This essay resonates strongly with me because in medicine, as a junior doctor, my gut feelings may well be wrong. It shouldn’t subjectively feel right, but it should objectively have compelling reasoning behind it. In this essay, Epictetus stresses that a decision should not be taken based on firm conviction, but by the strength of evidence there is to support this decision. ‘To people who cling hard to certain of their decisions’ is, personally, one of my favorite essays. First time readers can be put off by the style. There are better introductions to stoicism and unless you have read someone who comes across as more humble, the lessons in this books can be easily lost. They are preachy and while the idea is admirable, the execution leaves a lot to be desired. Each essay tackles an important topic, and while some are memorable, others just fall flat as plainly unattractive reads. Written as an amalgamation between philosophical theory and some variety of the Socratic method, the basic ideas are simple and Epictetus constructs dialogue around a certain thought. This small book from Penguin contains, apparently, the distilled version of Epictetus’ discourses.
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