Epictetus of Hierapolis
50-135 · Hellenistic Philosophy · Renowned
Epictetus was born a slave and later freed, and he taught one sorting rule. Some things are up to you: your judgments, your choices, what you want. Some are not: your body, your reputation, your property. Train yourself to want only what falls on the first list and nobody can take anything from you, which is the freedom he was after. His student Arrian wrote the lessons down as the Discourses.
Signature
The position Epictetus is most identified with in the Profiler:
- Nature
- leans Harmony
- Agency
- Compatibilism
Positions on the 9 axes the sources answer
- The Divine
- leans Describable (25 on a 0–100 scale from Describable to Indescribable)
- Identity
- leans Unchanging (25 on a 0–100 scale from Unchanging to Changing)
- Meaning
- leans Inherent (75 on a 0–100 scale from Constructed to Inherent)
- Nature of Reality
- leans Unity (25 on a 0–100 scale from Unity to Multiplicity)
- Nature
- leans Harmony (75 on a 0–100 scale from Mastery to Harmony)
- Polity
- leans Illiberalism (25 on a 0–100 scale from Illiberalism to Liberalism)
- War
- leans Militarism (75 on a 0–100 scale from Pacifism to Militarism)
- Ignorance
- leans Bondage (25 on a 0–100 scale from Bondage to Bliss)
- Allegiance
- leans Global (75 on a 0–100 scale from Local to Global)
11 of 20 axes are left blank: the sources do not answer them, or Epictetus refused the framing. Nothing is imputed; a blank is not a middling score.
Foundational questions
- Theology
- Pantheism
What is your position on the existence and nature of God or gods? - Government
- One World Order
What is your ideal form of government? - Highest Good
- Virtue
What is the highest good? - Good and Evil
- Moral Realism
What is the fundamental nature of good and evil? - End of Things
- Eternal Return
What is the ultimate end of all things? - Perception
- Direct Realism
What do we directly perceive? - Knowledge
- Pure Reason
What is the ultimate foundation of knowledge? - Ethics Basis
- Virtue
What is the ultimate basis of ethics? - Agency
- Compatibilism
What is the nature of human agency and freedom? - Beginning of Things
- Eternal Cosmos
What is the origin of reality? - Time
- Cyclical Return
What is the fundamental shape of time? - Authority
- Natural Law
What is the legitimate source of authority? - Law
- Natural Law
What is the ultimate source of legitimate law? - Death
- Annihilation
What happens at death? - Role of Emotion
- Obstacle to Reason / Virtue to Cultivate / Sign of Weakness
What is the proper role of emotion? - Human Nature
- Innate Good
What is human nature? - Primary Bond
- Humanity
What is your primary bond and loyalty?