Synopsis: In past episodes I’ve voiced my own critiques of Epictetus’s brand of Stoicism. Specifically, I’ve indicted him for advocating heartlessness, inhumanity, and sociopathy. I recently came across a defense of Epictetus against such charges. While it’s too early to tell whether this defense addresses all of my problems, I am certain that the distinction he makes between feeling and emotion will be useful in understanding Epictetus’s teachings, and (I hope) in implementing them in a healthy manner.
Related Episodes:
- Thinking Aloud About My Fundamental Disagreement with Epictetus (Epictetus – Enchiridion 8, Discourses 3:8)
- How the Jedi Order Gives Stoicism a Bad Name, Part 1: Yoda (Epictetus: Enchiridion 3,7)
Sources:
- Epictetus, Enchiridion (The Handbook) 16
- Rambam: Mishneh Torah, Sefer ha’Mada, Hilchos Deios 2:3
- Ward Farnsworth, The Practicing Stoic: A Philosophical User’s Manual, Chapter 13, pp. 244-247
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If you have questions, comments, or feedback, I would love to hear from you! Please feel free to contact me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail.
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Stoic texts:
The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius
Letters from a Stoic Master (Seneca)
The Discourses of Epictetus
The Enchiridion (Handbook) of Epictetus
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