How Epictetus Captured The Mind Of Marcus Aurelius

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<p>One of history’s most powerful rulers was shaped by a teacher he never met. In this episode, Ryan talks with Professor William O. Stephens about how Marcus Aurelius discovered Epictetus, why the former slave’s teachings hit him so deeply, and how those ideas about freedom, power, and self-mastery helped shape the philosopher king.</p><br><p>William O. Stephens is a philosopher specializing in Stoicism, ethics, and ancient philosophy. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania and spent over 30 years teaching at Creighton University, where he is now Professor Emeritus. His work spans topics like friendship, ecology, and human nature, with a focus on Stoic thought. His latest book is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Marcus-Aurelius-Philosopher-King-Great-Ancient/dp/1836391161" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Marcus Aurelius: Philosopher-King</em></a>&nbsp;(2025), and he is also the author of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Marcus-Aurelius-Guide-Perplexed-Guides-ebook/dp/B00LFPKS1U/ref=books_amazonstores_desktop_mfs_aufs_ap_sc_dsk_2?_encoding=UTF8&amp;pd_rd_w=vFw52&amp;content-id=amzn1.sym.9c9a049f-252a-49d9-a8c2-e300a1663200&amp;pf_rd_p=9c9a049f-252a-49d9-a8c2-e300a1663200&amp;pf_rd_r=139-8118888-5645531&amp;pd_rd_wg=UukXM&amp;pd_rd_r=be8560ba-bdf5-44fe-8446-a88fe7e8d42d" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Marcus Aurelius: A Guide for the Perplexed</em></a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Epictetuss-Encheiridion-Translation-Guide-Ethics-ebook/dp/B0BWHTKRWJ/ref=books_amazonstores_desktop_mfs_aufs_ap_sc_dsk_1?_encoding=UTF8&amp;pd_rd_w=vFw52&amp;content-id=amzn1.sym.9c9a049f-252a-49d9-a8c2-e300a1663200&amp;pf_rd_p=9c9a049f-252a-49d9-a8c2-e300a1663200&amp;pf_rd_r=139-8118888-5645531&amp;pd_rd_wg=UukXM&amp;pd_rd_r=be8560ba-bdf5-44fe-8446-a88fe7e8d42d" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Epictetus’s Encheiridion: A New Translation and Guide to Stoic Ethics</em></a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Ethics-Stoic-Epictetus-Translation-Revisioning-ebook/dp/B093T9MLFB/ref=books_amazonstores_desktop_mfs_aufs_ap_sc_dsk_4?_encoding=UTF8&amp;pd_rd_w=vFw52&amp;content-id=amzn1.sym.9c9a049f-252a-49d9-a8c2-e300a1663200&amp;pf_rd_p=9c9a049f-252a-49d9-a8c2-e300a1663200&amp;pf_rd_r=139-8118888-5645531&amp;pd_rd_wg=UukXM&amp;pd_rd_r=be8560ba-bdf5-44fe-8446-a88fe7e8d42d" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Stoic Ethics: Epictetus and Happiness as Freedom</em></a><em>.&nbsp;</em></p><br><p>Check out more of William Stephens’ work at&nbsp;<a href="https://williamostephens.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://WilliamOStephens.com/</a></p><br><p>📚 Grab a copy of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Marcus-Aurelius-Philosopher-King-Great-Ancient/dp/1836391161" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Marcus Aurelius: Philosopher-King</em>&nbsp;by William Stephens</a></p><br><p>🎟️<a href="https://www.dailystoiclive.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> <strong>DAILY STOIC LIVE </strong></a>| Ryan Holiday is coming to a <a href="https://www.dailystoiclive.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">city near you</a>! <a href="https://www.dailystoiclive.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Grab tickets here</a> |&nbsp; <a href="https://www.dailystoiclive.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.dailystoiclive.com/</a></p><br><p>🎙️<a href="https://dailystoic.supercast.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong> AD-FREE </strong></a><strong>|</strong> Support the podcast and go deeper into Stoicism by subscribing to<a href="https://dailystoic.supercast.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> The Daily Stoic Premium</a> - unlock ad-free listening, early access, and bonus content:<a href="https://dailystoic.supercast.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> https://dailystoic.supercast.com/</a></p><br><p>🎥 <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@DailyStoic/videos" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>VIDEO EPISODES</strong></a><strong>|</strong> Watch the video episodes on<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@DailyStoic/videos" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> The Daily Stoic YouTube channel</a>:<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@DailyStoic/videos" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> https://www.youtube.com/@DailyStoic/videos</a></p><br><p>✉️ <a href="https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>FREE STOIC WISDOM</strong></a><strong> | </strong>Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at<a href="https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail</a></p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>