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80 of 83 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Life in the eye of the storm, March 2, 1997
By A Customer
This review is from: The Discourses of Epictetus - The Handbook - Fragments (Everyman's Library) (Paperback)
Many of us are prone to think of ourselves as somewhat "pitiful" in comparison to others: we drive a Chevrolet; they drive a BMW: we have 1900 sq. ft. in our home; they have 3200: we make $35,000 a year; they have a yacht on the Caribbean. Suppose you were lame; a freed slave; and subject to arrest by "the leader of the free world" if he didn't like your teaching. Such was Epictetus who, along with other philosophers, was expelled from Rome by the emperor some 19 centuries ago. Epictetus was not the founder of Stoicism, but he was--apparently--its greater teacher because it is his discussions which have survived in the most nearly complete form for us. This volume contains not only the four "books" of discourses, but also the distillation called the "handbook" or "enchiridion", and various fragments preserved in other writings. These teachings were written down by Arrian, a student of Epictetus and author of a biography of Alexander the Great. Here we hear, as it were, the voice of Epictetus teaching: often within the text we have the questions of a student to whom Epictetus is replying; we are able to catch the teacher's irony and wit. It is as if we are sitting in his presence, just a little farther away than we might wish. Epictetus's "program" is simple: to teach us how to live without fear or grief or unsatisfied desire; to teach how to "worry" ourselves only over those things which we can control, which--to put it simply, as Epictetus always does--are our own reactions and responses. I cannot control my wife; I can control how I respond to her. I cannot control the Senators; I can control how I respond to them. I cannot control whether I have cancer or not; I can control how I react to that situation. Much like the Buddha's insistence that we can attain nirvana by controlling our desires, Epictetus's teaching leads, if applied, to a calmer, more "centered" and peaceful life. And who doesn't need that? [If you want Epictetus's work in a more permanent form than this paperback, buy the Loeb Classical Library hardcovers, listed as Discourses Books 1 and 2, and Discourses Books 3 and 4. The second volume also contains the Enchiridion and the Fragments.
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23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tom Wolfe Knows, September 30, 2005
This review is from: The Discourses of Epictetus - The Handbook - Fragments (Everyman's Library) (Paperback)
I discovered Epictetus following a library checkout of a book on tape by Tom Wolfe titled "A Man in Full" (1998)- a story about two men who met by chance in Atlanta and whose lives changed drastically and positively as one (an escaped convict) reluctantly taught the other (who was in his own personal crisis) the power of what he learned in prison from the teachings of Epictetus. I could see how the ideas Wolfe found in Epictetus might change people even as dramatically as happened in the novel so I read A. A. Long's, "Epictetus: A Stoic and Socratic Guide to Life" (2002, also rated five stars). Long wrote that the best translation was by Robin Hard (this edition). Epictetus wrote nothing (all we have are his student Adrian's lecture notes). He was a former slave recognized for his talent and educated in Nero's Court, later freed, and then exiled. He set up a school in Nicopolis, Greece, taught young men from well-to-do families about stoic philosphy and his reputation grew, resulting in requests for consultations - apparently even from Emperor Hadrian. What I learned from this book is why happiness is an attainable state of mind instead of an occurance and a rational, pragmatic approach. In my field, Epictetus has been described as a pioneer of rational-emotive and cognitive-behavioral therapy (especially the former) and I would support this view. He is an amazing teacher.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Epictetus - The best translation I found, September 28, 2007
This review is from: The Discourses of Epictetus - The Handbook - Fragments (Everyman's Library) (Paperback)
Having developed an interest in Epictetus, I bought a translation of his works, and was sorely disappointed. The wording was awkward, and phrasing often confusing or difficult to understand. This particular book was the third version of the Discourses I purchased, and I was delighted to find it understandable and enjoyable reading. You also get the complete works of Epictetus (The Discourses, Enchiridion, and Fragments), a nice bonus. I have not looked at every translation available, but I can recommend this one as well done. As for the review complaining about many typo's, I'm not sure that he is talking about this particular book. Two other translations that I bought were absolutely mangled and virtually unreadable. The "Everyman" edition is much better, understandable, and if there are a lot of typo's, I have not seen them.
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