The Enchiridion

Autorentext

Epictetus (approx. 50-135 CE) was a Greek philosopher whose works influenced other prominent stoic thinkers like Marcus Aurelius. Born a slave to a wealthy secretary to Emperor Nero, Epictetus was educated from an early age and gained a passion for philosophy. He developed his foundational views of stoicism under the tutelage of Musonius Rufus and went on to found a school of philosophy during his exile from Rome in Nicopolis. To Epictetus, philosophy was a way of life and not simply a theoretical discipline. His philosophy married two seemingly irreconcilable concepts: that all external events are beyond our control and yet all individuals are still responsible for their own actions, which they can govern through rigorous self-discipline.

Klappentext

"Of things, some depend upon ourselves, others do not depend upon ourselves." This simple opening line of The Enchiridion (c. 125 CE), the defining handbook on stoicism, contains Epictetus’ entire philosophy boiled down to its most essential: control what you can control and do not concern yourself with what you cannot. A direct influence on legendary thinkers like Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus prescribes constant vigilance for the burgeoning stoic. Vigilance not just of the physical world, but of the internal reactions to the physical world. It is those reactions, he argues, that cause true discomfort and pain. To achieve this vigilance, it is necessary to ground oneself in logic and reason, seeing the trials and tribulations of the world as trials to overcome by force of will and strategy rather than personal attacks or unscalable barriers. For the modern reader, The Enchiridion offers a simple and direct guide for living unshackled by the burdens of hyper-individualization and a digestible doorway into stoic philosophy. Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book. With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

Inhalt

Note on the Text 7

Introduction 9

Selected Bibliography 15

The Enchiridion 17