Epictetus on how to behave with tyrants

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 available at Wikisource (https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Epictetus,_the_Discourses_as_reported_by_Arrian,_the_Manual,_and_Fragments). This time we will discuss Discourses 1.19, "The proper attitude to have toward tyrants," where Epictetus explains why tyrants are nothing to a Stoic. [Bonus points if you recognize the scene depicted in the image accompanying this announcement.] Should there be time, we will go on to talk about Discourses 1.20, "On reason and its ability to examine itself." 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!