Epictetus

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Epictetus bigraphy, stories - Philosophers

Epictetus : biography

– 135

Epictetus (Jones, Daniel; Roach, Peter, James Hartman and Jane Setter, eds. Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary. 17th edition. Cambridge UP, 2006. ; AD 55–135) was a Greek sage and Stoic philosopher. He was born a slave at Hierapolis, Phrygia (present day Pamukkale, Turkey), and lived in Rome until his banishment, when he went to Nicopolis in northwestern Greece for the rest of his life. His teachings were written down and published by his pupil Arrian in his Discourses.

Philosophy, Epictetus 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; we should accept whatever happens calmly and dispassionately. However, individuals are responsible for their own actions, which they can examine and control through rigorous self-discipline.

Suffering occurs 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, it is our duty to care for all our fellow men. Those who follow these precepts will achieve happiness and peace of mind.

Life

Epictetus was born ca. 55 AD,His year of birth is uncertain. He must have been old enough to teach philosophy by the time Domitian banished all philosophers from Rome ca. 93 AD. He also describes himself as an old man to Arrian ca. 108 AD. cf. , i.9.10; i.16.20; ii.6.23; etc. presumably at Hierapolis, Phrygia.Suda. Epictetus. The name his parents gave him is unknown; the word epíktetos (επίκτητος) in Greek simply means "acquired." He spent his youth as a slave in Rome to Epaphroditos, a wealthy freedman and secretary to Nero., livius.org

Early in life, Epictetus acquired a passion for philosophy, and with the permission of his wealthy owner, he studied Stoic philosophy under Musonius Rufus,Epictetus, , i.7.32. which allowed him to rise in respectability as he grew more educated.Epictetus, , i.9.29. He somehow became crippled, and although Origen recounts a story that his leg was deliberately broken by his master,Origen, Simplicius states he had been lame from childhood.Simplicius,

Commentary on the Enchiridion, 13.