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Epictetus 55–135  - Phrygia (Anatolia), Rome, Nicopolis in Epirus (in north-western Greece)

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From Wikipedia: Epictetus (55–c.135) was a Greek Stoic philosopher. He was probably born at Hierapolis, Phrygia, lived most of his life in Rome until his exile to Nicopolis in northwestern Greece, where he died.

Epictetus spent his youth as a slave. His real name is not known - the word epiktetos in Greek means "acquired." He was eventually freed and lived a relatively hard life in ill health in Rome. He was exiled along with other philosophers by the emperor Domitian in 90.

Epictetus' main work is the Enchiridion --or "Handbook", while his longer works are known as The Discourses. It is not believed that Epictetus wrote these, himself, but that they were penned by his pupil, Arrian. Like the early Stoics, Epictetus focused on ethics and on being masters of our own lives. The role of the Stoic teacher, according to Epictetus, was to encourage his students to live the philosophic life, whose end was eudaimonia (‘happiness’ or ‘flourishing’), to be secured by living the life of reason, which meant living virtuously and living ‘according to the will of nature’.

From Columbia Encyclopedia: c.A.D. 50–c.A.D. 138, Phrygian Stoic philosopher. He wrote nothing, but his teachings were set down by his disciple Arrian in the Discourses and the Encheiridion. Epictetus emphasized indifference to external goods and taught that the true good is within oneself. His Stoicism was outstanding in its insistence on the doctrine of the brotherhood of man.


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He wrote nothing, but his teachings were set down by his disciple Arrian in the Discourses and the Encheiridion.


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