The Handbook (Being a Philosopher for Dummies)

I would say that I still don’t understand the Handbook all too well. In spite of this, I’ve managed to relate the text to my daily living. It gives us advice regarding the impression people have about us and the ways that we can improve said impression. “If you happen to be stranded among strangers, do not talk.” (Pg. 22) This quotation shows that we shouldn’t subject ourselves to any criticism especially to that which comes from strangers.

Two sentences after the quotation I mentioned, Epictetus tells us not to swear any oaths unless the circumstances allow it. This made me recall a scene in the sitcom 2 and a ½ Men, where an irresponsible older man tells a young boy never to make promises, that way he will never go against his word. Apparently, these words have a lot more value than what I initially thought, maybe I shouldn’t make promises.

In an earlier blog, I mentioned that there was the possibility that this text was influenced by Socrates. As it turns out, I was right, Epictetus mentions Socrates in the thirty-third section.

As for the purpose of The Handbook, I think I have discovered why Epictetus wrote it. It explains the basic rules for being a philosopher. According to Guillermo Mina, a philosopher is the person that asks himself extraordinary questions about the extraordinary, but it could be the person that follows these rules.