Arguments Against Epictetus

To Epictetus, in order to live the good life we must begin by understanding that some things are in our control, while others are not. We cannot control what happens to us, but we can control how we react to these things. We must understand that everything that happens in this world is irrational and arbitrary. In order to cope with the inevitable pain we will feel in life, we must learn the art of detachment. The idea is to never fully invest in the external world, as it is unpredictable, and can leave you at any costs. In this essay I will begin by arguing against Epictetus based on the idea that if we never feel pain, we will never try to resolve any problems in the world, I will then give a counter-argument based on the teachings of Epictetus. I will conclude by saying that happiness can come from attachment and loss. …show more content…
It means you are neutral to anything and everything. It means you will never truly feel anything with passion- whether it be love for someone else, sadness for a lost loved one, or scared for your life. When you have something to lose, it means something has enough power over you to turn your life around- whether you like it or not. The idea of having something that means so much to you can be beautiful, just as the idea of feeling something so strongly could be beautiful. The idea of being numb to pain seems great, until you realize detaching yourself from pain means you detach yourself from love. I believe that in truth, detaching yourself from love does not bring peace and tranquility, but instead brings isolation and a lack of connection that we as humans need to thrive. A life that lacks passion eventually gets boring, as it is the same story everyday. The only reason we have such happy days is because we know the taste of pain. Although with attachment can come pain, it also brings forth joy as they are linked to one

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