Discourses, Book 1

by Epictetus, Robert F. Dobbin (Editor)

The Discourses are a key source for ancient Stoicism, one of the richest and most influential schools of thought in Western philosophy. They not only represent the Stoicism of Epictetus' own time, but also reflect the teachings of such early Stoics as Zeno and Chrysippus, whose writings are largely lost. The first of the four books of the Discourses is philosophically the richest: it focuses primarily on ethics and moral psychology, but also touches on issues of logic, epistemology, science, and rhetoric. Other notable schools of ancient thought, including Epicureanism, the Sceptics, and the Cynics, are discussed.
Robert Dobbin presents a new translation into clear modern English of this important work, together with the first commentary on the work since the eighteenth century. Each of the thirty discourses that make up Book 1 is introduced and summarized; then the arguments are examined in detail. The general introduction gives background information about Epictetus' life, the intellectual context of the work, the style of the discourses, and the history of the text. A bibliography surveys the literature. The volume serves as a guide to Epictetus' thought as a whole.

Genres: Philosophy, Classics

282 pages, Paperback

First published May 13, 2014

About the author

Epictetus was a Greek Stoic philosopher. He was probably born a slave at Hierapolis, Phrygia (present day Pamukkale, Turkey), and lived in Rome until his exile to Nicopolis in northwestern Greece, where he lived most of his life and died. His teachings were noted down and published by his pupil Arrian in his Discourses. Philosophy, he taught, is a way of life and not just a theoretical discipline. To Epictetus, all external events are determined by fate, and are thus beyond our control, but we can accept whatever happens calmly and dispassionately. Individuals, however, are responsible for their own actions which they can examine and control through rigorous self-discipline. Suffering arises from trying to control what is uncontrollable, or from neglecting what is within our power. As part of the universal city that is the universe, human beings have a duty of care to all fellow humans. The person who followed these precepts would achieve happiness.

Other language versions:
Epictète
Epícteto
Epiktet

Reviews

[Achilleas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Διαύγεια.

«...Αυτή, λοιπόν, είναι η αρχή της φιλοσοφίας: Να αντιλαμβανόμαστε την κατάσταση στην οποία βρίσκεται το ηγεμονικό μέρος μας της ίδιας της ψυχής μας. Όταν θα έχουμε αναγνωρίσει ότι βρίσκεται σε κακή κατάσταση, δεν θα θέλουμε να το χρησιμοποιούμε για τα σπουδαία πράγματα. Αλλά, σήμερα, αυτοί που δεν μπορούν να καταπιούν μια μπουκιά, αγοράζουν ολόκληρη πραγματεία και πάνε να τη φάνε. Γι' αυτό, ή ξερνάνε ή βαρυστομαχιάζουν. Μετά έρχονται οι κολικοί, τα συνάχια και οι πυρετοί. Πρώτα θα έπρεπε να σκέφτονταν τις δυνατότητές τους. Στη θεωρία, βέβαια, είναι εύκολο να ελέγξεις τον άσχετο, στα ζητήματα της ζωής, όμως, κανείς δεν προσφέρει τον εαυτό του στον έλεγχο, ενώ μισούμε κιόλας αυτόν που μας εξετάζει. Ο Σωκράτης, όμως, έλεγε «ζωή ανερεύνητη να μην τη ζούμε»...»

[Nick Mavroidis · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the greatest philosophers of all time. Highly recommended.