The Enchiridion

Epictetus

A brief handbook of Stoic advice on judgement, responsibility and what lies within one’s control. Its compact instructions work best when examined alongside the situations to which they might apply. Sections XLIV and XLVI question claims to superiority and displays of learning; XLII offers related reading on responding to a wrong, rather than a duty to excuse ongoing harm. For responsibility, compare section I’s distinction between your choices and external circumstances; XXXIII examines restraint in speech, and XLV distinguishes observed behaviour from an unsupported moral judgement. These are historical arguments to examine, not duties to stay silent or ignore harm. For fear, section V considers how judgments contribute to disturbance. Read this Stoic argument alongside the reality of external harm and the value of protection or support; it does not establish that distressed people are responsible for what happens to them.

Who it suits

Readers wanting short passages on practical judgement.

Reading experience

Moderate; concise advice with demanding implications. This is an Edsverb editorial guide, not a measured reading score.

The edition

Edition

Thomas Wentworth Higginson translation

Language

English

Translator

Thomas Wentworth Higginson

Project Gutenberg lists this specific edition as public domain in the USA; rights elsewhere are not established here.

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