Rating: 
Summary: Epictetus for everybody
Review: Epictetus is one of the real "greats" in the history of philosophy. From the very bottom of the Roman social ladder, he taught and practiced a philosophy (originally due to Zeno) that came to be called "Stoicism" and influenced Roman society all the way to the very top: Roman soldiers used to carry copies of the _Enchiridion_ into battle, and the emperor Marcus Aurelius's famous "Meditations" consist mostly of his urging himself, apparently with limited success, to come closer to the Stoic ideal.The people who characterize Sharon Lebell's interpretive rendering as a "self-help" book have at least half a point; the written records of Epictetus's teachings (Epictetus didn't write them down himself) were self-help books in the first place. And fine ones they were. Oh, there are a few points at which Epictetus counsels heights of detachment suitable only for inhuman monsters, as when he suggests that we remember our wives and children are mortal so that we won't grieve when they die. But on the whole his teachings are firmly founded on the view that absolutely everything occurs by Providence, we are all of us children of God and citizens of the world with natural fellowship with one another, and we should assume responsibility for precisely those things which we can control -- namely, ourselves. This view, or something very close to it, has grounded religious and philosophical programs from the Torah to Alcoholics Anonymous, from Spinoza to the Musar movement, from antiquity to the very latest modernity (e.g., Mark Rosen's excellent _Thank You for Being Such a Pain_): when you face a challenge, use it to improve yourself; that's what it's for. And Epictetus's teachings were not assembled into books in order to provide academic employment for classical scholars. They were recorded because Epictetus himself wasn't going to be around to teach forever and it was believed to be important that his influence outlive him. His philosophy, after all, was supposed to be both practical and practiced. What Sharon Lebell has done in this excellent little volume is skim the very cream of Epictetus's philosophy and make it accessible to the modern reader. And it is worth remembering that Epictetus himself did not teach in writing but spoke directly to his listeners; his students would not have sat in the library poring over long crabbed volumes but sat in the open air listening to popularly accessible discourses. Lebell does interpret and modify, and she doesn't always say so. For example, she has Epictetus say at one point, "Rationality isn't everything." This is by way of making the entirely unexceptionable point that there are things we're just not going to understand. But there is a good case to be made that, for Epictetus, rationality -- i.e., conformity to "nature" under the governance of reason -- was indeed "everything," not merely a means to an end, as Lebell's rendering suggests, but both means _and_ end. But this is a piddling objection; Lebell's interpretations stay pretty close to the original, as any reader can verify by actually checking her text against a good translation of the sources. (I like the _Everyman_ edition, but I think it's out of print.) And before dismissing Lebell's interpretation as just another self-help book, we should ask ourselves how many _other_ "self-help books" include the advice, "Let your reason be supreme" [p. 62].
Rating: 
Summary: It makes we stop to rethink our lives
Review: Epictetus, in the stoic tradition, faces life in such an open-hearted way, that by the first pages we are already totally shocked. Those short sentences and simple thoughts pack such "weight" and truth in them, that in a matter of minutes you are already questioning all the important decisions you took in the past and start to ask yourself where the heck you thought you were heading... :-) The worst thing: Even if you don't like what he writes, it totally makes sense and you can feel it inside you... It's terrifying! :-) As it was supposed to be, this short book is an invaluable manual for good living and peace of mind. It makes all those important "truths" you were taught for years and years, suddenly seem so small, that the phrase "rethink your life" had to be associated to this book. By teaching us to face life in a different way, this book simply makes us better human beings. The so-called big problems suddenly become small and the otherwise "small things" are turned into a font of happiness. And the best of all, this book is so cheap and thin, that is hard to find an excuse not to read it! I am sure we all can take at least something of great value to our lives by reading this book. It is amazing that after thousands of years, nobody can know, explain and understand human nature so well as those ancient Greeks(or Greecians, as some might say...). Also, if you like this book, check the works of Seneca because they are very, very interesting too!
Rating: 
Summary: Historical Document or Self Help?
Review: I bought this book for a Roman History class, thinking I was buying a primary source document, in a translation true to Epictetus's writing. However, I quickly realized that this wasn't so. In a side by side comparison with a translation by W.J.Oates, Professor of Classics at Princeton U. in 1957, there are numerous additional passages, and some very different meanings, with several words of wisdom that are not to be found in Professor Oates translation. Whether these were found later, I can't testify to, but this translation would make a fine, politically correct, self help book, but as a piece of historical writing, it doesn't pass the historian's litmus test.
