[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-detail-43000-en":3,"doc-seo-43000-105":29,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":90},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",{"doc_id":7,"user_id":8,"nickname":9,"user_avatar":10,"doc_module":4,"category_id":11,"category_name":12,"doc_title":13,"doc_description":14,"doc_content":15,"file_id":16,"file_url":17,"file_type":18,"file_size":19,"view_count":11,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":20,"is_downloadable":20,"audit_status":20,"page_count":21,"language":22,"language_code":23,"site_id":24,"html_lang":23,"table_of_contents":25,"faqs":26,"seo_title":13,"seo_description":14,"update_tm":27,"read_time":28},43000,4810365810221,"Aurora","https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_155a257f0dc6eb9ab79c44ca47cae57d",2,"Literature","Epictetus on Fearing Death, Bugbear, and Suicide","The text contrasts Epicurean and Stoic arguments about why death should not be feared, then develops the Stoic case as presented by Epictetus. It explains Epicurus’ claim that death is nothing due to the absence of sensation after death, while Stoicism treats death as an indifferent dispreferred condition that does not diminish happiness. The author outlines eight central assertions underpinning Epictetus’ strategy for removing the fear of death and discusses how this connects to suicide debates.","Ancient Philosophy 34 (2014)  \n©Mathesis Publications 1  \n􀀄􀀓􀀏􀀊􀀖􀀌􀀖􀀗􀀕 􀀒􀀑 􀀅􀀌􀀈􀀔􀀏􀀑􀀍 􀀃􀀌􀀈􀀖􀀎􀀁 􀀂􀀗􀀍􀀉􀀌􀀈􀀔 􀀈􀀑􀀋 􀀆􀀓􀀌􀀑 􀀃􀀒􀀒􀀔 􀀇􀀒􀀐􀀏􀀊􀀘  \nW.O. Stephens  \nAristotle claims that the most fearsome thing is death (Nicomachean Ethics iii 6.1115a26) . In contrast, Epicurus famously argued that death is nothing to us, and so nothing to fear (Letter to Menoeceus 124) . The Stoics agreed with their Epicurean rivals that death is not to be feared, but they presented different reasons to support this judgment.1 Epicurus identified the goal of living with pleasure, especially freedom from pain and distress, and evil with pain and distress . Since no sensation at all, neither pleasant nor painful, is possible for the dead, he inferred that death is nothing. It is nothing for the dead, who no longer exist, and nothing for the living, who do not experience their own deaths as long as they live (Letter to Menoeceus 125) .  \nThe Stoics rejected the Epicurean identification of good with pleasure and evil with pain. The Stoics maintained that life, death, strength, weakness, health, illness, wealth, poverty, beauty, ugliness, good reputation, infamy, pleasure, pain, and other such things are neither goods nor evils but rather indifferents (adiaphora , see Long and Sedley (LS) 1987, i 354-355 [58A-C]) . Within this class of indifferents the Stoics grouped death with weakness , illness, poverty, ugliness, infamy, and pain, calling such things ‘dispreferred’(apoproēgmena) indifferents . This means that although the threat of death in no way diminishes the happiness of the Stoic, it is natural and reasonable for him to choose to continue to live unless and until doing so conflicts with virtue, which is the only good.2 The Epicurean view of death as nothing to a person and the Stoic view of death as indifferent to one’s happiness therefore offer distinct rationales for not fearing death.3 I present the Stoic Epictetus’ arguments that no fears about death are warranted. If Epictetus can persuade his students to dispel all their fears of death, he will thereby have gone a long way toward liberating them from a host of other unreasonable worries that the uneducated typically regard as less scary than death. Consequently, debunking the fear of death is a vital pedagogical goal for  \n1 Diogenes Laertius x 6 reports that Epictetus called Epicurus a κιναιδολόγον, a ‘preacher of effeminacy’(Hicks) or more precisely a man who advocates assuming the female’s position in sex. Epictetus engages with the views of Epicurus and Epicureans at Disc. i 20.17-19, i 23, ii 20.6-20, ii  \n22.21, ii 23.20-22, iii 7, iii 24.37-39, and Oldfather frag. 14.  \n2 I refer to a Stoic with the male pronoun only because Epictetus does, since evidently all his pupils were male . His arguments about death apply equally to females .  \n3 Englert 1994, 67 notes that ‘both schools thought that human beings misunderstood and feared death, and taught that their systems, if properly understood and practiced, enabled human beings to conquer the fear of death’.  \n2  \nhim. I argue that Epictetus aims to reach this goal by endorsing these eight assertions: (a) the cosmic perspective on death is essential for understanding why death is an indifferent; (b) a person can be justified in deciding not to take steps that increase the likelihood he will survive; (c) a person can be justified in deciding to exit life; (d) the justification of such life or death decisions is autonomous;(e) the identity of a human being is a union of a particular body with a particular soul, neither of which survives death; (f) knowledge that we mortals can opt for death is comforting; (g) understanding assertions (a) through (f) frees us to pursue the virtuous life fearlessly, whereas (h) the false belief that death is bad grounds the fear of death, which, as the epitome of all human evils, cripples our ability to live according to virtue .  \nPrevious scholars who have discussed the Stoic doctrine of suicide,4 and specifically Epictetus’ rema","cbCaiq7FYfkB3UFk","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiq7FYfkB3UFk","pdf",232256,1,27,"English","en",105,"# Death: Epicurean vs. Stoic Views\n## Epicurus: Death as Nothing\n## Stoics: Death as Indifferent and Dispreferred\n# Epictetus’ Arguments Against Fear of Death\n## The Eight Assertions\n## Pedagogical Aim and Liberation from Worries\n# Prior Scholarship on Stoic Suicide and Epictetus","[{\"question\":\"Why do Epicureans argue that death should not be feared?