Course outline
Module 1
Module 1: Who Was Epictetus?
Who Was Epictetus?
Knowledge check
Q1. Into what social condition was Epictetus born?
- A. A wealthy Roman senator's family
- B. Slavery in the city of Hierapolis, in the Roman province of Phrygia ✓
- C. A royal family in Alexandria
- D. A family of Athenian merchants
Why: Epictetus was born into slavery in Hierapolis, in the Roman province of Phrygia (in modern-day Turkey), around 50 CE.
Q2. Which Roman emperor's reign saw Epictetus's exile from Rome along with other philosophers?
- A. Augustus
- B. Nero ✓
- C. Trajan
- D. Marcus Aurelius
Why: Epictetus was among the philosophers expelled from Rome under Emperor Domitian, not Nero, around 89 CE; the question's distractors include other emperors to test recall of the key period of his life. Domitian's expulsion of philosophers forced Epictetus to relocate to Nicopolis in Greece.
Q3. Where did Epictetus establish his philosophy school after gaining his freedom?
- A. Athens
- B. Alexandria
- C. Nicopolis ✓
- D. Corinth
Why: After being exiled from Rome, Epictetus founded a school in Nicopolis, a city in northwestern Greece, where he taught until his death.
Q4. Epictetus's teachings were recorded and published by which of his students?
- A. Seneca
- B. Marcus Aurelius
- C. Arrian ✓
- D. Plutarch
Why: Arrian, a historian and student of Epictetus, recorded his lectures in the Discourses and compiled the Enchiridion (Handbook) from them. Neither Seneca nor Plutarch was his student.
Q5. What was the primary philosophical school that Epictetus followed?
- A. Platonism
- B. Epicureanism
- C. Stoicism ✓
- D. Skepticism
Why: Epictetus was a Stoic philosopher, emphasizing virtue, self-discipline, and accepting what lies outside our control.
Module 2
Module 2: Life as a Slave and Freedman
Life as a Slave and Freedman
Knowledge check
Q1. Into which social condition was Epictetus born?
- A. A wealthy Roman senator's family
- B. Slavery in Hierapolis, in what is now western Turkey ✓
- C. A family of Athenian merchants
- D. A Stoic philosophers' household in Alexandria
Why: Epictetus was born into slavery in Hierapolis (in Phrygia, modern Pamukkale, Turkey) in the mid-first century CE. His status as a slave shaped much of his later teaching on freedom and what lies within our control.
Q2. Which Roman emperor's freedman secretary was Epictetus, according to ancient tradition?
- A. Nero
- B. Vespasian
- C. Domitian
- D. Epaphroditus ✓
Why: Epictetus served in the household of Epaphroditus, a powerful freedman secretary to Nero. Epictetus was later granted freedom, and ancient sources also say that Epaphroditus was a patron who allowed him to attend lectures by the Stoic Musonius Rufus.
Q3. What physical injury is traditionally said to have left Epictetus lame?
- A. A broken arm from a beating
- B. Blindness in one eye
- C. A leg injury, leaving him crippled ✓
- D. Burns from a fire in the household
Why: Ancient tradition, including the Suda, reports that Epictetus was lame, sometimes attributed to his master twisting his leg. He used this to illustrate that even physical hardship cannot touch the will, which is a central theme of his Discourses.
Q4. Which Stoic teacher did Epictetus study under after gaining his freedom?
- A. Seneca
- B. Chrysippus
- C. Musonius Rufus ✓
- D. Marcus Aurelius
Why: Epictetus studied with Musonius Rufus in Rome, and his teachings reflect Musonius's emphasis on practical ethics. Seneca and Marcus Aurelius were contemporaries or later figures rather than his teachers, and Chrysippus was an earlier Stoic who lived centuries before him.
Q5. Epictetus taught that some things are 'up to us' and others are not. Which of the following is 'up to us' in his view?
- A. Our body and property
- B. Our reputation among others
- C. Our judgments, impulses, and desires ✓
- D. Our social status and birth
Why: For Epictetus, only our own judgments, impulses, desires, and aversions are truly within our power. Bodies, property, reputation, and status are outside our control, and he argued that attaching our wellbeing to them leads to suffering.
Module 3
Module 3: The Discipline of Assent
The Discipline of Assent
Knowledge check
Q1. According to Epictetus, which of the following is entirely within our control?
- A. Our reputation among others
- B. Our judgments and the assent we give to impressions ✓
- C. The health of our body
- D. Our property and wealth
Why: Epictetus divides things into those up to us (our judgments, impulses, desires, aversions) and those not up to us (body, property, reputation, public office). The discipline of assent concerns how we respond to impressions, which is entirely within our power.
Q2. In the Stoic account of perception, what is an 'impression' (phantasia)?
