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How is this plain English version different?
The first four volumes in this series (Stoic Foundations, Stoic Choices, Stoic Training, and Stoic) are a plain English version of Epictetus’ Discourses as transcribed by Arrian.
This is not a reinterpretation of Epictetus, but a re-expression so the language and the idiom follow modern English, expressed in a simple and straightforward way. The main purpose of this rendering is to make the works of Epictetus easily accessible to a modern reader. Here is how this rendering compares with literal translations:
Chapter titles
The chapter titles in the original were often either cryptic or non-descriptive of the content of the discourse, such as ‘To Naso,’ or ‘Of Providence.’ I changed them to make it descriptive of the content of the discourse and the main theme of each book.
Chapter subheadings
The original Discourses had no chapter subheads. The translations used a numbering system which served no purpose (except as a point of reference) and was intrusive. I eliminated the numbering system and added subheads to make it easier to read and locate a passage of interest.
Commentary
Throughout these books, I have added commentary to provide clarity to the content. Other authors generally have them as endnotes, but I have chosen to include it in the text itself because I felt that it makes less work for the reader. Commentaries are clearly set apart from the main text itself by square brackets and, in some cases, italicized font.
Occasional minor changes
To make it relevant to the modern reader, I have occasionally made minor changes. For example, if there was a reference to an obscure wrestler, I might have omitted the reference to the name of the wrestler but just referred that person as ‘a wrestler.’ If there was a reference to a ‘bath house,’ I might have changed it to a ‘swimming pool.’ But in all cases I have retained intended meaning.
Occasional shortening of a repetitive dialogue
Because Discourses is an unedited transcript of Epictetus’ conversations, sometimes a lengthy dialogue could contain repetition which does not add to the content. Occasionally, when it is highly repetitious, I have shortened it slightly.
Minor changes in sentence sequence
Because Discourses are transcripts of dialogues, the sentence sequences are not what it would be in a written text. In a few instances, where I felt rearranging a few sentences would improve clarity, I have done so.
Choosing the simplest interpretation
Sometimes the same word is translated differently by different scholars. For example, the same word is translated as ‘bad’ by some and as ‘evil’ by others; the same phrase is translated as ‘moral choice,’ ‘sphere of choice,’ or ‘judgment’ by different translators. In cases where there are different interpretations, I have chosen to accept the interpretations that are easiest to understand as well as most widely acceptable.
Choosing a simplified, modern format
Discourses, is essentially a series of conversations and lectures by Epictetus. He often uses the Socratic dialogue technique to clarify issues raised by students and visitors. Sometimes, the discourses are probably monologues structured as dialogues. However, in most translations, they are not formatted as conversations, so the immediacy of the question and answer is muted. So, wherever possible, I have formatted them as conversations (which most of them actually were), until they become long monologues. I believe that this change in formatting not only makes the book easier to read but also brings forth the immediacy of the issues raised.
The gender issue
Epictetus’ students were (almost?) exclusively male. Again, until a few years ago, unspecified masculine pronouns stood for both genders. So, it is safe to assume that when Epictetus says ‘a man,’ he means ‘a person,’ and when he says ‘he,’ Epictetus means either ‘she’ or ‘he.’ Stoic teachings are equally applicable to members of both genders. But in modern usage, the exclusive use of masculine pronouns would be considered sexist.
Consequently I have alternated between masculine and feminine pronouns throughout the text. Even more commonly, I have changed it to the second person singular (For example, instead of ‘A man cannot ...,’ ‘You cannot.)
Sources consulted
In preparing these five books, my main concern was to be as faithful to the teachings of Epictetus as possible. I am no scholar of ancient Greek and to make sure that I don’t inadvertently distort Epictetus’ words, I consulted several translations starting with the first English translation by Elizabeth Carter (revised editions) and ending with the latest translation by Robin Hard (2014). The translations I consulted included the following:
Resolving contradictions
The translations weren’t consistent. Sometimes the same passages were translated differently by different translators. Most of these differences were minor and they weren’t meaningful enough to warrant an investigation. However, there were a couple of passages which were translated so differently, that I consulted other experts on Stoicism such as Massimo Pigliucci and Christopher Gill to resolve the issues. Chis Gill was particularly helpful in resolving a contradiction involved in a crucial passage.
Although it is not the purpose of this rendering to be an authoritative source, I have done as much as I can to make it as authoritative as possible, given that this is not a literal translation of the original. Whenever plain English would not allow me to be close to the original in structure, I tried to make sure it is close to the original in meaning and spirit. It is my belief that, for most of us who are not scholars, minor losses in accuracy is a small price to pay to gain a better appreciation of Epictetus and what he was trying to teach us.
Appendix 4
