Epictetus

Epictetus
Eighteenth-century line drawing depicting Epictetus with his crutch
Born	c. AD 50 Hierapolis, Phrygia (presumed)
Died	c. 135 (aged c. 85) Nicopolis, Epirus[1]
Philosophical work
Era	Hellenistic philosophy
Region	Western philosophy
School	Stoicism
Main interests	Ethics
Notable works	Discourses Enchiridion
Notable ideas	Memento mori[2]

Epictetus (/ˌɛpɪkˈtiːtəs/, EH-pick-TEE-təss;^[3] Ancient Greek: Ἐπίκτητος, Epíktētos; c. 50 – c. 135 AD) was a Greek Stoic philosopher.^[4][5] He was born into slavery at Hierapolis, Phrygia (present-day Pamukkale, in western Turkey) and lived in Rome until his banishment, when he went to Nicopolis in northwestern Greece, where he spent the rest of his life.

Epictetus studied Stoic philosophy under Musonius Rufus and after manumission, his formal emancipation from slavery, he began to teach philosophy. Subject to the banishment of all philosophers from Rome by Emperor Domitian toward the end of the first century, Epictetus founded a school of philosophy in Nicopolis. Epictetus taught that philosophy is a way of life and not simply a theoretical discipline. To Epictetus, all external events are beyond our control; he argues that we should accept whatever happens calmly and dispassionately. However, he held that individuals are responsible for their own actions, which they can examine and control through rigorous self-discipline. His teachings were written down and published by his pupil Arrian in his Discourses and Enchiridion. They influenced many later thinkers, including Marcus Aurelius, Pascal, Diderot, Montesquieu, Rabelais, and Samuel Johnson.