68 Moral Philosophy: Ideas of Good and Evil, Right and WrongPrudence also is required because man is in control of his own
destiny. Man, according to Epicurus, not the gods, nor the fates,
nor the stars, determines what will happen in this life. If man is
in control of his life, he would do well to be in control of himself.
Then the outcome of his judgments and acts will enhance his
own well-being. The rash man may act imprudently, then curse
the gods, his bad luck, etc. The prudent man knows he is in
control, and by acting well can bask in the good that happens,
since he is its cause.
One of the greatest means to the attainment of true happiness
is the pleasure that comes from the enjoyment of good friends.
Friendship is one of the great relationships man can have on this
earth. In his garden, Epicurus had not just a school of philosophy,
but an association of friends. Women as well as men were
admitted to his school, and that extended his circle of friends, as
well as provided a revolutionary example of equality in Greek
society. Friends were his family, and in a sense were better than
a family, since families require that one assume responsibilities
that are imposed upon, rather than chosen by, the person in
volved. While Epicurianism is a self-oriented philosophy, this
concept of friendship is not contradictory, since Epicurus main
tains that the friend who extends himself for others will get, in
return, the pleasure others can give.
Epictetus (A.D. 55-130)
Epictetus was bom in Hieropolis in Asia Minor. He was bom
into slavery and spent his youth in Rome. Like many slaves with
a disposition for study, he was allowed to become educated.
(Actually, many Roman slaves were intelligent men of other
nations who had been captured in battle.) He studied under the
Stoic philosopher Musonius Rufus, and after completing his
education he became a freedman. In A.D. 90, Epictetus, along
with most philosophers, was expelled from Rome. He spent the
rest of his life in Nicopolis, Greece, where he taught until his
death.
Like most Stoics, Epictetus believed that what is in our power,
that which resides in the will, is what man must be concerned