Restoration of Some of the Classic Commitments of Pre-Modern Philosophy

Does the essay restore some of the classic commitments of pre-modern philosophy?

DeepSeek:

Yes, the essay demonstrates that Epictetus’ Discipline of Assent robustly restores several classic commitments of pre-modern philosophy, particularly those central to ancient Stoicism and Socratic thought. Here are the key pre-modern commitments it reaffirms:

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1. The Primacy of Reason and Rational Autonomy

· Pre-modern commitment: Classical philosophy (from Plato to the Stoics) held that reason (logos) is the defining human faculty and the path to virtue and happiness.

· Restoration in Epictetus:

    The discipline of assent places rational judgment at the center of moral life. Freedom is defined not by external circumstances but by the sovereignty of reason over impressions. This echoes Socrates’ claim that “the unexamined life is not worth living” and the Stoic ideal of the sage whose rationality is inviolable.

2. The Ethical Internalism of Virtue Ethics

· Pre-modern commitment: Ancient ethics (especially in Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and the Stoics) located the good within the soul’s state, not in external goods.

· Restoration in Epictetus:

    Epictetus radicalizes the Stoic split between what is “up to us” (prohairesis) and what is not. True good and evil are solely matters of moral choice and judgment. This directly revives the classical focus on character and intention over outcomes, countering modern consequentialist or materialist notions of value.

3. Philosophy as a Way of Life (Askēsis)

· Pre-modern commitment: For ancient philosophers, philosophy was not merely theoretical but a transformative practice requiring daily exercise (askēsis) of mental and moral habits.

· Restoration in Epictetus:

    The essay emphasizes that the discipline of assent is a lifelong training—a regimen of attention, self-examination, and mental rehearsal. This recovers the ancient view of philosophy as therapy for the soul, akin to practices in Pythagorean, Platonic, and Stoic communities.

4. The Concept of Human Nature and Telos

· Pre-modern commitment: Classical philosophy often defined human nature by its rational capacity and saw our goal (telos) as living in accordance with that nature.

· Restoration in Epictetus:

    Epictetus insists that to be fully human is to exercise rational autonomy in assent. Our purpose is to align our judgments with nature (reason and cosmic order). This restores a teleological and normative view of human nature, contrasting with modern descriptive or relativistic approaches.

5. Emotional Cultivation through Cognitive Discipline

· Pre-modern commitment: Stoics and other schools (like some strands of Platonism) viewed emotions (pathē) as judgments to be educated, not merely as feelings to be expressed or suppressed.

· Restoration in Epictetus:

    The discipline of assent treats emotions as consequences of assent to impressions. By mastering assent, one cultivates apatheia (freedom from destructive passions) and eupatheia (good feelings, like joy from virtue). This revives the classical model of emotional rationality, opposing modern dualisms between reason and emotion.

6. The Ideal of Self-Sufficiency (Autarkeia) and Invulnerability

· Pre-modern commitment: Many ancient philosophies, especially Stoicism and Cynicism, prized inner resilience and independence from fortune.

· Restoration in Epictetus:

    The essay highlights Epictetus’ claim that a trained prohairesis is unassailable—even a tyrant cannot compel false assent. This restores the classical ideal of the philosopher as invulnerable to external misfortune, a stance largely abandoned in modern philosophies that emphasize vulnerability or interdependence.

7. Moral Education (Paideia) and Habituation

· Pre-modern commitment: Character formation through rigorous education and habituation was central to ancient ethics (e.g., Aristotle’s hexis).

· Restoration in Epictetus:

    Epictetus attributes false assent to corrupted moral education and prescribes retraining through exercises. This reaffirms the classical belief in cultivating virtue through practice, countering modern tendencies toward innate moral sense or purely theoretical ethics.

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How It Contrasts with Modern Commitments

Epictetus’ discipline of assent consciously rejects several modern assumptions:

· Rejects psychological determinism or external causation of emotions in favor of cognitive agency.

· Rejects relativism about values by affirming reason as a universal standard.

· Rejects the modern prioritization of self-expression over self-governance.

· Rejects materialist definitions of well-being by asserting the indifference of externals.

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Conclusion

The essay convincingly shows that Epictetus’ Discipline of Assent is not just a historical curiosity but a conscious revival of pre-modern philosophical commitments: rational autonomy, virtue as inner state, philosophy as transformative practice, and the cultivation of an invulnerable moral self. In an age often dominated by external metrics of success and passive psychological models, Epictetus offers a return to the classical ideal that true freedom and happiness come from within, through rigorous mastery of one's own judgments.