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Everything about Prohairesis

Concept in Stoic philosophy

Prohairesis or proairesis is a fundamental concept in the Stoic philosophy of Epictetus. It represents the choice involved in giving or withholding assent to impressions (phantasiai). The use of this Greek word was first introduced into philosophy by Aristotle in the Nicomachean Ethics. To Epictetus, it is the faculty that distinguishes human beings from all other creatures. The concept of prohairesis plays a cardinal role in the Discourses and in the Manual: the terms "prohairesis", "prohairetic", and "aprohairetic" appear some 168 times. Wikipedia →

🧭 Start here: a 6-step reading path

  1. Read the overview: ProhairesisA 5-minute orientation
  2. Skim a recent paper: Philosopher, choisir sa vie. Du mythe d’Er à la prohairesis d’ÉpictèteInfluential work since 2022
  3. Pick up a classic book: Aristoteles - Prohairesis und HekousionThe most-reprinted book on the subject
  4. Read the landmark paper: La « prohairesis » chez Épictète :décision, volonté, ou « personne morale » ?Cited 31 times
  5. Go sideways: Discourses of EpictetusA closely related topic
  6. Go sideways: Glossary of Stoicism termsA closely related topic

📖 Definitions

Noun The Stoic principle that people have a choice in how they judge, and are affected by, externalities.

🗂️ The subject at a glance

  1. Explanation by Epictetus

🏆 Landmark papers (most cited)

🆕 Influential since 2022

📚 Books worth reading

Ranked by number of editions on Open Library, a rough measure of how lasting a book is.

🔗 Related topics