Epictetus and the Core of Stoic Control: An Exploration
Epictetus is the best Stoic if you want to understand the fundamentals of Stoicism.
Pop Stoicism tells you that you should concern yourself only with the stuff that is under your control and leave out the rest. This makes enough sense. But it is not satisfying and giving enough for comprehension if you ask me.
What is under your control? How do you use your money? Which car to buy? Whether you say something or not?
It’s easy to believe, still after reading the phrase: “you should concern yourself purely with the things that are under your control” that this “control” that is being talked about, concerns things outside of yourself. Like the amount of money you save, or how you treat a person. But this would be incorrect, for the focus of “control” is still external.
In reality, the only thing that you can control completely is your reason. Epictetus explains it beautifully below:
In general, you will find no art or faculty that can analyze itself. Therefore, none that can approve or disapprove of itself. The art of grammar is restricted to the analyzing and commenting on literature. Music is confined to the analysis of harmony.
Consequently, neither of them analyzes itself.
Now, if you are writing…
