Uneducated people blame others when they are doing badly. Those whose education is underway blame themselves. But a fully educated person blames no one, neither himself nor anyone else. (Ench 5)
In Episode 35, I covered the first part of Encheiridion 5, where Epictetus added death to the list of things outside of our full control and, therefore, not inherently bad. If you’ve listened to Stoicism on Fire for a while or read my Traditional Stoicism blog, you likely understand this concept, which is frequently called the Dichotomy of Control, and you’ve probably been attempting to adopt this Stoic mindset toward externals. However, understanding this concept intellectually and putting it into practice are entirely different things.
The practice of Stoicism is hard. I have been at it diligently for ten years, and I occasionally feel like a complete beginner. I understand the Stoic doctrines; I had a firm grasp of those within a couple of years. But, the goal of Stoicism is perfect practice, not perfect doctrinal knowledge. Perfect practice is the ideal of Stoicism. That is the standard attributed to the Sage and one none of us are likely to achieve. Which begs the question, “What then is the point of Stoic practice?” The answer, of course, is progress. Even though we will likely never arrive at the level of wisdom the Sage possesses, we can make progress toward that ideal.
In the second part of Encheiridion 5, Epictetus outlines a three-step progression by placing all people into one of three categories: the uneducated, those whose education is underway, and finally, those whose education is complete. I think it is vital for us to understand these categories and their implication for our Stoic practice.
Before we get into the categories, it is essential to note that education for the Stoics was more than memorization of doctrines. Education meant training (askesis). The Stoic training regimen required the student to put Stoic principles into practice. In other words, the distinction in Encheiridion 5 is not between those who are entirely ignorant of Stoic doctrines and those who memorized them all and can recite them at will. Epictetus infers more than book knowledge in this passage. We could relabel these categories as follows:
those who are untrained in Stoic practice,
those whose training in Stoic practice is underway,
those who have completed their Stoic training and are completely wise—the Sage.
Now, let’s consider these categories in a little more detail. Pay attention to the observable behavioral characteristics Epictetus provides for each of these categories.
The uneducated person lives his or her life desiring and seeking things that are not within their complete control (wealth, pleasure, fame, political power, a good reputation, etc.). Simultaneously, they fear and attempt to avoid other things beyond their complete control (poverty, pain, obscurity, death, etc.). Now, here’s the behavioral characteristic of the uneducated person: When they are doing badly, they blame others.
The uneducated blame others when they are not getting what they desire and getting what they fear instead. If you doubt this truth, turn on the news for a few minutes. You will observe an endless parade of uneducated people who are angry because they don’t have what they think they deserve to make them happy. They frequently claim to be victims of circumstances or someone else’s bad behavior, and think others have the power to make them happy or miserable. Marcus described them in Meditations 2.1 as “ungrateful, violent, treacherous, envious, and unsociable people.” Then, he proposes that he remind himself each morning that these are the people he will encounter during the day. Marcus continues this passage by noting the reason uneducated people behave this way:
They are subject to all these defects because they have no knowledge of good and bad. (Meditation 2.1)
The uneducated seek well-being in externals that are not within their complete control because they don’t know what is truly good (a virtuous character) and truly bad (a vicious character). In Encheiridion 1, Epictetus told us what happens when people desire and fear externals: they will be pained, frustrated, and troubled, and they will blame gods and men.
When we see “ungrateful, violent, treacherous, envious, and unsociable people” on the news or in public, we need to remind ourselves why they are that way. They are uneducated. They may be knowledgeable about many things. They may be college-educated. They may even have a Ph.D., but, as Marcus notes, they have no knowledge of good and bad. Therefore, they are angry that they are doing badly in life and believe the fault lies outside themselves. They think they are unhappy because society is unfair, unjust, or otherwise organized in a way that makes them a victim of circumstances.
Let me offer a word of caution here. Marcus’ words about these uneducated people can take us in two directions attitudinally. We can use Meditations 2.1 to judge people because they have no knowledge of good and bad. Or, we can have compassion for them because they have no knowledge of good and bad. I have no doubt Marcus intended the latter when he wrote Meditations 2.1. That was his character. We need to use this reminder in the same way when we encounter ungrateful, violent, treacherous, envious, and unsociable people.
As you likely know from listening to the podcast, I’m a law enforcement officer. I’m a detective now, but I started my career on the street in a tough, low-income, crime-infested area. What I experienced on the street drove me to seek out Stoicism more than a decade ago. Early in my Stoic training, I learned a practice called hypomnemata from my mentor. Essentially, that is what Marcus was doing when he wrote his journal, which we now call his Meditations. Hypomnemata can take various forms; one form is rewriting Stoic passages to personalize them for yourself. As you might imagine, Mediations 2.1 has special significance for anyone in law enforcement. Daily, the profession entails dealing with ungrateful, violent, treacherous, envious, and unsociable people. One of the hardest things for any cop to do is to maintain their humanity while they are submerged in the inhumane behavior of others. For that reason, in 2012, I personalized and rewrote Meditations 2.1 for my purposes as a law enforcement officer. I hope it expresses the message I’m attempting to deliver here. Namely, we need to have some compassion for the uneducated:
When you are face-to-face with criminal behavior, remind yourself this person’s vice-inclined character is not entirely their making. They are morally responsible for their actions; however, the web of prior causes which formed their immoral character includes many causal agents and events—the actions and neglect of their parents, the culture of their community, tragedies they did not cause, and the zeitgeist of a society which fills their soul with anger and hatred toward others they blame for their circumstances. This person is both a perpetrator and a victim of the vice-inclined character, which drives their behavior. Remember, they are a human being—they share in the same divine mind as you. They are ignorant of the true nature of good and bad and have not learned to discipline their desires and fears. Temporarily remove them from society—your role requires that of you. However, do not judge them as evil; they cannot touch your soul.
I encourage you to try hypomnemata using Meditations 2.1 as a model. Maybe your ungrateful, violent, treacherous, envious, and unsociable people are customers. Perhaps they are your students, coworkers, or your mother-in-law. You get the idea. Use Mediations 2.1 to help you withhold judgment from the impression these people can harm your soul and to remember they share in the same divine mind as you.
Okay, that’s enough about the uneducated person. Now we’re going to contrast that with the person whose education is underway. This is the Prokopton, who is actively attempting to put Stoic principles into practice in their life. They are beginning to distinguish correctly between what is good and bad for their character. They understand that many things and events they used to consider good, like good health, a high-paying job, other people’s opinion of them, etc., are only preferred indifferents that do not affect their moral character or good flow in life. Likewise, they understand many things and events they formerly considered bad, are dispreferred indifferents that do not affect their moral character or good flow in life. The prokopton understands it is possible to have a good flow in life even while living in poverty, pain, or circumstances restricting their liberty. They might prefer circumstances to be otherwise, but they do not count on them for their good flow in life.
The person whose training is underway understands moral excellence (virtue) is the only good, and moral vice is the only truly bad thing. They accept responsibility for their well-being because they know it does not depend on anyone else or any external circumstances. Therefore, when they are out of step with Nature and experiencing emotional distress, they know they are the only ones to blame for their unhappiness. They are far from perfect in their practice of Stoicism; however, they are paying attention to their desires, assents, and impulses to act. They are on the path of the Stoic prokopton, making progress toward the ideal of the wise Stoic Sage.
Finally, we come to the educated person who does not blame anyone when things appear to be going badly. Why? Because, as Keith Seddon notes,
The fully wise person whose Stoic training is complete will never be in a position to blame anyone at all (not even themselves),
