Epictetus

Epictetus has the distinction of being one of the founders of Roman thought as the creator of Stoicism. His Discourses outline the philosophy and were held as all but sacred to our proud toga-wearers.

The main precept of Stoicism is that everyone has a sphere of influence and a sphere of choice. These determine what effect we can have on others and what effect others can have on us. The idea is that if we don't allow things into our sphere, we can't be moved by them. Hence the emotional-distance thing that is synonymous with "Stoic" today.

As with most philosophies that stuck, there's a lot of truth in what Epictetus has to say. But as Abigail points out in chapter 32, it also doesn't take into account that emotions simply are, and that people respond to other people's. All in all, though, I remember really enjoying my read of the Discourses.

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