Critical Assent, Intellectualism, and Repetition in Epictetus

The didactic strategy of repeating a certain theoretical principle over and over again (either as a didactic strategy or as an exercise that the student must apply on himself) is ubiquitous both in Epictetus’ Discourses and in the Enchiridion. However, although these techniques represent one of the most important strategies in the author’s program of moral therapy, they seem to conflict with Epictetus’ intellectualist conception of human agency. In this work, I aim to show that there is no such conflict, and that those techniques are necessary for his central therapeutical strategy (i.e., the demand for a critical examination of our impressions) to produce a virtuous outcome.