Below I have provided two translations of the material we will cover in class. Make sure you try
    to consider the questions as you go through them. My comments are in italics.
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I. “Of things some are in our power, and others are not. In our power are opinion, movement toward a thing,
desire, aversion—turning from a thing, and in a word, whatever are our own acts: not in the power are the
body,property, reputation, offices, and in a word, whatever are not our own acts. And the things in our power
are by nature free, not subject to restraint or hindrance: but the things not in our power are weak, slavish,
subject to restraint, in the power of others….”(11)

1. "Some things are up to us and some are not up to us. Our opinions are up to us, and our impulses,
desires, aversions--in short, whatever is our own doing. Our bodies are not up to us, no are our possessions,
our reputations, or our public offices, or, that is, whatever is not our own doing. The things that are up to us
are by nature free, unhindered, and unimpeded; the things that are not up to us are weak, enslaved, hindered,
not our own. So remember, if you think that things naturally enslaved are free or that things not your own are
your own, you will be thwarted, miserable, and upset, and will blame both gods and men."

XXIX. “…You must be one man, either good or bad. You must either cultivate your own ruling faculty, or
(cultivate) external things; you must either exercise your skill on internal things or on external things; that
is, you must either maintain the position of a philosopher or that of a common person.”

29. "…You must be one person, either good or bad. You must either work on your ruling principle, or work on
externals, practice the art either of what is inside or of what is outside, that is, play the role either of a
philosopher or of a non-philosopher."

XIII. “If you would improve, submit to be considered without sense and foolish with respect to externals.
Wish to be considered to know nothing: and if you shall seem to some to be a person of importance,
distrust yourself. For you should know that it is not easy both to keep your will in a condition conformable
to nature and (to secure) external things: but if a man is careful about the one, it is an absolute necessity
that he will neglect the other.”

13. "If you want to make progress, let people think you are a mindless fool about externals, and do not
desire a reputation for knowing about them. If people think you amount to something, distrust yourself.
Certainly it is not easy to be on guard for one's choices to be in accord with nature and also for externals,
and a person who concerns himself with the one will be bound to neglect the other."

Thus, we know from I and XIV that a philosopher focuses upon things that are in his/her power, or the
internals. The common man lets externals effect his life to his/her detriment. Notice the moral judgment in
XIV, Epictetus is saying that you are either good or bad, good if you’re one who focuses on the internals,
but bad if you focus on the externals. More so, in XIII a philosopher is one who keeps his/her will conformed
to nature and is good, and conversely, a common man is one who does no conform his/her will with nature
and is bad.

A few questions:

1.  Why would Epictetus say “Wish to be considered to know nothing: and if you shall seem to some to be a
      person of importance, distrust yourself”? What is this an example of?

2. What do you think of the distinction between the philosopher and the common man? Do you think it
    is fair?

The Character of a Philosopher

XLVIII. “The condition and characteristic of an uninstructed person is this: he never expects from himself profit
(advantage) nor harm, but {he expects it} from externals. The condition and character of a philosopher is this:
he expects all advantage and all harm from himself. The signs of one who is making progress are these: he
censures no man, he praises no man, he blames no man, he accuses no man…and in a word he watches
himself as if he were an enemy and lying in ambush.”

48. "The position and character of a non-philosopher: he never looks for the benefit or harm to come from
himself but from things outside. The position and character of a philosopher: he looks for all benefit and
harm to come from himself. Signs of someone making progress: he censures no one; he praises no one;
he blames no one, he never talks about himself as a person who amounts to something or knows something…
In a single phrase, he is on guard against himself as an enemy lying in wait."

Consider the following to help you understand 48.

XX. “Remember that it is not he who reviles you, strikes you, who insults you, but it is your opinion about these
things as being insulting. When, then, a man irritates you, you must know that it is your own opinion which has
irritated you. Therefore especially try not to be carried away by the appearance. For if you gain time and delay,
you will more easily master yourself.”

20. "Remember that what is insulting is not the person who abuses or hits you, but the judgement about
them that they are insulting. So, when someone irritates you be aware that what irritates you is your own
belief. Most importantly, therefore, try not to be carried away by appearance, since if you once gain time
and delay you will control yourself more easily."

From XLVIII/48 we know that the character of a philosopher is one who takes him/herself to be the sole
source of his/her gains or losses. Notice all of the marks of improvement, they all deal with affirmations
of something external. For example, if you were to censure a man, you would be letting what he originally
said affect you.

A question: What does Epictetus mean by, “…in a word he watches himself as if he were an enemy and
lying in ambush.” Think about this in relation to his example of being irritated.

Appearances are things which may or may not comport with reason and or nature. In the example of XX,
Epictetus implores us not to let the appearance carry us away. The appearance in this case is that it looks
as if the man is the source of our irritation, but reason shows us that it is our conceptions that are the source
of our irritations.

VI. “Be not elated at any advantage, which belongs to another. If a horse when he is elated should say,
I am beautiful, one might endure it. But when you are elated and say, I have a beautiful horse, you must
know that you are elated at having a good horse. What then is your own? The use of appearances.
Consequently, when in the use of appearances, you are conformable to nature, then be elated, for then
you will be elated at something good which is your own.”

6. "Do not be joyful about any superiority that is not your own. If the horse were to say joyfully, "I am beautiful,"
one could put up with it. But certainly you, when you say joyfully, "I have a beautiful horse," are joyful about
the good of the horse. What, then, is your own? Your way of dealing with appearances. So whenever you are
in accord with nature in your way of dealing with appearances then be joyful, since then you are joyful about a
good of your own."

Notice, when appearances conform with nature, like a beautiful horse, it is good. When appearances do not
conform with nature, like the man being irritated, it is bad. I take it that Epictetus’ point here is that reason
would tell us that the horse being beautiful couldn’t be any other thing than beautiful—even if we try to change
it into a ‘bad’ appearance. In the case of the man being irritated, reason tells us that his external appearance
is what is effecting us, and in a way contrary to nature. In the latter case, you can change your perception of
the appearance, in the former it is more or less self-evident. Remembering back to Irwin, the sage could make
these judgments, and in the process instruct us about which one is good or bad.

23. "If it ever happens that you turn outward to want to please another person, certainly you have lost your plan
of life. Be content therefore in everything to be a philosopher, and if you want to seem to be one, make yourself
appear so to yourself, and you will be capable of it."

Epictetus' point here is simple. Focus on the internals and make sure you appear to yourself as one who does.
If you do these two things, you will be capable of being a philosopher. Thus a philosopher is a role that anyone
in principle can participate in.

What is important to note is the practical nature of philosophy to Epictetus and the Stoics. Philosophy was a
way of life, not simply an academic pursuit. Curing false beliefs was something that anyone in principle could
be trained to do by reorienting their focus on the internals.

Questions to think about: Is the focus on internals something you think you can do and will it help you live a better
life? Have you been carried away by appearances?