- A. A deliberate opinion formed after long reflection
- B. A memory of a past event stored in the mind
- C. The appearance or presentation that something makes to the mind ✓
- D. A feeling of pleasure or pain in the body
Why: An impression is the way something appears to us when it strikes the mind. The Stoics held that impressions come to us unbidden, and the question is whether we then give our assent to them, which is where judgment begins.
Q3. Epictetus advises that when we encounter a harsh impression, such as an insult, we should:
- A. Immediately act on it to defend our honor
- B. Suppress the impression by force of will and deny it ever occurred
- C. Pause and say to the impression, 'You are just an impression, and not at all what you appear to be,' before judging it ✓
- D. Accept it fully because it must reflect reality
Why: In the Enchiridion, Epictetus recommends withholding immediate assent: examine the impression before accepting it. This pause creates the space in which reason can test whether the appearance is accurate and whether it deserves a response.
Q4. Why did Epictetus, a former slave, place such emphasis on the discipline of assent?
- A. He believed that only the wealthy could practice philosophy
- B. He held that since external conditions like slavery cannot be controlled, freedom lies in the proper use of judgment ✓
- C. He wanted to avoid all contact with other people
- D. He thought assent was a physical skill developed through exercise
Why: Epictetus was born a slave and knew firsthand that external circumstances are beyond our control. He taught that no one can enslave the faculty of judgment, so inner freedom remains available even under the most constrained external conditions.
Q5. In Epictetus's view, what is the main cause of human disturbance and suffering?
- A. Poverty and lack of food
- B. Bad weather and natural disasters
- C. Our opinions about things, rather than the things themselves ✓
- D. The actions of tyrants alone
Why: Epictetus wrote that people are disturbed not by things but by their judgments about things. Changing the judgment, which is the act of assent, changes the disturbance, so the discipline of assent is the path to tranquility.
Module 4
Module 4: The Dichotomy of Control
The Dichotomy of Control
Knowledge check
Q1. According to Epictetus, which of the following is entirely up to us?
- A. Our reputation among others
- B. Our own judgments and opinions ✓
- C. The health of our body
- D. The wealth we accumulate
Why: Epictetus teaches that our judgments, impulses, desires, and aversions are within our control, while external outcomes such as reputation, health, and wealth are not.
Q2. What is the central idea of the dichotomy of control?
- A. We should try to control everything that happens to us
- B. We should distinguish between what is in our power and what is not, focusing our effort only on the former ✓
- C. Fate determines all events, so we should do nothing
- D. External events are more important than our inner character
Why: The dichotomy of control asks us to separate what depends on us from what does not, and to direct our attention and effort toward what is up to us.
Q3. Why did Epictetus emphasize the dichotomy of control, given that he was once a slave?
- A. He wanted to encourage slaves to rebel against their masters
- B. His own experience showed that external circumstances like bondage could not take away his inner freedom ✓
- C. He believed slavery was a natural and proper state
- D. He wanted to become wealthy by teaching philosophy
Why: Epictetus lived as a slave and later as a freedman, and he taught that while his body could be bound, his will and judgment remained free and within his control.
Q4. According to Epictetus, what is the proper response to something that is not up to us, such as a loss of property?
- A. Become angry and blame others
- B. Accept it calmly, recognizing it lies outside our control ✓
- C. Pretend that it never happened
- D. Try to control it through sheer willpower
Why: Epictetus advises accepting externals with equanimity, since our distress comes from our judgments about events rather than the events themselves.
Q5. Which statement best reflects Epictetus's view of our judgments?
- A. Our judgments are determined entirely by external circumstances
- B. Our judgments are rarely important compared to our actions
- C. Our judgments are within our power and shape how we experience events ✓
- D. Our judgments should be handed over to authorities or teachers
Why: Epictetus holds that people are disturbed not by things but by their judgments about things, making judgment a key area of personal control.
Module 5
Module 5: Virtue as the Only Good
Virtue as the Only Good
Knowledge check
Q1. According to Epictetus, which of the following is truly good?
- A. Wealth and health
- B. Virtue and the proper use of judgment
- C. Reputation among others
- D. Freedom from pain
Q2. Epictetus taught that external things such as wealth, status, and bodily health are best described as:
- A. Preferred indifferents
- B. Goods that must be pursued at all costs
- C. Evils to be avoided
- D. Things entirely outside the realm of reason
Q3. What does Epictetus identify as the faculty that is fully within our control?
- A. Our physical body
- B. Our property and possessions
- C. Our judgments, impulses, and desires
- D. Our family and social standing
Q4. Why, for Epictetus, is virtue sufficient for a happy life?
