Epictetus
Greek Stoic philosopher
Epictetus was a Greek Stoic philosopher who was born into slavery and later taught in Nicopolis. He taught that philosophy is a way of life, not only a subject for study.
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Roman Born in Hierapolis, Turkey
About Epictetus
Epictetus came into the world as a slave in Hierapolis, in Phrygia (modern Pamukkale, Turkey), and later made his home in Rome until he was forced out. After that, he settled for good in Nicopolis, in northwestern Greece. He studied Stoic philosophy under Musonius Rufus, and after he was freed he began to teach. When Emperor Domitian banished philosophers from Rome, Epictetus founded a school of philosophy in Nicopolis. He held that we cannot control external events, but we can accept them calmly, and that each person is responsible for their own actions and can examine them through self-discipline. His pupil Arrian wrote down his teachings and published them in the Discourses and the Enchiridion. Later thinkers influenced by them include Marcus Aurelius and Pascal. BookBits offers his work The Art of Living.