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Epictetus: Discourses and Handbook

Philosophy asks big questions in careful steps. This page is a short introduction to the Greek philosopher Epictetus and the two works that carry his teaching. It is general education. It is not advice for your own situation, and it is not therapy. It is a short orientation and does not settle scholarly debates.

Who he was

Epictetus was a Greek philosopher of the 1st and early 2nd centuries CE and an exponent of Stoic ethics. He was born sometime in the 50s CE in Hierapolis, a Greek city of Asia Minor, and spent part of his life as the slave of Epaphroditus, an administrator in the court of Nero. He later established his own school at Nicopolis, in northwest Greece, and taught there until his death around 135.

What he asked his students to examine

His chief concerns are integrity, self-management and personal freedom. He asks his students to examine two central ideas: volition (prohairesis) and the correct use of impressions.

The Discourses

The major compilation of his teaching is the Discourses. The work we have is in four books, though the original had eight or more. According to its preface, the Discourses were not written by Epictetus but by the essayist and historian Arrian of Nicomedia, to convey the personal impact of his instruction. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy says there is reason to be confident the works represent Epictetus's thought, and a few scholars argue he composed them himself.

The Handbook

The shorter Encheiridion, titled in English either Manual or Handbook, is a brief abridgment of the Discourses.

Sources

This page draws on the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry "Epictetus" (first published Dec 23, 2008; substantive revision Jul 16, 2025) at plato.stanford.edu. The link goes to the organization's own site.

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