really feel like an ancient book. Although there are a lot of very quotable passages in the Meditations, for me it lacked structure and therefore I found it hard going and the least enjoyable of the 3. The Discourses is quite a big book, a more condensed version of his message can be found in the Enchiridion (The Handbook), which I'd also recommend. I personally prefer the discourse as it fleshes out Epictetus' message more fully but the Enchiridion is a good start if you just want an introduction to Epictetus' views.

I'm sure this is a great book and a worthy read but I found it hard going and I gave up with it pretty quickly - maybe more suited to academic study.

Best translation of Discourses is of Everyman's Library that's why I bought it. Second best is Oxford. Penguin translation is not good so avoid it. Everyman's imprint is published by 2 publishers- Orion & Hachette. Both have similar and rather poor quality but Orion one costs Rs 550 , while Hachette one costs around 250. ISBN of Hachette one is 9789350091401. ISBN of Orion is 9780460873123 . Hachette is cheaper and provides same quality of paper so go for Hachette.

“Eu tenho que morrer. Se é agora, bem, então eu morro agora; se mais tarde, então vou almoçar, já que chegou a hora do almoço – e morrendo, morrerei mais tarde.”O leitor não tem como deixar de rir com o aforismo acima, já que a morte segura é inevitável. Está chegando agora? Se é agora, estou pronto, vamos, vamos fazer isso, porque todo mundo tem que morrer. Mas se não é agora, então vou fazer outras coisas e, claro, quando a morte chegar, não está sob seu controle, então você simplesmente aceita, sempre que acontecer. O aforismo revela dois traços importante da personalidade de Epicteto: senso de humor e pragmatismo.De um modo geral, os Discursos são sobre como viver sua vida: eles apresentam os princípios básicos do estoicismo uma e outra vez, de diferentes ângulos, explorando as consequências em diferentes contextos. Provavelmente o mais básico que Epicteto insiste várias vezes é a sua famosa dicotomia de controle: ele diz que algumas coisas estão sob seu controle e outras coisas não estão sob seu controle. Então ele lista os tipos de coisas que estão sob seu controle e aquelas que não estão. Coisas que estão sob seu controle: seu comportamento, suas decisões, seus processos de pensamento racional. Coisas que não estão sob seu controle são todas as externalidades: sua saúde, sua riqueza, sua educação, sua estatura na vida, sua reputação. Não é que você não possa influenciar as coisas que não estão sob seu controle; é claro que você pode. Ele diz isso explicitamente. Mas elas não estão inteiramente sob seu controle. Você só pode tentar ser saudável, rico e educado, e ter uma boa vida no sentido da externalidade, mas, como você sabe, a ‘desgraça’ acontece...O estoicismo de Epicteto é sobre como lidar com uma situação em que a ‘desgraça’ realmente acontece. O que fazes, então? Como você reage na vida quando as coisas não seguem o seu caminho? Enfim, a dicotomia de controle é crucial no estoicismo, particularmente aqui na filosofia de Epicteto. Boa leitura!