Epictetus was a stoic philosopher who lived in Rome before his banishment. His teachings were written down and published in the discourses and the Enchiridion. Epictetus taught that philosophy is a way of life and not just a theoretical idea. Epictetus' philosophy influenced the Roman Emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Marcus often quotes Epictetus in his own work called, The Meditations, which was written during his campaign in Central Europe. The Meditations is a series of private notes and personal writings from Marcus directed to himself. He did not want these writings to be published as they were considered to be his personal diary. Marcus is known as the philosopher king. The writing of Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius are similar and different …show more content…
Epictetus says, "Men are disturbed not by things which happen, but by the opinions about the things"(Epictetus, Ch. 5). He is saying that men cannot control things that happen but can control the judgement of that object. Another example of this is when he says, "Disease is an impediment to the body, but not to the will, unless the will chooses." One cannot control what happens, therefore, should not be influenced by external forces. Epictetus maintains the common stoic thought that a happy life is derived from excellence. Marcus was exposed to many schools of thought, growing up in a wealthy family, but had a strong inclination towards Stoicism, especially Epictetus. Marcus writes that man must welcome all that happens, implying that it is out of one's control. He says, "A disposition to welcome all that happens…" Both Marcus and Epictetus have the same idea that one cannot control external forces. They also both write that no-one should be afraid of death. Marcus says that it is not death that one should fear but rather never beginning life. Epictetus says that it is not death or pain that is to be feared, but the fear of pain or death. It is quite prevalent that Marcus was influenced by Epictetus while writing about this specific topic. Reverting back to one's power, Epictetus states, "Within our power are opinion, aim, aversion, and, in one word, whatever affairs are our own"(Epictetus Ch. 1). Epictetus is reiterating the idea that you cannot control what happens around you. There is a similar parallel in the Mediations when Marcus Aurelius says that you have power of your mind - not outside
Although Charlemagne and Julius Caesar lived very different lives; they had some similarities. Caesar was an important military leader who ruled as a Consul during the Roman Empire. Caesar wasn’t afraid to get what he wanted. He wanted control of Gaul and when Pompey told him to leave; he came back and defeated him. Charlemagne was also very focused on military conquests.
This man had spent the better part of a year reading and rereading the Handbook of Epictetus, throughout that book the message is similar to one of the topics Sherman touches on, “Some things are up to us and some are not up to us,”(pg 2). Basically the circumstances maybe beyond our control, but ultimately what affects us is our judgements and the way we react. She makes a great point that we underutilize our ability to control ourselves when we let external things drive our happiness and that is the difference in so many people's lives, they wager their happiness and satisfaction on factors that should not ultimately
Diodorus and Plutarch portray Alexander with extreme amounts of arrogance because of his extravagant ideas and goals, but in Arrian’s pieces, Alexander is shown as a barbarian because of his inheritance of Persian culture.
The “Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius” was created as propaganda statue for the ruler Marcus Aurelius. Marcus Aurelius was a powerful leader and was best known for military conquests and his intellectual knowledge (Stokstad 200). Marcus Aurelius ruled in Rome from 161 to 180 CE. He was appointed as the ruler by the previous administration though he was not part of the royal family.
contrast the God of Epictetus, and the God of Augustine, and in the end, my stand will
As a worldview, Stoicism is a philosophical approach to help people to cope with times of great stress and troubles. In order to give comfort to humanity, the Stoics agree with the Pantheistic view that God and nature are not separate. Instead, the two forces are one. By believing that God is nature, humans have a sense of security because nature, like God, is recognized as rational and perfect. The perfection of nature is explained through the Divine, or natural, Law. This law gives everything in nature a predetermined plan that defines the future based on past evens (cause and effect). Because the goal for everything in nature is to fulfill its plan, the reason for all that happens in nature is because it is a part of the plan. It is apparent that, because this law is of God, it must be good. The Divine Law is also universal. Everything on the planet has a plan that has already been determined. There are no exceptions or limitations to the natural law. The world in the Stoics’ eyes is flawless, equal, and rational.
Aurelius, Marcus. The meditations of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus. New York: A.L. Burt, 189.
The tragic hero is one of literatures most used (and sometimes abused) characters. The classical definition of a tragic hero is, “a person with heroic or potentially heroic qualities. The person is doomed by the Gods or some other supernatural force to destruction or suffering. The hero struggles against the fate, but due to a personal flaw, ultimately fails in the battle against fate. It is my personal opinion that Brutus,as he is portrayed in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, is a tragic hero by this definition. I came to this conclusion due to the fact that Brutus shares many similarities with other tragic heroes in literature such as Oedipus, Hamlet, and Ralph from Lord of the Flies. All four characters share the two critical traits that are needed to be tragic heroes: a tragic flaw that eventually leads to a tragic downfall. The tragic hero was defined by Aristotle, yet the “invention” of the tragic hero goes to Sophocles.
