Epictetus, born as a slave in Phrygia was a Greek Philosopher of the Stoic era. He lived in Rome until the time when he was banished. After that, he settled in Nicopolis which lies in the northwestern part of Greece; he stayed there most of his life and finally died there. The philosophy that Epictetus taught is not just a theory but also a way to lead life. He was of the opinion that everything that takes place around a person is decided by fate and not controlled by any human being. But every person is accountable for the actions that he performs and these actions are induced by the way of thinking. He defines suffering as an entity that rises because of efforts to manage things that are out of control or ignoring whatever is in the reach of a person. He also stated that in this universe, it is the duty of each and every person to shoe care and affection to other human beings and this is the only way towards happiness.

Ideology of Epictetus:-
Epictetus was born in the year 55 AD. Unfortunately, there is no record of his writings to be found. Nevertheless, his ideas and knowledge have been put on paper in his pupil, Arrian’s work, Discourses. Arrian says that the compilation of his writings is actually based on the lecture notes that he took in the time that he spent as a pupil of Epictetus. Self-knowledge is the base of all philosophies is what Epictetus always said. He said that logic is something that provides a reason which can lead to a certain judgment but in actual it is a subordinate of practical requirements. Epictetus has different views about good, evil, love, reason and God. His knowledge and understanding of things has influenced many modern day people from different fields including military, literature, philosophy itself, religion, acting and psychology to name a few.

Death:-
A significant milestone in the life of Epictetus was setting up a philosophy school on his arrival to Greece. He led a simplistic life and kept very few belongings. For a prolonged period, he lived alone. In the days of his old age, he adopted a child of his friend and took the help of a woman to bring him up. Would it not have been Epictetus, the child would have died due to a lack of attention from the society. From his teachings, philosophies and acts during his life, one thing can be deciphered; Epictetus was indeed a fine thinker and a benevolent human being. The world lost this great philosopher somewhere around the year 135 AD.

Description: This article contains information about the life, thoughts and teachings of Epictetus who was a Greek philosopher of the stoic era.