Epictitus Views on Life
To start off, I will review the question "How does Epictetus believe human beings should live? What things does he think we should pursue and what things does he think we should avoid?" Epictetus has one main belief, and that belief is the practice of Stoicism. The Main idea of this practice is that, "some things are up to us and some things are not up to us. Our opinions are up to us, and our impulses, desires, aversions - in short whatever is our doing. Our bodies are not up to us, nor are our possessions, our reputations, or our public offices, or, that is, whatever is not our doing." Encheiridion p.279 psg. 1. What he is saying here is that, the thing in our life that we have no control over are things like our opinions or our impulses. These are the things are up to us, we have the say in each type of situation. For example if we hear of something that would bother us. We could make our own opinion on the matter, and no one else can do anything about that. T!o refute this matter, an outside force could sway a person's opinion. If a person give his view on the matter and you see that it changes your opinion on the matter. Then you had no say on your newfound opinion, therefore making it something you don't ha
The opposite side of the statement is saying, that there are things that we don't have control over. For example, we cannot control bodies, reputations, or our possessions. What it's saying is there is external properties you can gain without any doing by you. God gives us our appearance and others give us our reputations and possessions. One thing that is not looked at here is the fact that what we do is how we gain our possessions or reputation. Reputation can be changed by acting differently, and improving your self-appearance. You control all this. They say that a Stoic should think about death everyday, because death is the harshest external of them all. This would make it easier to resist all other externals. This sounds life a very morbid, and dull life. You go through life being concerned with just yourself and you better not care what your reputation is. I suppose if you just don't care, then you do have life to look forward too, if you like to be a stoic. The second passage is trying to tell us that the things we desire will be gained by desiring them. So if you cut of all of desires for things that are not up to us. Then you will not have to desire anything. The things you desire are not up to you. Then you are bound to be an unfortunate person, the same time none of the things that are not up to us, which are the things that we want to desire, will be available to you. Let make of impulse and let it guide you without reservations on what happens. If you don't care on how the outcome of outside factors result in, you will not have to desire external factors. tus would not flee himself, but he would also fail to win the trial because he would probably not argue his side. He would need somebody else to argue the case for him. Passage nineteen, has a very simple message. It is saying that things, which are, not up to us, such as victory in a battle. Should not be envied, or the winner should not be envied. The things that are up to has, jealousy has no place. So if you envy a loss in a battle don't be jealous of the victor. Let your ambitions in life happen naturally. I say you should be resentful of the winner of your battle,
Some common words found in the essay are:
Stoicism Main, , don't care, opinion matter, life control, life reputation, don't control, whatever doing, battle don't, education blame, it's saying, reputations possessions,
Approximate Word count = 1478
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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