Stoic Ethics: Epictetus and Happiness as Freedom

by William O. Stephens

Soon after Aristotle's death, several schools of ancient philosophy arose, each addressing the practical question of how to live a good, happy life. The two biggest rivals, Stoicism and Epicureanism, came to dominate the philosophical landscape for the next 500 years. Epicureans advised pursuing pleasure to be happy, and Stoics held that true happiness could only be achieved by living according to nature, which required accepting what happens and fulfilling one's roles. Stoicism, more than Epicureanism, attracted followers from many different walks of life: slaves, laborers, statesmen, intellectuals, and an emperor. The lasting impact of these philosophies is seen from the fact that even today 'Stoic' and 'Epicurean' are household words. Although very little of the writings of the early Stoics survive, our knowledge of Stoicism comes largely from a few later Stoics. In this unique book, William O. Stephens explores the moral philosophy of Epictetus, a former Roman slave and dynamic Stoic teacher whose teachings are the most compelling defense of ancient Stoicism that exists. Epictetus' philosophy dramatically captures the spirit of Stoicism by examining and remedying our greatest human disappointments, such as the death of a loved one. Stephens shows how, for Epictetus, happiness results from focusing our concern on what is up to us while not worrying about what is beyond our control. He concludes that the strength of Epictetus' thought lies in his conception of happiness as freedom from fear, worry, grief, and dependence upon luck.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

William O. Stephens is an American expert on Stoicism and Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Creighton University.
His books include Epictetus’s Encheiridion: A New Translation and Guide to Stoic Ethics (Bloomsbury, 2023), a revised edition of his English translation of A. F. Bonhöffer, The Ethics of the Stoic Epictetus (Peter Lang, 2021), Marcus Aurelius: A Guide for the Perplexed (Bloomsbury, 2012), Stoic Ethics: Epictetus and Happiness as Freedom (Bloomsbury, 2007), and The Person: Readings in Human Nature (Prentice Hall, 2006). His writings on Stoic topics include food, animals, ecology, love, death, habit, refugees, sports, travel, the Star Wars films, the film Gladiator (2000), and Dungeons & Dragons.

Reviews

[Don Putnam]

A really great book on Epictetus' Stoic ethics. I read this as a primer to Stephens' book / translation of Bonhoffer's The Ethics of the Stoic Epictetus.

Nothing particularly new (for me) in this book, other than I enjoyed the author's take on the weaknesses of Stoicism.

1. it "downplays the active power that the health of one's body has on the functioning of one's cognitive processes, there is really no denying the physiological basis of many or all mental disorders and cognitive dysfunctions" (p. 151).

2. Epictetus' "teleological view is thoroughly anthropocentric ... [leading to the] belief that all animals are by nature for the use of humans." Similarly, the exploitation of the Earth's resources to feed a greed for luxury and decadence, is also noted. However, even in the ancient times, people like Seneca "deplored mining as an abuse of their mother earth" (p. 152).

3. Epictetus' "political quietism de-emphasizes the conscientious citizen's kathekon of enactiong social, economic and political reform." While Epictetus seems to think Stoicism promote social justice, the author does not think Epictetus goes far enough, by saying "economic injustice and social oppression make for moral dissonance, not harmony" (p. 152).

[Lingui5t]

All in all, not a bad treatment, well argued in places. Longer critical passages containing an apology for Epictetus to each 'count' that Stephens brings against Stoicism in his very brief concluding remarks would have improved it.

[Michael]

Correct.

[C. Çevik]

"Let us call this person Trump. Trump has tremendous desires for externals. He is greedy for vast material assets. He craves awesome political power. He has a fiendish lust for sex. He has an appetite for the most sumptuous food and wine money can buy." (p. 143)