Epictetus

Philosopher (50 – 120)

Epictetus was a Stoic philosopher who struggled throughout his life, living homeless, with no family and having spent most of his lifetime as a slave. When he gained his freedom, he devoted his life in teaching philosophy.

Epictetus’ philosophy was quite different from the others. It was centred on life itself rather than with nature of the human being. His philosophy aimed to help common people cope with the struggles of everyday life and how to confront losses, disappointments and sorrows. According to him, we must behave in such a way that we maintain our spiritual ataraxia, a term meaning a state free of distress and filled with tranquillity. To reach this state, however, we must free ourselves from the satisfaction of our desires and from our passions. Epictetus praises family and friendship but does not accept attachments to them or to any other things since if someone is detached from them, he will be devastated by their loss.

Epictetus believed that a happy life is a life with virtues and that every person was created for a higher, special purpose. A life built with ethical values would help people become the masters of their desires, carry out their duties and learn to think clearly about oneself and about their relationship with the greater human society. Indeed, Epictetus believed very much about his philosophy being applied in everyday life. For this reason, he did not introduce any metaphysical or intricate laws in his teachings.

Epictetus didn’t leave any written form of his philosophy. Nevertheless, Arrianus, one of his brightest students wrote two books based on his teachings’ Diatribes and Enchiridion, the later being studied till this day worldwide. In the end, Epictetus did not intend to found a new Philosophical School, rather to help people liberate themselves from their passions, to endure their sufferings and to heal them. Epictetus was in the same position when he was a slave, but his remarkable endurance and his perspective on life was what made the Romans free him and let him teach them. The slave had defeated the conqueror.

Bibliography

1. Pleuris, Konstantinos. Greek Philosophers. Athens: Hilektron, 2013. Print.
2. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Brittanica. ”Epictetus” Encyclopaedia Brittanica. Web. 15 Nov. 2015.