Rating: 
Summary: Stoics: The people who don't care...
Review: I read some part of the book in the university library. It is really interesting one. It can serve as a manual for people who do not care about life and what is going on but the reality is absolutely different...
I don't advice you spending money on this book...
Rating:
Summary: Art of Living by Sharon Lebell
Review: I wanted to read Epictetus. As the introduction points out, this is Sharon Lebell's channeling of Epictetus. Oops, I figured, wrongly, that the volume was a translation of Enchiridion and would do fine. It's in the trash. Most ancient thinkers were very good at expressing themselves and their ideas - warts and all - to common people. I really can't believe that someone who takes this man seriously would decide to re-invent him and dress it up like it's his words. If you want to know figure out what Epictetus thought on your own, buy a copy of his Discourses or Enchiridion. That's what I'm going to do. Otherwise, feel free to put on some New Age music and read this "thing".
Rating:
Summary: A Huge Disappointment
Review: I was hoping for an accessible Epictetus and instead I get "Chicken Soup for the Stoic Soul". If you're interested in understanding Epictetus, or Stoic thought in general you'll be sorely disappointed with this book. What's presented here is far better suited for a page a day calendar than a book (though given how meager the contents are, I doubt it would make it much past mid-summer).
Rating:
Summary: It introduced me to Epictetus
Review: The first review I posted of this didn't make it, so I'll try again. If you want to read Epictetus, please order a copy of his Discourses or Enchiridion. This is an "updated" version of him with adjustments made whereever and you're not the wiser so have fun deciding where Epictetus leaves off and Sharon picks up. Like selling postcards of the Last Supper with rouge painted on the cheeks.
Rating:
Summary: useful and encouraging
Review: The teachings contained in Art of Living by Epictetus, as interpreted in contemporary language by Sharon Lebell, are common sense but invaluable. I found myself nodding in agreement on almost every point made throughout this "manual." The basic theme of Epictetus' thought is self-control - from which one will not only achieve "moral progress", but happiness and tranquility as well. But the advice I found most telling was Epictetus' thoughts on "authentic happiness": "Authentic happiness is always independent of external conditions. Vigilantly practice indifference to external conditions. Your happiness can only be found within." It is unfortunate how many of us forget what true happiness entails. The Art of Living is useful because gives simplicity and clarity to a subject many of us find needlessly daunting.
Rating:
Summary: Getting it right. [Epictetus DID address casual sex!]
Review: This book is inspiring, but perhaps confusing from a historical standpoint, given that Lebell doesn't tell us when she's embellishing on the original. Some reviewers have been speculating on what Epictetus did and did not write about. Example: some have complained that he couldn't possibly have addressed "casual sex". A reviewer named "Strict Evaluation" poo-poos Lebell's use of Epictetus's name and skeptically asks "what's the Greek for 'casual sex'?" -- implying that Lebell's book has little relation to Epictetus. I can assure you that that reviewer is uninformed and overdramatic. Case in point: Lebell writes: "Abstain from casual sex and particularly avoid sexual intercourse before you get married." ... "If, however, you know someone who has had casual sex, don't self-righteously try to win them over to your own views." Arrian (Epictetus's sole recorder) writes in the Enchiridion: "As to pleasure with women, abstain as far as you can before marriage: but if you do indulge in it, do it in the way which is conformable to custom. Do not, however be disagreeable to those who indulge in these pleasures, or reprove them; and do not often boast that you do not indulge in them yourself." I'd say that Lebell has done a good job of capturing the spirit of what Arrian reported of Epictetus teachings (in this case). She often adds her own extrapolations and interpretations based on (1) her own understanding of the philosophy, and (2) a desire to make the reading more accessible and compelling to her audience. I agree that it would be awfully nice to have references to the original texts for comparison -- or perhaps an original+commentary format -- but before you indict her for complete fabrication, please, at least take a look at the original!
Rating:
Summary: My gift to graduates
Review: This book makes a wonderful gift for a new graduate. How many high schools teach philosophy these days? The sensible advice and direction that this modern interpretation provides can be an excellent introduction to philosophy and perhaps widen the scope of thought for young people beyond what 'popular entertainment' offers. I've given this book for several years now and although a graduate may not initially appreciate the ideas presented, eventually it gets picked up and enjoyed.
| 
