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Epictetus: A Stoic and Socratic Guide to Life By A. A. Long ( Oxford University Press, USA )
Release Date: 2004-03-11
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List Price: $29.95
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Product Description
The philosophy of Epictetus, a freed slave in the Roman Empire, has been profoundly influential on Western thought: it offers not only stimulating ideas but practical guidance in living one's life. A. A. Long, a leading scholar of later ancient philosophy, gives the definitive presentation of the thought of Epictetus for a broad readership. Long's fresh and vivid translations of a selection of the best of Epictetus' discourses show that his ideas are as valuable and striking today as they were amost two thousand years ago.
This is a book for anyone interested in what we can learn from ancient philosophy about how to live our lives.
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 Outstanding Introduction to Epictetus ( bureaucraticsod )
I don't have much to add to the glowing reviews of this book. It's gracefully written, philosophically sensitive, and of manageable length. If I had any complaint, it's that the author, Berkeley prof A.A. Long, doesn't devote enough attention to the Stoic thinkers who preceded Epictetus. Instead, he explores Epictetus's affinities to Socrates. This makes his book less-than-ideal as an introduction to Stoicism -- but anyone who already has that background and wants to deepen his understanding of Epictetus's Discourses should start here. Highly recommended.
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 Not what I was looking for. ( ssnoth )
In the introduction, A.A. Long wrote,
"...Epictetus often uses the vocative 'anthrope', literally '(O) human being' or (O) man'; but neither of these translations works in modern English. So I have preferred to write 'friend' or 'my friend'..."
This told me what I needed to know about A.A. Long's translation: it is not what I am looking for. Here, Long actually confesses to changing the substantive meaning of a phrase for the purpose of making it "work in modern English." It certainly is a substantive change, since one may logically conclude that all people who are "friend"/"my friend" are "human being/man", but not all who are "human being"/"man" are necessarily "friend"/"my friend". It is painfully obvious that "human being"/"man" is not a synonym for "friend"/my friend". When Epictetus chose to use the vocative "anthrope", he was purposefully addressing a broader group than "friend"/"my friend": he was addressing both "friend AND "non-friend". There is a profound, substantive difference between addressing an audience as "(O) man!/(O) human being" and addressing an audience as "Friend"/"My friend" That difference gives insight to the ideas of the speaker.
If A.A. Long has changed this, then what else has he changed? Maybe a lot, maybe nothing. But, I don't want to risk wasting my time -- there's too much to read without having to worry about whether a modern translator has been unfaithful to the substantive meaning.
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Very insightful and worth the time and money ( tgressett )
The book reads well and is full of information. It's like taking an entire course about Epictetus at a major university--becuase it is. I am a student at Tulane University and I just used this book for an Independent Study course on Epictetus. I designed the course myself. This book was the only one I needed to buy in order to get an A from my advisor whose discipline is in Ancient Philosophy. This is worth every penny if you are interesting in rediscovering the powerful message of the Stoic approach to life and happiness.
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 One of the best contemporary books on Stoicism and ancient philosophy in general ( enqidu )
The great strength of A. A. Long's book on Epictetus is that Long views Epictetus, and Stoicism in general, as being firmly rooted in the broader tradition of ancient philosophy. This is reflected in his reference to Socrates in the book's title.
Throughout the book Long engagingly draws the reader into the world of philosophy as it was lived. Especially in the first half of the book Long emphasizes Epictetus' humanity - as well as that of his students. The result is that anyone who reads this book will, if they haven't already, be compelled to read Epictetus.
The two things that I wasn't crazy about are (1) Long's dismissal of the Epictetus' "Handbook" as unimportant (Long prefers to only look at the "Discourses"), and (2) the second half of the book is more technical and less fun to read than the first half. Long is, after all, a contemporary philsopher, and the second half of the book seems to be more aimed at his colleagues and students of academic philosophy rather than the general public.
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Philosophy as praxis ( talex@siu.edu )
This is a fine introduction to the thought of the ex-slave Epictetus. A.A. Long is a well-established specialist in the philosophical schools of the Hellenistic period. While professional philosophers have paid attention to the technical and "academic" side of this period, it is finally refreshing to see serious, thoughtful engagement with the practical and humanistic thinkers. Philosophy used to be a guide for living and perhaps it can be again some day. The work of Pierre Hadot, especially his studies on Marcus Aurelius or Plotinus, is also be recommended.
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