Epictetus. a Stic and Socratic Guide to Life

by Anthony A. Long

Book Overview

The philosophy of Epictetus, a freed slave in the Roman Empire, has been profoundly influential on Western thought: it offers not only stimulating ideas but practical guidance in living one's life. A. A. Long, a leading scholar of later ancient philosophy, gives the definitive presentation of the thought of Epictetus for a broad readership. Long's fresh and vivid translations of a selection of the best of Epictetus' discourses show that his ideas...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0199245568
• ISBN13: 9780199245567
• Release Date: March 2002
• Publisher: OUP Oxford
• Length: 330 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Very insightful and worth the time and money

The book reads well and is full of information. It's like taking an entire course about Epictetus at a major university--becuase it is. I am a student at Tulane University and I just used this book for an Independent Study course on Epictetus. I designed the course myself. This book was the only one I needed to buy in order to get an A from my advisor whose discipline is in Ancient Philosophy. This is worth every penny if you are interesting in rediscovering the powerful message of the Stoic approach to life and happiness.

One of the best contemporary books on Stoicism and ancient philosophy in general

[Note added later: I had originally given this book a 4 star review. Almost two years later I came back and bumped it up to 5. This is a book to cherish and to come back to over and over again. Stoicism is a way of life, and it requires a lifetime to study it. Long's book is an invaluable companion on the journey. The rest of this review is the same as originally written.] The great strength of A. A. Long's book on Epictetus is that Long views Epictetus, and Stoicism in general, as being firmly rooted in the broader tradition of ancient philosophy. This is reflected in his reference to Socrates in the book's title. Throughout the book Long engagingly draws the reader into the world of philosophy as it was lived. Especially in the first half of the book Long emphasizes Epictetus' humanity - as well as that of his students. The result is that anyone who reads this book will, if they haven't already, be compelled to read Epictetus. The two things that I wasn't crazy about are (1) Long's dismissal of the Epictetus' "Handbook" as unimportant (Long prefers to only look at the "Discourses"), and (2) the second half of the book is more technical and less fun to read than the first half. Long is, after all, a contemporary philsopher, and the second half of the book seems to be more aimed at his colleagues and students of academic philosophy rather than the general public.

Philosophy as praxis

This is a fine introduction to the thought of the ex-slave Epictetus. A.A. Long is a well-established specialist in the philosophical schools of the Hellenistic period. While professional philosophers have paid attention to the technical and "academic" side of this period, it is finally refreshing to see serious, thoughtful engagement with the practical and humanistic thinkers. Philosophy used to be a guide for living and perhaps it can be again some day. The work of Pierre Hadot, especially his studies on Marcus Aurelius or Plotinus, is also be recommended.

Grateful Autodidact.

Professor Long is an outstanding scholar, but as important, he is an excellent writer and a genuine pedagogue. Not content with a vehicle for academic display, he manages to produce an extremely readable book. I am most impressed with his obvious devotion to teaching, as his careful presentation makes evident. After reading this book, I am very impressed with Epictetus, but even more impressed with Professor Long. Thank you Sir.

The perfect introduction to Epictetus

There are three types of books : the Great Books, those that distract us from them and those that lead us to them. A. A. Long's *Epictetus* belongs to the latter category : it is the perfect introduction to the thought of Roman Stoic philosopher Epictetus (c.50- c.130) and what little has survived of it (I was particularly distressed to learn that what I knew as his Discourses are only about half of the original text, as only four of the original eight books have survived.) A leading proponent of Late Stoicism («the phase of Stoics during the Roman Empire» (19)), converted by his teacher Musonius Rufus, Epictetus may well be the most attractive figure of the movement. Unlike Seneca, he was a «practicing teacher» (11) and had no «fascination with suicide» (204.) And unlike Marcus Aurelius, he was not involved in the persecution of Christians (In his brilliant *The Founding of Christendom*, historian Warren Carroll writes that «Marcus Aurelius would never have approved the hellish tortures inflicted on the martyrs of Lyons in 177, yet they were inflicted on his authority» (p488.)) Moreover, contrary to the pantheism of most members of the school, he had a personalist conception of God (21) which makes his thought much more germane to the worldview of modern Christians, as this tends to replace the «point of view of the [impersonal] universe» cherished by Aurelius with a much more benevolent and purposive divine point of view as a frame of reference (205.) Epictetus's understanding of Providence and of the Natural Law should also appeal to modern conservative Catholics. As for his saying that «No one is free who is in error» (108), it finds a clear echo in its more famous converse : « the Truth shall make you free.» Long shows how central Epictetus's concept of God was to his whole philosophy. «The structuring principle of the entire universe,» God was the ultimate role model for the Stoic sage, «the paradigm of the virtues human beings are equipped to achieve» (145.) He is «rational perfection» itself, and understanding Him and His plan is a prerequisite for understanding our duties : «our reasoning powers and moral sense are an `offshoot' of the world's divine governor, whose cosmic order is a pattern for the harmony we should try to replicate in our thoughts and actions» (26.) Even to grasp the Stoic ideal of the life according to nature requires that we focus our lives on God : «the nature that interests [Epictetus] is exclusively animate, under which he includes not only human beings and other animals but first and foremost God» (143.) «To live `in accordance with nature' is to play one's specific part within the structure of the divine plan» (174.) As the subtitle of the book indicates, Epictetus was not only a Stoic, but a disciple of Socrates. Long even goes so far as to say that «he appropriates Socrates more deeply than any other philosopher after Plato» (8), making him «more prominent than any other predecessor, including the Stoic Z