Epictetus Reputation Essay

Epictetus’ handbook, Enchiridion, was compiled by his disciple Arrian and first published in 125 AD. In this writing, Epictetus offers Stoic advice on how one can live well given the circumstances within one’s world. Epictetus firmly believes in the strategy of detachment as a means to survive; to not project any intrinsic value onto things outside one’s control and to be dependent on oneself for one’s own happiness. As Dr. Enns mentions in lecture, Epictetus proposes coping strategies for one’s particular circumstances within one’s particular environment. However, I thoroughly believe that instead of using Epictetus' techniques of detachment as a way to endure one's circumstance, one should be aiming to better one's circumstance.

While the mindset of a Stoic
Although taking on a different perspective may prove to be effective in the short-term, it does not offer a way to resolve the source of the problem, as Dr. Enns mentioned in lecture. To illustrate, Epictetus makes repeated mentions of reputation and how one is unable to control the view of others. However, could one’s meager reputation be a result of one’s poor temperament or general unpleasantness? By thinking that one is unable to influence other’s opinions of oneself, one is absolved from taking responsibility for one’s actions, free to act as a pompous donkey. Detachment is an ineffective means to live; if everyone overlooked the problems within our society, no progress can be made by the human race. It was those who were passionate, those who were attached to their society – the external world, that great feats in history were achieved. In fact, if one so chooses to follow the ways of a stoic, one remains ignorant while the problem may grow larger. Instead of thinking that humans have no control over all external factors in life, perhaps consider some as influenced by the result of one’s own