Epictetus writing at a table with a crutch draped across his lap and shoulder

3 Requirements To Achieve Happiness According to Epictetus

Every philosophy deals with happiness in some respect. The philosophy of happiness looks at the nature, existence and attainment of happiness. In some beliefs, happiness is synonymous with luck, but some philosophies, such as stoicism, treat happiness as the moral goal of life. One of stoics most well known for their views on happiness is Epictetus. Along with other stoics at the time, Epictetus saw the goal of moral philosophy as guiding people towards happiness.

Epictetus's Backstory

Overview of StoicismThe school of thought of Stoicism dates back to Stoicism's founding father Zeno.

Epictetus's Backstory

Hadrian and Epictetus, 15th century manuscript, Bodleian library

Epictetus was a stoic from second century CE, in the late stoa era. His name in Greek is epiktētos, which means acquired. As a child, Epictetus was a slave. However, he was still able to attend lectures on stoicism from Musonius Rufus. Eventually, Epictetus became a freeman. He lived and worked as a student in Rome. However, when emperor Domitian came into power, the emperor expelled Epictetus and other stoic philosophers from Rome because opponents to the emperor's tyranny liked the stoics. Epictetus spent the rest of his life in Nicopolis.

Epictetus's General Philosophy

Left: "The Discourses of Epictetus", right: "Enchiridion"

Even though Epictetus was from the late stoa period, Epictetus followed the early stoics, such as Socrates, and Diogenes, the philosopher of Cynicism. One of his beliefs was that the only thing that belonged to someone was their will or purpose. Epictetus was primarily interested in ethics. he was also religious and believed God's thought directed the universe. While he said people do not control what thoughts they have, they control how they react to them.

While Epictetus wrote nothing himself, his student Arrian, kept a record of his teachings and put them int two books. Today these books are Discourses, and the Encheiridion. The Discourses focus primarily on Epictetus's ethics. Like other stoics, Epictetus believed the goal of life was eudaimonia, also known as happiness. To achieve happiness, Epictetus believed people had to be free of their passions, get rid of their worries and accept their circumstances.

1. Freedom From Desires

According to the stoics, happiness and freedom were inseparable. The Stoics did not conceive of happiness without freedom. Epictetus particularly viewed freedom as an important part of happiness. He is famously quoted saying, “Happiness does not consist in wanting things but in being free”. According to Epictetus, to achieve the freedom necessary for happiness, people had to reduce their desires. He explained that someone will feel wealthier and happier of they have fewer desires.

The more things someone wants, the more their focus will be on getting those things. This will take their attention away from being content with themselves in the present. The more someone wants the more this perpetuates a cycle of dissatisfaction. Epictetus also says an attachment to material things will lead to more dissatisfaction. This is because someone can lose something material, and this generates a fear of loss.

In this view, working towards happiness means detaching from material things. This idea stresses the importance of minimalism, and that people do not need many material things. Epictetus meant this concept to be freeing. When people realize they do not need many things, they can break free from the social pressures and conditioning that can often feel oppressive and distressing. This idea connects to Epictetus's other philosophy, breaking away from the worries.

2. Get Rid of Worries

Epictetus did not believe in dwelling in our worries and thoughts. Along with detaching from the material, Epictetus believed in detaching from our thoughts. He stressed that to be happy, people had to stop worrying about things out of their control.

When people talked about their worries, Epictetus noticed that people were often not concerned with the real problems themselves. Instead, people feared the anxiety these problems will give them. Epictetus concluded that the ideas people have around a problem bring them more anxiety, than the problem itself.

According to Epictetus, people have to get rid of worries by realizing that the anxiety around certain problems usually does not come from the problem itself. Instead the anxiety comes from the problem's interpretation. If people understand that there is a difference between reality and people's response to reality, Epictetus says this allows people to change their response. Someone's attitude and response towards a situation will contribute to their happiness.

3. Accept Your Circumstances

In order to stop worrying about situations, people have to first accept them. This is Epictetus's other component to pursuing happiness. Epictetus also believed that we should not expect the universe to give us what we want. He believed by asking the universe to give people what we want, people are setting themselves up for disappointment. In contrast, if people accept their circumstances, they can choose their best response and be happier in their present circumstances.

While Epictetus focuses on radical acceptance in his philosophy, he does not imply submission or resignation. In accepting the reality of the situation they are in, people can sill take action in their circumstances.

Besides Epictetus, other stoic philosopher's talked about the importance of accepting your circumstances to be happy. For example, Seneca talked about making a balance of each day, noticing when we get irritated over events that seem trivial.

Next UpThe stoics believed in the importance of four fundamental virtues, wisdom, courage, temperance, and justice. These virtues are the four "cardinal virtues" and were seen as necessary to attain life's goal, eudaimonia or happiness.

Conclusion

The goal of leading a life towards flourishing and happiness was a common goal amongst stoic philosophers. Epictetus believed to achieve this goal people have to be free of their desires, get rid of their worries and accept their circumstances. While Epictetus and the stoics had these ideas thousands of years ago, they can still be useful in pursuing happiness in our own lives today.

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Megan Deak April 13 2023 in Society