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059 - II In What a Man Ought to Be Exercised Who Has Made Proficiency and That We Neglect the Chief Things · Discourses of Epictetus

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  Speaker 1: Section fifty eight of Discourses of Epictetus by Epictetus, translated
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  Speaker 1: by George Long. The LibriVox recording is in the public domain.
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  Speaker 1: Read by Christine Rocker, Book three, Chapter two. In what
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  Speaker 1: a man ought to be exercised, who has made proficiency,
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  Speaker 1: and that we neglect the chief things? There are three
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  Speaker 1: things topics topial in which a man ought to exercise
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  Speaker 1: himself would be wise and good. The first concerns the
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  Speaker 1: desires and the aversions, that a man may not fail
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  Speaker 1: to get what he desires, and that he may not
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  Speaker 1: fall into that which he does not desire. The second
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  Speaker 1: concerns the movements toward an object and the movements from
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  Speaker 1: an object, and generally, in doing what a man ought
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  Speaker 1: to do, that he may act according to order, to reason,
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  Speaker 1: and not carelessly. The third thing concerns freedom from deception
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  Speaker 1: and rashness in judgment, and generally it concerns the essay
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  Speaker 1: see gatathesis. Of these topics, the chief and the most
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  Speaker 1: urgent is that which relates to the effects tappati perturbations,
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  Speaker 1: For an effect is produced in no other way than
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  Speaker 1: by failing to obtain that which a man desires or
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  Speaker 1: falling into that which a man would wish to avoid.
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  Speaker 1: This is that which brings imperturbations, disorders, bad fortune, misfortunes, sorrows, lamentations,
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  Speaker 1: and envy, that which makes men envious and jealous. And
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  Speaker 1: by these causes we are unable even to listen to
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  Speaker 1: the precepts of reason. The second topic concerns the duties
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  Speaker 1: of a man. For I ought not to be free
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  Speaker 1: from effects apthee like a statue, but I ought to
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  Speaker 1: maintain the relations scesis natural and acquired as a pious man,
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  Speaker 1: as a son, as a father, as a citizen. The
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  Speaker 1: third topic is that which immediately concerns those who are
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  Speaker 1: making profit, that which concerns the security of the other two,
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  Speaker 1: so that not even in sleep, any appearance unexamined may
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  Speaker 1: surprise us, nor in intoxication, nor in melancholy. This, it
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  Speaker 1: may be said, is above our power. But the present
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  Speaker 1: philosophers neglect the first topic and the second, the effects
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  Speaker 1: and duties, employ themselves on the third, using sophistical arguments
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  Speaker 1: at the pitontas, making conclusions from questioning, employing hypotheses lying.
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  Speaker 1: For a man must, as it is said, when employed
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  Speaker 1: on these matters, take care that he is not deceived.
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  Speaker 1: Who must the wise and good man. This, then, is
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  Speaker 1: all that is wanting to you. Have you successfully worked
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  Speaker 1: out the rest? Are you free from deception? In the
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  Speaker 1: matter of money? If you see a beautiful girl, do
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  Speaker 1: you resist the appearance? If your neighbor attains an estate
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  Speaker 1: by will? Are you not vexed? Now? Is there nothing
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  Speaker 1: else wanting to you except unchangeable firmness of mind? Ahmetaptosia
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  Speaker 1: wretch You hear these very things with fear and anxiety
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  Speaker 1: that some person may despise you, and with inquiries about
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  Speaker 1: what any person may say about you. And if a
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  Speaker 1: man come and tell you that in a certain conversation,
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  Speaker 1: in which the question was who is the best philosopher?
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  Speaker 1: A man who is present said that a certain person
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  Speaker 1: was the chief philosopher. Your little soul, which was only
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  Speaker 1: a finger's length, stretches out to two cubits. But if
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  Speaker 1: another who is present says you are mistaken. It is
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  Speaker 1: not worth while to listen to a certain person, for
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  Speaker 1: what does he know? He has only the first principles
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  Speaker 1: and no more. Then you are confounded, You grow pale.
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  Speaker 1: You cry out immediately, I will show him who I am.
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  Speaker 1: That I am a great philosopher. It is seen by
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  Speaker 1: these very things, Why do you wish to show it
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  Speaker 1: by others? Do you not know that Diogenes pointed out
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  Speaker 1: one of the sophists in this way by stretching out
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  Speaker 1: his middle finger, And then when the man was wild
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  Speaker 1: with rage, this he said, is the certain person I
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  Speaker 1: have pointed him out to you? For a man is
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  Speaker 1: not shown by the finger as a stone or a
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  Speaker 1: piece of wood. But when any person shows the man's principles,
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  Speaker 1: then he shows him as a man. Let us look
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  Speaker 1: at your principles also, For is it not plain that
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  Speaker 1: you value not at all your own will proeresis, but
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  Speaker 1: you look externally to things which are independent of your will?
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  Speaker 1: For instance, what will a certain person say? And what
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  Speaker 1: will people think of you? Will you be considered a
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  Speaker 1: man of learning? Have you read Chrysippus or Antipater? For
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  Speaker 1: if you have read Arcademus, also you have everything that
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  Speaker 1: you can desire. Why are you still uneasy? Lest you
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  Speaker 1: should not show us who you are? Would you let
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  Speaker 1: me tell you what manner of man you have shown
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  Speaker 1: us that you are. You have exhibited yourself to be
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  Speaker 1: as a mean fellow, querulous, passionate, cowardly, finding fault with
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  Speaker 1: everything blaming everybody, never quiet, vain, This is what you
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  Speaker 1: have exhibited to us. Go away now and read Arcademus.
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  Speaker 1: Then if a mouse should leap down and make a noise,
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  Speaker 1: you are a dead man, for such a death awaits you,
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  Speaker 1: as it did. What was the man's name, Crinis, And
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  Speaker 1: he too was proud because he understood Arcademus. Wretch, Will
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  Speaker 1: you not dismiss these things that do not concern you
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  Speaker 1: at all? These things are suitable to those who are
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  Speaker 1: able to learn them without perturbation, to those who can say,
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  Speaker 1: I am not subject to anger, to grief, to envy,
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  Speaker 1: I am not hindered, I am not restrained. What remains
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  Speaker 1: for me I have leisure, I am tranquil. Let us
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  Speaker 1: see how we must deal with sophistical arguments. Let us
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  Speaker 1: see how when a man has accepted a hypothesis, he
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  Speaker 1: shall not be led away to anything absurd to them.
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  Speaker 1: Such things belong to those who are happy. It is
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  Speaker 1: appropriate to light a fire to dine, if they choose
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  Speaker 1: both to sing and to dance. But when the vessel
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  Speaker 1: is sinking, you come to me and hoist the sails.
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  Speaker 1: End of Book three, Chapter two,