Epictetus, The Enchiridion, chapter 1 | A Line By Line Commentary by Dr. Gregory B. Sadler
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This is the first part of a video commentary series, working through Epictetus' classic work of Stoic philosophy, the Enchiridion (or Handbook), one half hour at a time. In this series, we examine the text chapter by chapter, and line by line, providing analysis, examples, discussion, and applications. In this video, we look at chapter 1 of the text.
Epictetus writes:
"Some things are under our control, while others are not under our
control. Under our control are conception, choice, desire, aversion, and,
in a word, everything that is our own doing; not under our control are our
body, our property, reputation, office, and, in a word, everything that is
not our own doing. Furthermore, the things under our control are by
nature free, unhindered, and unimpeded; while the things not under our
control are weak, servile, subject to hindrance, and not our own.
Remember, therefore, that if what is naturally slavish you think to be
free, and what is not your own to be your own, you will be hampered,
will grieve, will be in turmoil, and will blame both gods and men; while
if you think only what is your own to be your own, and what is not your
own to be, as it really is, not your own, then no one will ever be able to
exert compulsion upon you, no one will hinder you, you will blame no
one, will find fault with no one, will do absolutely nothing against your
will, you will have no personal enemy, no one will harm you, for neither
is there any harm that can touch you.
With such high aims, therefore, remember that you must bestir
yourself with no slight effort to lay hold of them, but you will have to
give up some things entirely, and defer others for the time being. But if
you wish for these things also, and at the same time for both office and
wealth, it may be that you will not get even these latter, because you aim
also at the former, and certainly you will fail to get the former, which
alone bring freedom and happiness.
Make it, therefore, your study at the very outset to say to every harsh
external impression, "You are an external impression and not at all what
you appear to be." After that examine it and test it by these rules which
you have, the first and most important of which is this: Whether the
impression has to do with the things which are under our control, or with
those which are not under our control; and, if it has to do with some one
of the things not under our control, have ready to hand the answer, "It is
nothing to me.""
I first released this commentary series over the course of Stoic Week 2016, in a different video channel. I have taken those older videos, improved the sound quality as much as possible, and I am now releasing the entire set in my main channel.
The intro and outro music for this video is from the public domain site MusOpen, and is from J.S Bach - Das Musikalische Opfer - II. Canones diversi super Thema Regium, available here: musopen.org/music/3225-the-mu...
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Dr. Sadler back at it again with some good old fashioned close reading. Love it.
Glad to read it
Thanks. I definitely needed to review this chapter at this stage of my life. When there are great changes beyond our control it wakes us up to the truths that Epictetus articulated in this most concise chapter in all philosophy.
I’m currently in the hospital after a pretty serious surgery with a painful feeding tube in my throat and I started crying when I heard you reading that what you can’t control can simply be nothing to you. I’ve read this text before but that really hit me, even in suffering relief can be brought through philosophy.
I'm sorry to read about that situation, and hope you're recovered and back on your feet soon
@@GregoryBSadler thank you, I’m at home recovering now but I’m still having a bit of a difficult time emotionally. I’m gonna listen to this again.
@@EthanBishopPolitics I hope you are doing well these days
@@GregoryBSadler i really loved the part you talked about briefly about social media. Id love if you talk more about it in your next videos epictetus sayings and stoic philosophy and how they can help us in the age of social media with insane illusion that can easly pull us into comparisons and selling out ...etc
@@24sowl11 Commission the kinds of videos you want to see
Thank you. Finally reading Epictetus. Some really great stuff.
Yes, and the Discourses are even better than the Enchiridion
@@GregoryBSadler I plan to read them both.
Dr. Sadler, you're amazing. You gave me a reason to get my hands on Epictetus, real quick. Would be following up on all the videos you post with his work.
Love your content. Thank you.
Glad to read it - you can find Epictetus online in a lot of places
I really enjoyed this class. Thank you very much
You’re very welcome!
Thank you for the video commentary, sir. More I read about Epictetus, more practical I find him. My dad, who is very thrifty, emphasized while I was growing up that all that we should have is what is needed and all that we should do is what is within our power, or control. People who have that hard life growing up like my dad tend to think similarly in more layman fashion, but Epictetus goes deeper or gets more granular I think.
This is also one of the reasons I'd get extremely annoyed by people (mostly some Marxists on TH-cam) who refer to Epictetus' ideas on control or lack thereof as a sign that stoicism as it is currently being appropriated is reactionary. Some people can be fatalist and interpret Stoicism as that fatalistic stoicism, but that would be totally neglecting the virtues and really ignoring the physics and the logic.
Well, low-level Marxists typically don't like anyone who doesn't neatly fit their schtick, so I'd make the choice not to spend time on their stuff
Excellent lecture! Thank you!
Professor Sadler thanks for these amazing videos, your channel is a gem. 💎
As much as I appreciate stoicism at times, it feels like they have a false irreversible one-way view of the mind and its interactions with the external world especially the body. It's not clear and often wrong what they think is inward actually is. I would agree with a reasonable control over one's mind and not ultimate control. But amazing video nonetheless.
You probably need to read more in Stoicism, which will help you remove that false impression of their position
Awesome, my favorite stoic
My favorite as well
This must be the twelfth time I've "read" this passage, and every time it seems deeper, simpler, and more difficult to follow. Or, I should say, each time I realize even more than last time how far I have come from observing its seemingly common logic in my own behavior.
Well, there is a lot of depth there to Epictetus' thought
Very nice!
Thanks!
In control: me clicking on this video
Out of control: how mind blowing the text is
Indeed
I know these are old, but i want to go through your whole encheiridion series, which translation is this?
Oldfather. And these aren't really "old"
Dr. Sadler, I should've read your Enchiridion course page first, all the info is there (links too)- in no way did I mean to disparage these wonderful videos or the time and work you put into them.
I'm very grateful for what you've done here - you've made it possible for someone who is perennially broke to still get top-notch academic commentary from a self-directed study. Thank you.
Feel free to delete all of these - I just wanted to clear up any misunderstandings and clarify just how valuable I think your work is
I love you bro
Thanks man
What about torture? I'm a practicing stoic and sometimes I ponder that Epictetus took the easy way out: he talks more about death than torture. Which, I think, could be much much more compelling. Do you really have control if something is pulled out of you?
Yeah, that’s Epictetus, taking the easy way out
@@GregoryBSadler Thanks for your reply. I would have preferred your take on torture but, alas, that's out of my control! ;) Great video
I think if you read Stoic literature - which you’d do as a practicing Stoic - you’ll find plenty of discussions already there
Hmmm, will hunt! Practicing =/= proficient! Much appreciated