Biography:

1. Born about A.D. 60, died about A.D. 100. Originally a slave of Epaphroditus, a freedman of Nero.
2. Suffered an injured leg - a result of cruel punishment during slavery.
3. He lived and taught in Rome until A.D. 90, when Emperor Domitian banished philosophers. He moved to Nicopolis in Greece.

Insights:

1. Despite different circumstances Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius share the same views on almost all philosophical questions.
2. Epictetus' stoic philosophy focused on endurance rather than hope, which is effective in hard times as well as good times.

Definition:

1. Every virtue is a mean between two extremes, each of which is a vice.

Examples:

1. Courage is a mean between cowardice and rashness.
2. Proper pride is a mean between vanity and humility.

Insights:

1. Aristotle preached the doctrine of the Golden Mean to his student Alexander the Great.
2. Some virtues do not seem to fit within the scheme of the golden mean - for example truthfulness.