PHL 107-B               Prof. Stephens               Spring 2009

Paper Assignment on Epictetus

Due date:  Monday, March 16 at the beginning of class

Length: 700 words minimum; 900 words suggested maximum, 1,000 words absolute maximum.

Again, on the cover page print your word count, a title, your name, the course name, number, and SECTION, the instructor’s name, and the date you are submitting your paper.  For citations/references cite Epictetus’ Discourses by the number of the book, the chapter, and the section, and then the page number in our edition.  For example:

Epictetus says: “Whereas you ought, when you live alone, to call that peace and freedom, and compare yourself to the gods; and when you are in company, not to call it a crowd and a tumult and a vexation, but a feast and a festival, and thus accept all things with contentment” (Discourses 1.12.21; R. Hard p. 34).

TOPIC

I want you to do two things in this paper.  First, devote roughly the first third of your paper to carefully and accurately describing the philosophy of Stoicism (as presented by Epictetus).  Explain Epictetus’ conceptions of prohairesis (‘choice’), reason, happiness, freedom, judgment, integrity, and virtue.  Second, devote the remaining portion of your paper (roughly two-thirds) to philosophically evaluating Stoicism for its strengths and weaknesses.  Is Stoicism a good way to live?  Your thesis will be your answer to this question.  The defense of your thesis will be the argument for your thesis.  Be sure to consider at least two good counterarguments to your thesis.  A counterargument is an intelligently formulated objection.