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A review by jvanwagoner
Enchiridion And Selections from the Discourses of Epictetus by Epictetus
inspiring
reflective
5.0
A Stoic philosopher who was a slave - an interesting view of life
This translation was by George Long and was originally published in 1888. It contains a short biographical note about the life of Epictetus. Very little is known other than he was a slave allowed to teach philosophy in the early 2nd century CE. He was a stoic, and these writings reflect that. The discourses comprise most of the book and are short essays on various subjects. The last 20 pages of the book consist of the Enchiridion (or Manual), which are even shorter snippets of advice. It is classic wisdom literature.
I feel that his experience as a slave influenced his philosophy very interestingly and positively. He talked a lot about what we can and cannot control. We can control our happiness or character, not what others do to us. He emphasizes how we can be in command of our own will and should not let others have power over it. Overall, I liked his philosophy. Here is a slave that was not about to let others destroy his life or happiness.
I recommend reading this to anyone interested in philosophy in general.
I originally wrote this review on 2/15/2012.
This translation was by George Long and was originally published in 1888. It contains a short biographical note about the life of Epictetus. Very little is known other than he was a slave allowed to teach philosophy in the early 2nd century CE. He was a stoic, and these writings reflect that. The discourses comprise most of the book and are short essays on various subjects. The last 20 pages of the book consist of the Enchiridion (or Manual), which are even shorter snippets of advice. It is classic wisdom literature.
I feel that his experience as a slave influenced his philosophy very interestingly and positively. He talked a lot about what we can and cannot control. We can control our happiness or character, not what others do to us. He emphasizes how we can be in command of our own will and should not let others have power over it. Overall, I liked his philosophy. Here is a slave that was not about to let others destroy his life or happiness.
I recommend reading this to anyone interested in philosophy in general.
I originally wrote this review on 2/15/2012.