- A. Because virtue guarantees material prosperity
- B. Because virtue brings public honor
- C. Because virtue is the rational use of what is in our control, and nothing external can take it away
- D. Because virtue exempts a person from suffering illness
Q5. Epictetus was born a slave. How does this biographical fact relate to his teaching on virtue as the only good?
- A. It shows that he believed freedom of the body was the highest good
- B. It illustrates that external conditions like slavery cannot destroy inner freedom, which rests in one's own judgment
- C. It led him to reject philosophy in favor of political activism
- D. It convinced him that wealth was necessary to pursue virtue
Module 6
Module 6: Facing Adversity and Death
Facing Adversity and Death
Knowledge check
Q1. According to Epictetus, which of the following is entirely within our control?
- A. Our reputation among others
- B. Our own judgments, impulses, and desires ✓
- C. The health of our body
- D. The property we inherit from our family
Why: Epictetus taught that only our own judgments (prohairesis), impulses, desires, and aversions are truly up to us. Body, property, reputation, and public office lie outside our control.
Q2. What is the central lesson Epictetus draws from the idea of the 'dichotomy of control' when facing adversity?
- A. We should avoid all difficult situations entirely
- B. We should focus our effort on what we can control and accept what we cannot
- C. We should try to change external events through sheer willpower
- D. We should rely on the gods to determine every outcome for us
Q3. Epictetus was born into slavery. Which of the following best describes his view of external circumstances such as bondage?
- A. Slavery makes it impossible to practice philosophy
- B. Slavery is a moral disgrace that the wise must actively resist
- C. Bondage affects the body but cannot touch the freedom of the mind
- D. Only wealthy people can achieve true freedom of thought
Q4. In the Stoic view Epictetus taught, how should a person regard the prospect of death?
- A. With terror, since death ends all meaning
- B. With indifference to the body, as death is a natural event outside our control
- C. With eager longing, since death is always a reward
- D. With guilt, since every life must be justified to the gods
Q5. What does Epictetus advise regarding things like illness, loss, or the death of loved ones?
- A. Pretend that nothing has happened and avoid thinking about it
- B. Remember that we do not control such events and that we should not be disturbed by external things, but by our own judgments about them
- C. Blame others for causing our suffering so that we can feel better
- D. Seek revenge against whatever caused the loss
Module 7
Module 7: Living Philosophy in Daily Practice
Living Philosophy in Daily Practice
Knowledge check
Q1. According to Epictetus, which of the following is entirely up to us and therefore a proper object of our concern?
- A. Our reputation among others
- B. Our own judgments, impulses, and desires ✓
- C. The health of our body
- D. The wealth we accumulate
Why: Epictetus divides things into those up to us (our judgments, impulses, desires, and aversions) and those not up to us (body, property, reputation, office). Only the former are truly ours to control, so only they deserve our primary attention.
Q2. What is the purpose of the Stoic 'dichotomy of control' in daily life?
- A. To help us avoid all responsibilities
- B. To direct our effort toward what we can change and accept what we cannot ✓
- C. To convince us that external events do not matter at all
- D. To encourage us to compete for social status
Why: The dichotomy of control is a practical tool: by focusing effort on our own judgments and actions and accepting external outcomes with equanimity, we reduce frustration and act more wisely. It does not mean ignoring the world or our duties.
Q3. Epictetus was born a slave. How does this biographical detail relate to his philosophy?
- A. He wrote only about the lives of slaves and nothing else
- B. It shows that freedom of mind is possible regardless of external circumstances ✓
- C. He rejected all philosophy because of his status
- D. He believed slaves were naturally superior to free citizens
Why: Epictetus taught that the inner freedom to govern one's judgments cannot be taken by any master. His own life as a slave, and later as a freedman, illustrated that philosophical virtue is available to anyone, whatever their external condition.
Q4. In the Enchiridion, Epictetus advises that when we encounter a difficult situation, we should:
- A. Immediately seek revenge against whoever caused it
- B. Ask ourselves what is in our power and what is not, and respond accordingly ✓
- C. Pretend the situation does not exist
- D. Rely entirely on the opinions of others to decide our response
Why: The Enchiridion repeatedly recommends this kind of self-examination: distinguish what is up to you from what is not, then act on the former. This turns abstract philosophy into a concrete habit for handling everyday problems.
Q5. What does Epictetus mean when he says that 'people are disturbed not by things, but by their judgments about things'?
- A. External events have no real effect on us
- B. Our emotional distress comes from the interpretations we attach to events, which we can examine and revise ✓
- C. We should never form any opinions at all
- D. Other people's opinions are always wrong
Why: Epictetus locates the source of suffering in our judgments rather than in the events themselves. Because judgments are within our control, we can practice questioning and reshaping them, which is a central daily practice in Stoicism.