Product Description
Epictetus, a Greek stoic and freed slave, ran a thriving philosophy school in Nicropolis in the early second century AD. His animated discussions were celebrated for their rhetorical wizardry and were written down by Arrian, his most famous pupil. Together with the Enchiridion, a manual of his main ideas, and the fragments collected here, The Discourses argue that happiness lies in learning to perceive exactly what is in our power to change and what is not, and in embracing our fate to live in harmony with god and nature. In this personal, practical guide to the ethics of stoicism and moral self-improvement, Epictetus tackles questions of freedom and imprisonment, illness and fear, family, friendship and love, and leaves an intriguing document of daily life in the classical world.

About the Author
Epictetus (c. 55–135 AD) was a teacher and Greco-Roman philosopher. Originally a slave from Hierapolis in Anatolia (modern Turkey), he was owned for a time by a prominent freedman at the court of the emperor Nero. After gaining his freedom he moved to Nicopolis on the Adriatic coast of Greece and opened a school of philosophy there. His informal lectures (the Discourses) were transcribed and published by his student Arrian, who also composed a digest of Epictetus’ teaching known as the Manual (or Enchiridion).

 
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What can be said about information overload?  With the advent of the media and technology, especially in regards the television, the computer and invention of the Internet, we have unlimited access to information and knowledge more than at anytime in human history.

We are continuously bombarded daily with superfluous information no matter how useless or irrelevant it is to ourselves and our everyday lives.

We can now download information literally anytime and anywhere with the use of the currently popular Smartphones, iPads and various choices of Tablet computers.

However, the following article ‘Is the Internet the Fulfillment of Biblical Prophecy?’ reminds us of the fact that despite possessing vast amounts of information at our fingertips, it has inexplicably contributed towards obscuring our consciousness, paralysing our pursuits for self-knowledge and wisdom, and distracting us from attaining the true and beneficial knowledge that would broaden our perspective concerning world affairs.

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Jiddu Krishnamurti is regarded globally as one of the greatest thinkers and religious teachers of all time. He did not expound any philosophy or religion, but rather talked of the things that concern all of us in our everyday lives, of the problems of living in modern society with its violence and corruption, of the individual’s search for security and happiness, and the need for mankind to free itself from inner burdens of fear, anger, hurt, and sorrow. He explained with great precision the subtle workings of the human mind, and pointed to the need for bringing to our daily life a deeply meditative and spiritual quality.

Krishnamurti belonged to no religious organization, sect or country, nor did he subscribe to any school of political or ideological thought. On the contrary, he maintained that these are the very factors that divide human beings and bring about conflict and war. He reminded his listeners again and again that we are all human beings first and not Hindus, Muslims or Christians, that we are like the rest of humanity and are not different from one another.

This 30-minute documentary is the first from an original series of eight made for television in 1966. They were the earliest sound-films of Krishnamurti speaking to audiences.

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Happy New Year one and all!  Yes, I know it’s a bit late but I’ll say it anyway.  Hopefully you all had a good Pagan (or whatever you want to call Christmas) break and are now fully reinvigorated for the year ahead.

But don’t leave 2011 just yet, as I have decided to put together this recap of what I consider to be the best posts of last year on Knowledge Reform – one for every month.

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I thought it apt to enter the New Year with the following insightful quote, which all depends on what path our consciousness and actions takes us.

This not only relates to the ending of the Mayan Calendar, but also highlights the apparently huge but difficult challenges that awaits the world in 2012.

Hopefully we can become wise enough in time, which will enable us to choose the true, righteous and peaceful path.

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