The Philosopher Who Sold His Slaves to Fund Free Speech
The Stoic Epictetus was born a slave, crippled by his master, and later founded a school teaching that inner freedom cannot be taken from anyone. This episode sits with the uncomfortable tension between his radical philosophy of liberty and the brutal reality of the world that produced him.
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Epictetus was born into slavery and named Acquired to reflect his status as property.
Roman masters often educated slaves like Epictetus to increase their market value and social prestige.
Emperor Domitian expelled philosophers from Rome for prioritizing personal integrity over obedience to the state.
Roman elites traveled to Greece to learn philosophy from a man who was once a slave.
The dichotomy of control teaches that suffering comes from trying to influence external factors like reputation.
Stoic philosophy defines true freedom as self-mastery rather than legal status or physical liberty.
- 01Intro1 min
- 02The Man Named 'Acquired'2 min
- 03The Education of a Slave2 min
- 04Exile and the School at Nicopolis2 min
- 05The Logic of Inner Freedom2 min
- 06Liberation or Consolation?2 min
- 07Outro1 min
- Epictetus - Wikipedia
- Epictetus | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
- Epictetus - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
- Legacy
- Epictetus | Stoic Philosophy, Enchiridion & Discourses | Britannica
- Epictetus (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy/Fall 2022 Edition)
- Epictetus | Encyclopedia.com
- Epictetus on one's inner freedom that is immune to external ...
- Freedom, Slavery, and Self in Epictetus
- DOI: 10.18261/issn.1893-0271-2019-04-03
- Epictetus on Freedom: Parallels between Epictetus and Wittgenstein
- How to Be Free: An Ancient Guide to the Stoic Life - Introduction
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