The Enchiridion

Easy read, good for mental health

This book is not too long, and it gets to the point right off the bat, unlike other philosophical works I’ve read. This edition and translation isn’t too difficult to understand, but that may change with the march of time and the way language changes over time.

This book contains some real gems when it comes to how to deal with the crap life throws at you and still maintain your calm demeanor and inner peace. There is indeed a peace and solace that comes with acceptance. When you accept that which you have no power over and focus on your own thoughts and actions, life does tend to bother you a whole lot less.

I don’t believe all of it whole cloth. I think it is over reaching to say that no one can harm you if you just cease to think of anything you have no control over as being good or bad. You might be able to deal with a traumatic event without being emotionally traumatized, but defining harm out of existence seems a bit delusional. After all, no matter your mental state you can still be physically harmed. You can accept that you’ve been attacked and harmed without attaching emotions to it, but to say no one can harm you is a bit much.

I also don’t think that piety towards the gods is really relevant or necessary. You can accept that the weather and natural disasters happen when they happen and do what they do without passing value judgment on it, and not have to include gods in that calculus. If the point is to live in accordance with nature, then you can just let nature be nature and not ascribe any agency to it, Zeus or otherwise. Just accept that things happen when they happen and don’t let yourself be surprised or offended by it.

His views on women also tend to be period specific, but they are reflective of the culture Epictetus lived in more than anything.

Epictetus’ views on family are a bit odd. On the one hand he encourages you to look at your loved ones as ordinary people just like strangers. Which would help you avoid emotional pain and distress when you lose a loved one, but is a bit antisocial and keeps you from enjoying their company just as it spares you from the pain of losing them. On the other hand if you have an abusive parent or criminal sibling he encourages you stand by them despite their vices, which I would find nigh impossible to do if they are no more important to me than any other person on the street. If they aren’t especially important to me, then why would I do that?

Overall this book manages to have a lot of timeless advice worth keeping, a bit of dated advice worth considering the cultural context of, and a couple of ideas that I disagree with. I recommend reading the Enchiriodon for yourself and making your own determination of its value.