Unavailable
Unavailable
Unavailable
Ebook56 pages56 minutes
Encheiridion [Barnes & Noble Digital Library): The Manual for Living
By Epictetus and Odysseus Makridis
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
This edition includes a modern introduction and a list of suggested further reading. Countless readers have found peace of mind and gathered inner strength from savoring this collection of Epictetus' sayings. Unlike many ephemeral and faddish dispensations of wisdom, Epictetus' philosophy lacks nothing in depth and complexity. It has been a staple of Western education for centuries, and has exercised a formative influence over such diverse figures as the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, the Christian thinker Augustine, the mathematician-philosopher Blaise Pascal, and the contemporary American novelist Tom Wolfe. Nearly two millennia after it was written, Encheiridion: The Manual for Living continues to engage and inspire readers today.
Unavailable
Author
Epictetus
Epictetus (circa 55-135 ce) taught in Rome until the year 94 ce, when Emperor Domitian banished philosophers from the city. In exile, he established a school of philosophy where his distinguished students included Marcus Aurelius, author of Meditations. Some 1,863 years after Epictetus's death, Tom Wolfe revived his philosophy in the bestselling novel A Man in Full.
Read more from Epictetus
Yale Required Reading - Collected Works (Vol. 1) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Art of Living: The Classical Mannual on Virtue, Happiness, and Effectiveness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Selection from the Discourses of Epictetus with the Encheiridion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Be Free: An Ancient Guide to the Stoic Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Gateway to the Stoics: Marcus Aurelius's Meditations, Epictetus's Enchiridion, and Selections from Seneca's Letters Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Complete Works: Handbook, Discourses, and Fragments Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Handbook Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Enchiridion Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Golden Sayings of Epictetus Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEncheiridion [Barnes & Noble Digital Library): The Manual for Living Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Moral Discourses of Epictetus (Annotated) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEncheiridion (Barnes & Noble Library of Essential Reading): The Manual for Living Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Harvard Classics: All 71 Volumes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsYale Classics (Vol. 1) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Encheiridion, or Manual Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDiscourses (Books 1 and 2) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Epictetus Collection Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to Encheiridion [Barnes & Noble Digital Library)
Related ebooks
Enchiridion Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Fragments of Heraclitus Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Moral Discourses of Epictetus (Annotated) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEncheiridion [Barnes & Noble Digital Library): The Manual for Living Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Philosophy of Epicurus Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius: A Primer Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Spinoza's Ethics Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Gorgias Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5On the Shortness of Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Enchiridion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Seneca (Illustrated): Six Essential Texts Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius (Wisehouse Classics Edition) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Letters from a Stoic (The Epistles of Seneca) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Enchiridion of Epictetus Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Peace of Mind Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Discourses Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Meditations Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Art of Living Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Golden Sayings of Epictetus Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dialogues Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMeditations Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Handbook Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Wisdom of Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Die: An Ancient Guide to the End of Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Keep Your Cool: An Ancient Guide to Anger Management Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5On the Shortness of Life: A New Translation Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Letters from a Stoic: Volume I Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Beyond Good and Evil Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Counsels and Maxims: The Essays of Arthur Schopenhauer Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Philosophy For You
The Republic by Plato Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Art of War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Four Loves Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Experiencing God (2021 Edition): Knowing and Doing the Will of God Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Courage to Be Happy: Discover the Power of Positive Psychology and Choose Happiness Every Day Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sun Tzu's The Art of War: Bilingual Edition Complete Chinese and English Text Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Art of Loving Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar...: Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Bhagavad Gita Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Meditations: Complete and Unabridged Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Little Book of Stoicism: Timeless Wisdom to Gain Resilience, Confidence, and Calmness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Denial of Death Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Beyond Good and Evil Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lying Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Be Here Now Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Human Condition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Egyptian Book of the Dead: The Complete Papyrus of Ani Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Buddha's Guide to Gratitude: The Life-changing Power of Everyday Mindfulness Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Tao Te Ching: A New English Version Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5History of Western Philosophy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tao Te Ching: Six Translations Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The City of God Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mindfulness in Plain English: 20th Anniversary Edition Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Bhagavad Gita (in English): The Authentic English Translation for Accurate and Unbiased Understanding Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Course in Miracles: Text, Workbook for Students, Manual for Teachers Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Reviews for Encheiridion [Barnes & Noble Digital Library)
