Epictetus on the use of philosophy

About this event

We continue our series featuring an in-depth look at the Discourses of Epictetus, a book that has literally changed my life and that I think is one of the most important of the entire Western philosophical canon, if not of philosophy worldwide. I recommend the Robin Waterfield translation of Epictetus (https://bookshop.org/a/80309/9780226769509), published in 2024 by the University of Chicago Press. However, a free version, based on the W.A. Oldfather translation from 1925, is avaialble at Wikisource (https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Epictetus,_the_Discourses_as_reported_by_Arrian,_the_Manual,_and_Fragments). This time, we will discuss Discourses 1.15, "The prospect held out by philosophy," where Epictetus explains why it is important to study (and practice) love of wisdom. Should there be time, we will go on to talk about Discourses 1.16, "On providence," which continues the Master's exploration of Stoic theology and its ethical implications. Please note that the zoom link will be shared with registered attendees on this page on the morning of the event, so make sure to check it before attempting to log in. Also, for security reasons (i.e., reducing the chances of "zoom bombings"), please do not share the link outside our group! Thanks!