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In the Handbook of Epictetus, freedom is used, or described in a very vague term. In example thirty-four, Epictetus describes freedom in terms of your desires. He states that when you encounter pleasure, you should not be overcome by it. He also says you should think of how you feel when the pleasure is over. He says after the pleasure you might regret it, and then how would you feel?
Epictetus describes freedom, by saying freedom is not being under the power of another person. Freedom also means you own your passions and desires. In other words, if you are free, you will never set yourself up to be hurt by another human being. So, in the example, if you never feel pleasure, or never give into your desires you are not only free, but you will never get hurt.
In my opinion, every human being is going to give into pleasure for the simple fact that humans enjoy pleasure, and are not strong enough to never give in to our desires. Humans would drift through life basically lifeless. Pleasure and desires are what we live for. If we were to go through life never feeling pleasure, what kind of world would this be? Epictetus might respond to this a very simple way.
He might say this world would be a wonderful place, because no humans would ever have their feelings hurt. If you never have your feelings hurt, you can not treasure the good feelings. So, again, people would drift through life as zombies, never knowing what giving in to their desires feels like. Many people would go crazy. After all, is it not better to have loved and get hurt, than to have never loved at all? If humans never love, than they are not giving in to their desires either.
Epictetus is basically asking something that is impossible. Humans must give in to their desires, and feel pleasure in order to go on in this world. Bibliography:
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Research essay sample on Epictetus Describes Freedom Drift Through Life Pleasure