Rating: 4.036 out of 5 stars
4/5
375 ratings10 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Stoics are weird. And I'm kinda surprised so many people reviewed this book as some amazing bit of timeless philosophy.The Handbook is just that, a handbook. An ancient Roman self-help book from the Stoic perspective. Some of the the advice still holds true, things like:- don't doddle and miss your boat, a literal boat, not a figurative one- know that there are things in your power and things beyond your power, don't confuse them- do be disciplined in your undertakings and don't procrastinateGood stuff right? Unfortunately that is pretty much all of the advice he gives that still holds true. The rest doesn't make sense unless you live in ancient Rome and the world is innately perfect and harmonious and magical even when shitty things happen. This seems to be the gaping hole in Stoic philosophy, the conviction that the universe was perfect and harmonious despite evidence to the contrary. When shitty things happen to you, according to the Stoics, they aren't really shitty, they just seem shitty because you have let yourself become out of sync with the universe. Your wife and child died? Well of course they did! That's the nature of the universe, you should have expected it and accepted it. You're a slave? Well that's just how it is, you can't very well expect to be free can you? Just try to get used to it.This is the backbone of Epictetus' advice, lowering your expectations so that they coincide with the course your life is probably going to take anyway. No one ever rocked the boat or overcame great odds based on Stoic philosophy. Throw in some quick advice about how to respond to omens and when you should and shouldn't see a fortune teller and that's about it. Well, that and advising you to be as boring as possible, not hanging out with non philosophers, not talking at all if you can help it, not swearing but frowning to show your disapproval when others do and certainly not having sex if you can avoid it. Stoics sure tried their darnedest to live boring, unremarkable lives. But ol' Epictetus wasn't a complete twat wet blanket. He understood that there are somethings you just can't live without."Take what has to do with the body to the point of bare need, such as food, drink, clothing, house, household slaves, and cut out everything that is for reputation and luxury."Timeless, no?Ultimately this is a quick, fairly amusing read, but I certainly wouldn't take it too seriously.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5An excellent introduction to this Stoic philosopher. While none of the text is anything he said in life, each subject discussed comes from what teachings we have of him and what he would likely have said. It's amazing how timeless these words can become, speaking to some of the eternal aspects of the human condition.Philosophy should not be something highbrow and removed from understanding by the general populace. Epictetus can bring it back down to earth.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Marvelous translation. Utterly relevant, and a good companion book to stow into the backpack, briefcase or laptop bag for an occasional dip or deep dive as time permits.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Author succeeds in translating this old Greek philosopher and his teachings into modern times. Short chapters for mediation among hustle and bustle of today's hectic life
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A little something to read on Thanksgiving. Maybe after this, I'll leaf through Seneca, then watch Charlie Brown or something.
One of the big three stoics, with the authors being Marcus Aurelius and Seneca. Epictetus recieved no formal schooling, and was a slave for most of his life. No self-pity. Instead, independence, fearlessness, and acceptance of death and suffering. Self-rule and self-improvement. Forgiveness, acceptance, and understanding.
Almost resembles some forms of Buddhism. In many ways, both are fatalistic, but this is not necessarily pessimism. Instead, there is peace.
I typically find most 'self-help' books to be injurious, maybe even dangerous in their mindless positivity. If it is not too imperious, I would recommend the Stoics and their friends instead, for their mindful tranquility. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5My first exposure to the stoic idea of philosophy and it was very enjoyable. Clear and rational rules for a way to a more accomplished life. Learning to accept your feelings and taking responsibility for them can diminish the impact others have on you and your ability to be happy was a huge idea.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Incredible philosophy.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Enchiridion reads like the Proverbs and the Hadith. I am finding much in Stoicism that aligns with many of my own ideas. I am not sure whether this is from aspects of training and education that were implicitly Stoic or not. Indeed, I cannot recall any explicitly Stoic teachings in my formal education. Long's translations are interesting and draw upon previous translations. The notes are helpful, especially where all translators are unable to comprehend the precise meaning of certain of Epictetus's [reading Stephen King converted me to the s's rather than the s' plural] "fragments". This is a quick read, and worth further reflection.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I'm so glad I found this book. (10/10)
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5I have three bones to pick with Sharon Lebell's "new interpretation" of Epictetus' Enchiridion. (1) It's over-elaborate; the original is pithy, directness and leanness are not only stylistically distinctive, but underscore the "stoical" message. (2) It's unnecessarily idiomatic: expressions like "death is no big deal," and "don't kid yourself" tend to further trivialize sentiments that, to a modern audience, already might appear simplistic (deceptively so, though, in my opinion.) (3) It's wrong. Here's a contrast between Lebell's version and the translation by George Long, available on Project Gutenberg. Lebell: "Do your best to reign in your desire. For if you desire something that isn't within your own control, disappointment will surely follow; meanwhile, you will be neglecting the very things that are within your control that are worthy of desire. Of course, there are times when for practical reasons you must go after one thing or shun another, but do so with grace, finesse, and flexibility." Long: "For if you desire anything which is not in our power, you must be unfortunate; but of the things in our power, and which it would be good to desire, nothing yet is before you. But employ only the power of moving towards an object and retiring from it; and these powers indeed only slightly and with exceptions and with remission." Different, wouldn't you say?