\",\"answer\":\"They claim that after death no sensation—pleasant or painful—is possible, so death is nothing to the dead and nothing to the living who do not experience their own deaths while alive.\"},{\"question\":\"How do Stoics justify not fearing death despite rejecting pleasure as the good?\",\"answer\":\"Stoics deny that life and death are goods or evils, treating them as indifferents; death is included among dispreferred indifferents, so it does not reduce the Stoic’s happiness as long as virtue remains the only good.\"},{\"question\":\"What is the core strategy of Epictetus’ case against the fear of death?\",\"answer\":\"The argument is organized around eight assertions, including the cosmic perspective on death, the autonomy of reasons for life-and-death decisions, and the view that neither body nor soul survives death—together freeing pursuit of the virtuous life without the false belief that death is an ultimate evil.\"}]",1783375537,42,{"code":4,"msg":30,"data":31},"ok",{"site_id":24,"language":23,"slug":32,"title":13,"keywords":33,"description":14,"schema_data":34,"social_meta":85,"head_meta":87,"extra_data":89,"updated_unix":27},"epictetus-on-fearing-death-bugbear-and-suicide","",{"@graph":35,"@context":84},[36,52,67],{"@type":37,"itemListElement":38},"BreadcrumbList",[39,43,46,49],{"item":40,"name":41,"@type":42,"position":20},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":44,"name":45,"@type":42,"position":11},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",{"item":47,"name":12,"@type":42,"position":48},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/literature/",3,{"item":50,"name":13,"@type":42,"position":51},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/epictetus-on-fearing-death-bugbear-and-suicide/43000/",4,{"url":50,"name":13,"@type":53,"author":54,"headline":13,"publisher":56,"fileFormat":59,"inLanguage":23,"description":14,"dateModified":60,"datePublished":61,"encodingFormat":59,"isAccessibleForFree":62,"interactionStatistic":63},"DigitalDocument",{"name":9,"@type":55},"Person",{"url":40,"name":57,"@type":58},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-07-13","2026-07-06",true,{"@type":64,"interactionType":65,"userInteractionCount":11},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":66},"ViewAction",{"@type":68,"mainEntity":69},"FAQPage",[70,76,80],{"name":71,"@type":72,"acceptedAnswer":73},"Why do Epicureans argue that death should not be feared?","Question",{"text":74,"@type":75},"They claim that after death no sensation—pleasant or painful—is possible, so death is nothing to the dead and nothing to the living who do not experience their own deaths while alive.","Answer",{"name":77,"@type":72,"acceptedAnswer":78},"How do Stoics justify not fearing death despite rejecting pleasure as the good?",{"text":79,"@type":75},"Stoics deny that life and death are goods or evils, treating them as indifferents; death is included among dispreferred indifferents, so it does not reduce the Stoic’s happiness as long as virtue remains the only good.",{"name":81,"@type":72,"acceptedAnswer":82},"What is the core strategy of Epictetus’ case against the fear of death?",{"text":83,"@type":75},"The argument is organized around eight assertions, including the cosmic perspective on death, the autonomy of reasons for life-and-death decisions, and the view that neither body nor soul survives death—together freeing pursuit of the virtuous life without the false belief that death is an ultimate evil.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":50,"og:type":86,"og:title":13,"og:site_name":57,"og:description":14},"article",{"robots":88,"canonical":50},"index,follow",{"doc_id":7,"site_id":24},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":91},[92,96,99,103,108,113,118,123,128,131,135],{"id":20,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":45,"category_name":93,"show_sort_weight":94,"slug":95},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":11,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":45,"category_name":12,"show_sort_weight":97,"slug":98},80,"literature",{"id":51,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":45,"category_name":100,"show_sort_weight":101,"slug":102},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":104,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":45,"category_name":105,"show_sort_weight":106,"slug":107},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":109,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":45,"category_name":110,"show_sort_weight":111,"slug":112},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":114,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":45,"category_name":115,"show_sort_weight":116,"slug":117},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":119,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":45,"category_name":120,"show_sort_weight":121,"slug":122},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":124,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":45,"category_name":125,"show_sort_weight":126,"slug":127},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":126,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":45,"category_name":129,"show_sort_weight":126,"slug":130},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":132,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":45,"category_name":133,"show_sort_weight":132,"slug":134},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":136,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":45,"category_name":137,"show_sort_weight":104,"slug":138},19,"General","general"]