A pocket manual of Stoic ethics — what is in your control and what is not.
Why this book matters
Written by a former slave and carried into battle by generations of soldiers, the Enchiridion may be the most practical philosophy book ever written.
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There are things which are within our power, and there are things which are beyond our power. Within our power are opinion, aim, desire, aversion, and, in one word, whatever affairs are our own. Beyond our power are body, property, reputation, office, and, in…
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Written by a former slave and carried into battle by generations of soldiers, the Enchiridion may be the most practical philosophy book ever written.
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- Epictetus (The Author/Teacher)
- A Stoic philosopher (implied speaker of the text) who instructs the reader on how to live according to nature and reason, focusing on what is and is not within one's control.
- Socrates
- Cited repeatedly as the model philosopher whose calm acceptance of death and modest, undogmatic manner exemplify the Stoic ideal.
- Diogenes
- Mentioned as one who, by wanting nothing and refusing nothing offered by fortune, achieved a nearly divine freedom.
- Heraclitus
- Paired with Diogenes as an example of a sage who transcended ordinary desires.
- Chrysippus
- A Stoic writer whose difficult texts are discussed as a caution against valuing cleverness of interpretation over lived virtue.
- Euphrates
- A contemporary philosopher/orator referenced as someone whose eloquence tempts hearers to superficially imitate philosophy.
- Zeno
- Founder of Stoicism, invoked as a figure to imagine consulting when facing difficult social situations.
- The Reader/Student ('You')
- The direct addressee of the entire manual, instructed step by step in Stoic practice regarding desire, duty, and judgment.
Glossary
- Enchiridion
- Greek for 'handbook' or 'manual'; the title reflects its purpose as a compact, practical guide to Stoic living rather than a theoretical treatise.
- Things within our power / not within our power
- The Enchiridion's foundational distinction: opinion, desire, and will are ours to control, while body, property, reputation, and external events are not.
- Semblance / Appearance (phantasia)
- The initial impression an event makes on the mind, which the Stoic must examine rather than accept at face value ('You are but a semblance and by no means the real thing').
- Ruling faculty
- The governing part of the mind (reason/will) that Stoics believed must be guarded from harm above all else, since external injuries cannot truly damage it.
- Kathekonta (relational duties)
- Duties determined by one's social relations (father, brother, citizen), to be fulfilled regardless of whether the other party reciprocates.
- Divination
- Consulting oracles or diviners about future events; Epictetus reframes its proper use as seeking practical guidance only where reason cannot decide, not to escape moral duty.
- Obulus
- A small ancient Greek coin, used in the text as an analogy for the 'price' (flattery, attendance) one must pay to obtain social favors.
- Portico
- A covered walkway or civic building, mentioned as an example of material public works one need not personally provide to still be useful to one's country.
- Pythian God
- Apollo, as worshipped at Delphi; invoked as the 'greater diviner' whose moral authority (via reason) outweighs literal oracular omens.
- Stoic 'proficient'
- A technical term for someone advanced in Stoic practice but not yet a perfected sage—cautious, self-critical, and still guarding against relapse like a convalescent.
Table of contents
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