These reasonings do not cohere: I am richer than you, therefore I am better than you

in #philosophy8 years ago


"These reasonings do not cohere: I am richer than you, therefore I am better than you; I am more eloquent than you, therefore I am better than you. On the contrary these rather cohere, I am richer than you, therefore my possessions are greater than yours: I am more eloquent than you, therefore my speech is superior to yours. But you are neither possession nor speech."

by Epictetus, 2nd century c. 135 AD.

Chapter XLIV - The Encheiridion or manual (via Arrian of Nicomedia), translated by George Long in 1877.