Customer Reviews

Discourses, Books 1-2 (Loeb Classical Library)

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This is volume one of a two volume set. The second volume is "Epictetus : Discourses, Books 3 and 4 (Loeb Classical Library, No 218)". The contents for both volumes are as follows:

VOLUME I:

Introduction (editors)

Bibliography

Symbols

Discourses, Book I

Discourses, Book II

Index

VOLUME II:

Discourses, Book III

Discourses, Book IV

Fragments

Encheiridion

The first thing worth noting is that although the titles of the volume refer to just the Discourses, the set is really a complete set of extant works, including fragments from other sources as well as a complete copy of the Encheiridion.

As is typical for the Loeb classical library books, the volumes are physically small, and the original text (Greek, for Epictetus) is given on the left hand page, with the English translation on the right.

The Introduction gives a brief biography of Epictetus and background information concerning Stoic philosophy. The Bibliography (which contains an update note from the original 1925 edition) gives the state of Epictetus scholarship. In the actual texts, footnotes are abundant and explain unfamiliar names, places, difficulties with translation, uncertainties about the source text, and Epictetus' quotes from earlier writers are more fully referenced. In summation, the background material supplied with these books is excellent.

As for the texts themselves, they were not actually written by Epictetus, but were notes taken by Arrian, one of his students (not unlike the Nicomachean Ethics, which were notes taken by a student of Aristotle). The Discourses are quite lively in style; Epictetus' personality and teaching style comes through vividly. This is not true of the Encheiridion, which Arrian abstracted from the Discourses and which had the life wrung out of it in the process.

The Discourses are not a well-organized body of work, as their origin might suggest. They are repetitive, and points that should have been grouped together logically are dispersed throughout.

The content is almost entirely ethical. Epictetus emphasizes the spark of divinity within man - that a man should always behave honourably. External things, such as wealth and power, are not things to be valued - they can be lost at any time, and are not worth a man's honour. Because his teachings are ethical, Epictetus is not concerned with what a man knows, but how he lives. The point isn't to understand his philosophy (which isn't hard), but to live it (which is).

This volume and its companion, listed as Discourses Books 3 and 4, are actually what survives of one work written almost 1900 years ago: the historian Arrian's recording of what he learned from his study with the premier Stoic philosopher of antiquity, Epictetus. The Discourses are, quite simply, a collection of some of the most down-to-earth, practical, beneficial teachings ever spoken: understanding what Epictetus said is easy; he is a lucid and forthright instructor: putting his teachings into practice is the difficulty. But the struggle is worthwhile: practicing Stoicism is not "a denial of the self", but rather a freeing of the self from the dictatorship of things beyond our control. Epictetus teaches us how to see the world as it really is; how to see ourselves as we really are; and to understand how we can live at peace within chaos. [More information under my review of the Everyman's Library edition.

reading and understanding the Discourses is not difficult. The points are driven home time after time, with one excellent example after another. There is so much common sense wisdom in these pages that you will find yourself constantly stopping to examine a passage and easily applying it to a situation in your own life.
But as has been said many times, living the Discourses is really tough. As you apply the lessons, if you are anything like me, you will find yourself saying, "Well, there's another way I screw up in life."
But what the hell? You know yourself better as a person and you will also constantly find yourself saying, "That is something that is not in my control, now lets see if I can control the way I respond to what has happened."
I started reading Epictitus shortly after reading "A Man in Full" by Tom Wolfe. I love the notion that we find ourselves in these little prisons, (usually of our own making,) but the door is always open. If we choose to leave, nothing can stop us. But if we choose to stay, well then stop bitching and just get on with it.

Epictetus' "Discourses Books 1 and 2" are a solid exposition of his Stoic philosophy. The ideas are grassroots and grounded in the real world, though attempting to achieve some awareness of individual transcendance. Written by Arrian, one of Epistetus' students, it is an excellent resource.

Arrian's Epictetus basically starts by ripping common conceptions apart and undermining those things that we all take for granted or think little about. The fear of death, misfortune, opinions of others and much more come under fire from Epictetus. He also spends some time establishing the nature of philosophy and what it is all about. It is after this that Arrianus gets into the more developed teachings of Epictetus. It is in this section that he deals extensively with moral purpose, external impressions and other more detailed Stoic ideas.

Oldfather's translation can seem a bit strange at first, as he seems to have followed the original Greek forms as closely as possible. This makes for a style of English that can be a little perplexing at first, though you will soon get used to it.

While the footnotes are sparse, the book does not need any more. They are very useful for explaining the references to other ancient works, or explaining some points that one might find difficult.

The philosophy in this book presents itself as dealing with the real world, and is quite useful to anyone interested in ethics. It is also an easily understood work, thus it is well suited to people who are not experienced with broader philosophy and are looking for somewhere to start.

Bottom line, this is a great book and one that you will be able to read repeatedly and still gain something from each reading. I had a great time reading it, and was thoroughly challenged by it.

This is the first of the two volume Loeb Classical Library edition of Epictetus' Discourses, with Greek and W. A. Oldfather's English translation on facing pages. For those who have no intgerest in the Greek, purchasing this volume may seem like a bit of overkill when compared with inexpensive reprints such as the one from NuVision Publications (September 19, 2006). As someone who bought the reprint first, I must tell you I tried to use it once and was immediately disappointed. Just as with my copies of Homer, Plato, Aristotle, and practically every other classic author, I rarely read them or parts of them from start to finish. Rather, I look up sections when I find references to them in commentaries on, for example, parts of the Old or New Testaments. In order to find the appropriate passage, one must use the established section and paragraph numbering. Unfortunately, this numbering is entirely missing from the reprint, which I have donated to my nearest library after receiving my Loeb copies. These little gems cost about four times the reprint, but for that, you get a book you will be proud to own, and even show off a bit on your bookshelf, plus a great little commentary on the Discourses, as well as the 'Fragments' and 'The Encheiridion', a summary of Epictetus thoughts by his secretary, Arrian. The reprint has none of this and, for the third time, I suggest it is less than useless, as it gives the illusion of value, and you will be disappointed when you find it missing.