The Enchiridion of Epictetus
Epictetus
Read by D.E. Wittkower
Epictetus (Greek: Επίκτητος; c.55–c.135) was a Greek Stoic philosopher. The name given by his parents, if one was given, is not known - the word epiktetos in Greek simply means "acquired."
Epictetus spent his youth as a slave in Rome to Epaphroditos, a very wealthy freedman of Nero. Even as a slave, Epictetus used his time productively, studying Stoic Philosophy under Musonius Rufus. He was eventually freed and lived a relatively hard life in ill health in Rome.
So far as is known, Epictetus himself wrote nothing. All that we have of his work was transcribed by his pupil Arrian. The main work is The Discourses, four books of which have been preserved (out of an original eight). Arrian also compiled a popular digest, entitled the Enchiridion, or Handbook. In a preface to the Discourses, addressed to Lucius Gellius, Arrian states that "whatever I heard him say I used to write down, word for word, as best I could, endeavouring to preserve it as a memorial, for my own future use, of his way of thinking and the frankness of his speech". (Summary by Wikipedia) (0 hr 51 min)
Chapters
| The Enchiridion | 51:25 | Read by D.E. Wittkower |
Reviews
Incredibly insightful
Joseph McMinn
Instructions for Stoic living. A great pleasure to read and apply.
A much-needed cleansing of the mind and soul
Bookaholizz
I've read parts of Epictetus's Discourses, but this is a brilliant summary of his main ideas, which (are meant to) release people from notions that lead to a life devoid of peace, e.g., trying to control external things and events. It's a great refresher of the Stoic principles, and an essential read for those who feel the need for a mental reset to better their lives. The reader has done a lovely job as well--great pacing and articulation. Thank you so much for the hard work!
A LibriVox Listener
imho 95% Excellent Guide for Stoic living... It's well recorded, but I TOO was not ALWAYS able to follow the argument of the text. Possibly I am not quite as SECULAR ANCIENT GREEK as is required? HOWEVER! I Will Re-Listen to it several more times,until I learn/understand the Secular Ancient Greek perspective
A book for young men
Still
an impassioned plea to see the world dispassionately. Epictetus begs the reader to simply do what they think best, forsake distraction and live as a great man. or live and die as one of the many, never becoming proficient in anything. The choice is yours.
Well read! Deep subject matter.
L H
Very enjoyable to listen to the speaker. He has a strong, consistent voice and good annunciation. I will have to listen several more times, as some of the thoughts and examples are very complex and worth revisiting. Overall an excellent snapshot of Stoic philosophy.
Well read! Deep subject matter.
L H
Very enjoyable to listen to the speaker. He has a strong, consistent voice and good annunciation. I will have to listen several more times, as some of the thoughts and examples are very complex and worth revisiting. Overall an excellent snapshot of Stoic philosophy.
A LibriVox Listener
Thoughtful principals to live by. Epictetus delves deep into the why of what and how we behave and gives us examples of conduct good and bad so that we might be better humans.
Floyd Parker
Epictetus is my favorite Stoic (a "sunny" Stoic in comparison to Marcus Aurelius). The person reading this text has a good voice and chose the proper speed at which to read it.