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Read/Book VI/6.41
MED. 6.41Discipline of assent
George Long · 1862EN · Long

TERMWhatever of the things which are not within thy power thou shalt suppose to be TERMgood for thee or TERMevil, it must of necessity be that, if such a bad thing befall thee or the loss of such a good thing, thou wilt blame the gods, and hate men too, those who are the cause of the misfortune or the loss, or those who are suspected of being likely to be the cause; and indeed we do much injustice, because we make a difference between these things. But if we judge only those things which are DOGMAin our power to be good or bad, there remains no reason either for finding fault with God or standing in a hostile attitude to man.

Original · ancient Greek

Ὅ τι ἂν τῶν ἀπροαιρέτων ὑποστήσῃ σαυτῷ ἀγαθὸν ἢ κακόν, ἀνάγκη κατὰ τὴν περίπτωσιν τοῦ τοιούτου κακοῦ ἢ τὴν ἀπότευξιν τοῦ τοιούτου ἀγαθοῦ μέμψασθαί σε θεοῖς καὶ ἀνθρώπους δὲ μισῆσαι τοὺς αἰτίους ὄντας ἢ ὑποπτευομένους ἔσεσθαι τῆς ἀποτεύξεως ἢ τῆς περιπτώσεως· καὶ ἀδικοῦμεν δὴ πολλὰ διὰ τὴν πρὸς ταῦτα διαφοράν. ἐὰν δὲ μόνα τὰ ἐφ’ ἡμῖν ἀγαθὰ καὶ κακὰ κρίνωμεν, οὐδεμία αἰτία καταλείπεται οὔτε θεῷ ἐγκαλέσαι οὔτε πρὸς ἄνθρωπον στῆναι στάσιν πολεμίου.

Leopold · Teubner 1908
Commentary

Diagnosis through the dichotomy. The passage is an applied theorem of Epictetus' DOGMAdichotomy: it shows what follows from a mislocation of good and evil. If one places TERMgood or TERMevil in the domain of the TERMnon-volitional (τὰ ἀπροαίρετα — what lies outside choice), then two consequences follow of necessity (ἀνάγκη). The governing discipline is assent (the right judgment of value); the sustaining one is desire.

Two consequences of the false judgment. (1) At an "evil," or a "good" that slips away — blame of the gods (μέμψασθαι θεοῖς): they are faulted for the world's arrangement. (2) Hatred of men (μισῆσαι ἀνθρώπους) — and not only of the actual causes, but of those "suspected" of being a future hindrance. Hence injustice (ἀδικοῦμεν): partiality to externals makes us hostile. Impiety and misanthropy have one root — an error of valuation.

The resolution. It suffices to judge good and evil to lie only in DOGMAwhat is "up to us" (τὰ ἐφ’ ἡμῖν) — and the ground for both enmities vanishes: there is no case to bring against god (ἐγκαλέσαι), and no reason to take up a "hostile stance" (στάσιν πολεμίου) against a human being. The therapy of judgment quenches both anger at providence and anger at one's neighbour.

Parallels. The DOGMAdichotomy of control (Epict. Ench. 1); 06-08; cf. 06-16 (value lies in the internal). The link of anger at men with a false valuation — Med. 5.25; 9.38; 11.18. Reverence vs. blame of the gods — cf. 06-44 (the gods have determined well).

DisciplineDiscipline of assent
Record added2026-07-18
Statuspublished
Read·Book VI
Discipline of assent

George Long · 1862· EN · Long

TERMWhatever of the things which are not within thy power thou shalt suppose to be TERMgood for thee or TERMevil, it must of necessity be that, if such a bad thing befall thee or the loss of such a good thing, thou wilt blame the gods, and hate men too, those who are the cause of the misfortune or the loss, or those who are suspected of being likely to be the cause; and indeed we do much injustice, because we make a difference between these things. But if we judge only those things which are DOGMAin our power to be good or bad, there remains no reason either for finding fault with God or standing in a hostile attitude to man.

Original · ancient Greek

Ὅ τι ἂν τῶν ἀπροαιρέτων ὑποστήσῃ σαυτῷ ἀγαθὸν ἢ κακόν, ἀνάγκη κατὰ τὴν περίπτωσιν τοῦ τοιούτου κακοῦ ἢ τὴν ἀπότευξιν τοῦ τοιούτου ἀγαθοῦ μέμψασθαί σε θεοῖς καὶ ἀνθρώπους δὲ μισῆσαι τοὺς αἰτίους ὄντας ἢ ὑποπτευομένους ἔσεσθαι τῆς ἀποτεύξεως ἢ τῆς περιπτώσεως· καὶ ἀδικοῦμεν δὴ πολλὰ διὰ τὴν πρὸς ταῦτα διαφοράν. ἐὰν δὲ μόνα τὰ ἐφ’ ἡμῖν ἀγαθὰ καὶ κακὰ κρίνωμεν, οὐδεμία αἰτία καταλείπεται οὔτε θεῷ ἐγκαλέσαι οὔτε πρὸς ἄνθρωπον στῆναι στάσιν πολεμίου.

Leopold · Teubner 1908
Related4
TERMπροαίρεσιςprohairesis, moral choice, the faculty of choiceTERMἀγαθόνthe goodTERMκακόνevil, the badDOGMAThe dichotomy of control — what is up to us and what is not
Commentary

Diagnosis through the dichotomy. The passage is an applied theorem of Epictetus' DOGMAdichotomy: it shows what follows from a mislocation of good and evil. If one places TERMgood or TERMevil in the domain of the TERMnon-volitional (τὰ ἀπροαίρετα — what lies outside choice), then two consequences follow of necessity (ἀνάγκη). The governing discipline is assent (the right judgment of value); the sustaining one is desire.

Two consequences of the false judgment. (1) At an "evil," or a "good" that slips away — blame of the gods (μέμψασθαι θεοῖς): they are faulted for the world's arrangement. (2) Hatred of men (μισῆσαι ἀνθρώπους) — and not only of the actual causes, but of those "suspected" of being a future hindrance. Hence injustice (ἀδικοῦμεν): partiality to externals makes us hostile. Impiety and misanthropy have one root — an error of valuation.

The resolution. It suffices to judge good and evil to lie only in DOGMAwhat is "up to us" (τὰ ἐφ’ ἡμῖν) — and the ground for both enmities vanishes: there is no case to bring against god (ἐγκαλέσαι), and no reason to take up a "hostile stance" (στάσιν πολεμίου) against a human being. The therapy of judgment quenches both anger at providence and anger at one's neighbour.

Parallels. The DOGMAdichotomy of control (Epict. Ench. 1); 06-08; cf. 06-16 (value lies in the internal). The link of anger at men with a false valuation — Med. 5.25; 9.38; 11.18. Reverence vs. blame of the gods — cf. 06-44 (the gods have determined well).

DisciplineDiscipline of assent
Record added2026-07-18
Statuspublished