“It is impossible to begin to learn that which one thinks one already knows.” – Epictetus
The most accessible account of the stoic philosophy of Epictetus is probably in Tom Wolfe’s superb novel A Man In Full – an immensely vivid and readable account of all classes in the American South in the nineties.
Epictetus on learning – thought for the day
I agree, Tom Wolfe’s book definitely made Epictetus and Stoic philosophy accessible to the reading public. Interestingly enough, I recently discovered a website titled “Epictetus for the Day” ( http://www.epictetusfortheday.com ) with daily quotations from his works, citing A Man in Full as inspiration, along with Kim Stanley Robinsons’s fictional “Emerson for the Day” site, now created in real life by one of his readers. ( http://www.emersonfortheday.com ). A case of the web imitating art.
Thanks Cal – that’s an excellent resource.