# To Naso explained — Discourses

> Chapter companion for Discourses by Epictetus.

## What happens

Epictetus explains to a Roman visitor that philosophy, like any art, involves a difficult learning process but yields beneficial results. He outlines the philosopher's work: aligning one's will with events, living without fear or perturbation, and maintaining proper relationships. He emphasizes the necessity of learning about God, the nature of the divine, and the importance of self-knowledge, warning that most people are like cattle focused only on material goods rather than understanding the world and their place in it.

## Themes in this chapter

### Philosophy as Practical Discipline

Epictetus compares learning philosophy to learning a craft, emphasizing the laborious process and the practical goal of living well.

### Providence and Acceptance

The philosopher must adapt his wish to what happens, trusting in divine governance of the universe.

### Desire and Aversion

The goal of philosophy is to avoid failing in desire and falling into aversion, leading to a life without fear or perturbation.

## Character check-ins

### Epictetus

The teacher who instructs a Roman visitor on the nature of philosophy and the importance of self-examination.

### Caesar

Mentioned as someone the Roman visitor knows, indicating his social standing.

## Key lines

> Every art when it is taught causes labor to him who is unacquainted with it and is unskilled in it, and indeed the things which proceed from the arts immediately show their use in the purpose for which they were made; and most of them contain something attractive and pleasing.

Learning any skill is hard for a beginner, but the results are useful and often pleasing.

_Epictetus uses this analogy to prepare the Roman for the difficulty of philosophical study._

> The work of a philosopher we conceive to be something like this: he must adapt his wish to what is going on, so that neither any of the things which are taking place shall take place contrary to our wish, nor any of the things which do not take place shall not take place when we wish that they should.

The philosopher's task is to align his desires with reality, so that he never wants what cannot happen or fails to want what does happen.

_This is a core Stoic principle of accepting what is outside our control._

> If the divine is faithful, man also must be faithful; if it is free, man also must be free; if beneficent, man also must be beneficent; if magnanimous, man also must be magnanimous; as being then an imitator of God he must do and say everything consistently with this fact.

Since God is faithful, free, beneficent, and magnanimous, humans should imitate these qualities in all their actions and words.

_Epictetus emphasizes the ethical imperative to emulate the divine nature._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/discourses_se/chapters/xiv-to-naso
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/discourses_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/discourses_se/chapters