On some rhetorical-pedagogical strategies in Epictetus' Discourses concerning proairesis

BRAICOVICH, RODRIGO SEBASTIÁN

Eidos

Universidad del Norte

Año: 2013 vol. 19 p. 39 - 56

2011-7477

 The paper aims to clarify some features of Epictetus´ specific usage of the concept of proairesis throughout his Discourses. This will be done by suggesting that a number of problematic expressions concerning proairesis and its freedom should be understood as rhetorical-pedagogical expressions of Epictetus? intellectualism. I will mainly focus on a series of problematic passages that have been discussed by several commentators concerning the concept of proairesis, and I will suggest that those passages are best interpreted as rhetorical or, better, pedagogical expressions of Epictetus´ strictly intellectualist approach to the psychology of action. The interpretation I will propose does away with the need to resort to certain interpretations of those passages that threaten to obscure the otherwise clear picture of human action offered by Epictetus´ intellectualism concerning the psychology of action.