Why read Epictetus?

Book cover of Epictetus: Discourses, Book 1

Book description

The Discourses are a key source for ancient Stoicism, one of the richest and most influential schools of thought in Western philosophy. They not only represent the Stoicism of Epictetus' own time, but also reflect the teachings of such early Stoics as Zeno and Chrysippus, whose writings are largely lost.…

Explore

Topics

Genres

Coming soon!

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked Epictetus as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

William O. Stephens

Author

I loved the bold new interpretation that Epictetus was actually the author of the Discourses rather than the teacher who narrated them to his student Arrian, who wrote them down, as the vast majority of scholars believe.

Dobbin’s introduction offers a concise and lucid overview of Epictetus, supported by a meticulous bibliography and generous indices. I was pleased by the balance of accuracy and readability of his translation, which is often clearer than Robin Hard’s and more modern than W. A. Oldfather’s.

I found the commentary to be generally excellent, with insightful connections to Stoic theory, other philosophical schools, and…

From William's list on The best books on the wisdom of the Stoic Epictetus.