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καὶ τὰ μὲν ἐφ' ἡμῖν ἐστι φύσει ἐλεύθερα, ἀκώλυτα, ἀπαραπόδιστα, τὰ δὲ οὐκ ἐφ' ἡμῖν ἀσθενῆ, δοῦλα, κωλυτά, ἀλλότρια. μέμνησο οὖν,
Now, the things within our power are by nature free, unrestricted, unhindered; but those beyond our power are weak, dependent, restricted, alien. Remember, then
φύσει: “by nature.” The goal of the Stoics is to live in harmony with nature. For the Stoics, nature refers to the universe rationally ordered and guided by the Stoic god. Humans’ place in the universe is to play the part of a rational moral being. Thus, in most respects the natures of man and the universe coincide. When Epictetus here says that things which are in our control are free by nature, he implies that the divinity has ordained this for us.
ἐλεύθερα, ἀκώλυτα, ἀπαραπόδιστα: the last two adjectives show that the Stoic concept of freedom involves freedom from obstruction, but for the Stoics freedom also allows you to do things that are in your power. Thus, freedom for the Stoics encompasses both freedom to and freedom from, two important ways in which freedom is understood. Long (2018, xvi–xx) points out how innovative this philosophical position is. True freedom is internal, as opposed to the external political/societal freedom of free citizens and slaves. From the Stoic viewpoint, a free citizen can be enslaved to passions, while a slave can be free from them.
ἀκώλυτος, -ον, unhindered
ἀπαραπόδιστος, -ον, unimpeded, unobstructed
ἀσθενής, -ές, weak, powerless
δοῦλος, -η, -ον, slavish, servile
κωλυτός, -ή, -όν, hindered
ἀλλότριος, -α, -ον, not one's own, under the control of others
II, 19, 32; II, 2, 3; cf. I, 25, 3; II, 15, 1 (cf. IV, 1, 129; gn.Stob.31); cf. fortasse III, 22, 101
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καὶ τὰ μὲν ἐφ' ἡμῖν ἐστι φύσει ἐλεύθερα, ἀκώλυτα, ἀπαραπόδιστα, τὰ δὲ οὐκ ἐφ' ἡμῖν ἀσθενῆ, δοῦλα, κωλυτά, ἀλλότρια. μέμνησο οὖν,
Now, the things within our power are by nature free, unrestricted, unhindered; but those beyond our power are weak, dependent, restricted, alien. Remember, then
φύσει: “by nature.” The goal of the Stoics is to live in harmony with nature. For the Stoics, nature refers to the universe rationally ordered and guided by the Stoic god. Humans’ place in the universe is to play the part of a rational moral being. Thus, in most respects the natures of man and the universe coincide. When Epictetus here says that things which are in our control are free by nature, he implies that the divinity has ordained this for us.
ἐλεύθερα, ἀκώλυτα, ἀπαραπόδιστα: the last two adjectives show that the Stoic concept of freedom involves freedom from obstruction, but for the Stoics freedom also allows you to do things that are in your power. Thus, freedom for the Stoics encompasses both freedom to and freedom from, two important ways in which freedom is understood. Long (2018, xvi–xx) points out how innovative this philosophical position is. True freedom is internal, as opposed to the external political/societal freedom of free citizens and slaves. From the Stoic viewpoint, a free citizen can be enslaved to passions, while a slave can be free from them.
ἀκώλυτος, -ον, unhindered
ἀπαραπόδιστος, -ον, unimpeded, unobstructed
ἀσθενής, -ές, weak, powerless
δοῦλος, -η, -ον, slavish, servile
κωλυτός, -ή, -όν, hindered
ἀλλότριος, -α, -ον, not one's own, under the control of others
II, 19, 32; II, 2, 3; cf. I, 25, 3; II, 15, 1 (cf. IV, 1, 129; gn.Stob.31); cf. fortasse III, 22, 101
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