The front cover of 'The Discourses of Epictetus and the Enchiridion' Royal Collector's Edition, featuring a dark brown leather-like texture with ornate gold embossed borders and a central circular emblem.

The Discourses of Epictetus | Classic Stoic Philosophy Book

$64.73
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The front cover of 'The Discourses of Epictetus and the Enchiridion' Royal Collector's Edition, featuring a dark brown leather-like texture with ornate gold embossed borders and a central circular emblem.
  • The front cover of 'The Discourses of Epictetus and the Enchiridion' Royal Collector's Edition, featuring a dark brown leather-like texture with ornate gold embossed borders and a central circular emblem.
The Discourses of Epictetus | Classic Stoic Philosophy Book

The Discourses of Epictetus | Classic Stoic Philosophy Book

Distinguish what is within our control from what is not
$64.73

Why we chose this book

Epictetus brings Stoicism down to the realities of everyday life: our judgments, desires, frustrations and choices. The Discourses offers a direct exploration of personal responsibility and the distinction between what we can control and what we must learn to accept.

TOPIC

Stoicism

READING STYLE

Classic Philosophy

TNW PILLAR

WISDOM

About the Book

The Discourses of Epictetus preserves a series of informal lectures and conversations delivered by Epictetus and recorded by his student Arrian around 108 AD.

Throughout the work, Epictetus returns to one of Stoicism's central principles: learning to distinguish what is within our control from what is not. He argues that genuine freedom comes from directing our attention toward our own judgments, choices and responses rather than allowing external circumstances to determine our state of mind.

The teachings explore three principal areas of Stoic training: desire, understanding what is worth wanting; choice, learning to act according to sound principles; and assent, carefully examining the impressions and judgments we accept as true.

Epictetus also addresses relationships, adversity, anger, responsibility and how we respond to the faults of others, making The Discourses an intensely practical exploration of how Stoic philosophy can be lived rather than merely studied.
Book Details

Author: Epictetus

Recorded by: Arrian

Format: Case Laminate Collector's Edition

Pages: 352

Publication Date: November 15, 2020

Dimensions: 6" W × 9" H × 0.94" D

Language: English

Edition Features:

Case laminate construction with a Victorian-inspired dust jacket.

The Discourses originated from the teachings of Epictetus as recorded by his pupil Arrian in the early second century AD and remains one of the foundational texts of Stoic philosophy.
About the Author

Epictetus was a Greek Stoic philosopher born around 50 AD. Born into slavery in the Roman Empire, he later gained his freedom and became an influential teacher of philosophy, eventually establishing a school in Nicopolis in northwestern Greece.

Epictetus taught that philosophy should be a practical discipline for living well. Central to his thinking was the distinction between what is within our control and what is not, with freedom arising from developing our judgments, choices and character rather than attempting to control external circumstances.

Epictetus did not write his teachings himself. His student Arrian recorded his lectures and conversations, preserving them as the Discourses and the shorter Enchiridion (or Handbook).

His ideas became enormously influential within Stoicism and later influenced thinkers including Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius.

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