Exploring Death in Epictetus

Epictetus’ teachings provide significant amounts of clear, easy-to-understand practical advice on living day-to-day life. One of the strengths of Epictetus’ teachings is in dealing with suffering, pain, hardships and other negatives of live. Epictetus views the various sufferings of one’s body as something to be viewed as outside of our control; in fact, one is to carry one’s pain with equanimity. For Epictetus, death is not to be feared, as it is inevitable. Epictetus also views suicide and euthanasia [1] to end unendurable suffering as acceptable and good. Throughout his teachings, Epictetus provides many logical foundations to help his followers endure suffering with equanimity, especially when facing death. However, despite his belief in the existence of god, Epictetus does not provide for any sort of rebirth or afterlife. In a philosophy heavy on providing people with the means to face the hardships of life with a certain level of comfort, the lack of an afterlife to provide hope and comfort to both the dying and their survivors is a serious weakness.

Epictetus: The World Happens Around Us, Not To Us

The philosophical doctrine of Stoicism, which dates back as early as the 3^rd century BCE, is believed to have been founded by Zeno of Citium (IEP 1). Stoicism, a system of ethics, uses logic as “theory of method,” and physics as the foundation (IEP 1). Stoicism teaches, amongst other concepts, that one must live life with “perfect indifference (apathea) to everything external, for nothing external could be either good or evil” (IEP 1).

Epictetus, one of the most influential of the Stoic philosophers, was born around 50-55 CE in Hierapolis, Phrygia (Sedon 1). Sold into slavery as a child, he was eventually freed, opened a school in Nicopolis, and died around 135 CE (Sedon 1). Epictetus’ teachings dealt primarily with the ethics side of Stoicism, and much of his thoughts were recorded in two works: the Discourses and the Encheiridion (Sedon 1). Epictetus believed that one should live a life of “rigid austerity and self-denial,” that one should avoid the accumulation of money and other material goods for their own sake, entertainments by “outsiders and … persons ignorant of philosophy,” pleasure for pleasure’s sake, and honor for honor’s sake, amongst other things (“Encheiridion” 100-112). Stating that our lives came down to what was under our control (“conception, choice, desire, aversion, and everything that is our own doing”), and what was not under our control (“our body, our property, reputation, office, and everything that is not our own doing”), his teachings can be summed up simply: The world happens around us, not to us (“Encheiridion” 100).