Domitian was an educated person, although it is unknown where he got his education. He loved to write and wrote poetry. His poems were very sensitive no matter what the topic. Later on Domitian even wrote and published a book about baldness. Apparently, Domitian was interested in many different types of literature. People often said that he spoke intelligently, and made memorable comments. In his later years, Domitian began to read Tiberius’s commentaries. He established a way of thinking and developed his own ideas on standards and morals.
Cicero, was truly a man of the state. His writings also show us he was equally a man of
With their philosophical roots grounded in ancient Greece, Stoicism and Epicureanism had contrary yet significant impacts on Roman society. These two philosophies differed in many of their basic theories. Stoics attempted to reach a moral level where they had freedom from passion, while Epicureans strove for pleasure and avoided all types of pain. Stoics like the Epicureans, emphasized ethics as the main field of knowledge, but they also developed theories of logic and natural science to support their ethical doctrines.
Stoicism is a philosophical school of thought that asserts virtue as the one true good that can produce eudemonia, the Stoic term for happiness or living well. This good is accessible to all, by means of using impressions properly and behaving in accordance with god and nature. Virtue is a good achieved through both internal and external sources. The Stoics associated virtue with the venerated status of sage, which can be achieved only when the soul is unwaveringly consistent with true human nature. But what is human nature? Unlike many philosophical theories that focus on the role of emotions in human nature, the Stoics thought human nature to be closely tied to rationality. The Stoics believed that it was human nature to seek out good and happiness, and that all wrong choices are made in the pursuit or avoidance of a wrongfully perceived value. These errors in rationale and perception contribute to the formation of false beliefs, which causes non-virtuous or vicious behavior. Determinism, or the acceptance of living in accord with events outside of our control is a key feature of Stoic theory. This strict determinism allows Stoics to distance themselves from encumbering emotional reactions that are often associated with negative or positive outcomes. A stoic would attempt to dissuade a non-sage from engaging in emotions because they lack the capacity of assenting strictly to kataleptic impressions because emotions negatively effect their beliefs. In order to behave in accordance with this logic it requires a rejection of common emotions. Ordinary emotions such as pleasure and fear are considered false impression, which contribute to a bad mental state. In order to avoid assenting to false impressions one must gain a rational und...
Marcus Aurelius was a stoic. In the book Archetypes of Wisdom, Soccio defines stoicism as a philosophy that, “counsel’s self-control, detachment, and acceptance of one’s fate as identified by the objective use of reason. Stoics believed that everything is about your attitude and that happiness comes only through the detachment from all external things. In book two of The Meditations Aurelius writes that nothing can injure him because no one can implicate him in what is degrading. This would be considered a stoic thought because Marcus is not letting external factors influence his happiness. Another example would be that when he speaks of his brother. His stepbrother Verus was very incompetent, but Aurelius could not turn his back on him, because it would go against Nature. Nature is the same thing as Logos. Logos is a force that governs the universe. It is also known as World Reason, Cosmic Mind, God, Zeus, Nature, Providence, Cosmic Meaning, and Fate. He mentions several of these throughout the document.
Marcus Aurelius’ literary work, Mediations, has been seen throughout history as one of the most important literary works. It is similar to a journal, written by Aurelius during his life, about his life. Aurelius was a man who was unlike other emperors. While most other emperors disgraced themselves, he was an exception. There was no particular reason why he acted this way, and no external forces caused him to act this way. He was a man who could get whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted, and yet he didn’t use his power for his own benefit. He was afraid of doing what was wrong, and intended to live a life where he wouldn’t feel guilty about anything. He never wanted the things he wrote to be published; however they have given advice to many people over the years. Aurelius lived a lonely life, because there was no one as his equal, and anyone who talked to him was looking for something. Throughout the passages in Meditations, Aurelius makes a lot of really good observations.
Stoic principles can guide many toward a successful life. The few discussed previously – negative visualization, insults, and the dichotomy of control – serve as a good starting point for people like me who are just beginning to learn about Stoicism. Through negative visualization, we can grow to respect, appreciate, and acknowledge the fortunate circumstances that we each have been lucky to be placed in. Whether you are the richest or the poorest, it could always be worse. By following the Stoic teaching on insults, we develop immunity to “insults.” When they no longer have an effect on us, it is almost ridiculous to call them insults. We learn to either laugh at them or ignore them. We cannot control what others think so there is no use in letting it have a negative effect on something we can control – how we respond. This idea goes back to the dichotomy of control based around the things we can and cannot completely control. By concerning ourselves solely with deriving benefits from the things within our control, we can eliminate the typical strong effect that the things we cannot control have on