The Dramatic Difference Between Epictetus and other Stoics in the Frequency of Use of the Terms "Hegemonic" and "Proairesis"

Abstract

The comparative analysis of the frequency of use of the term "proairesis" with respect to the term "hegemonic" in the "Stoicorum Veterum Fragmenta," the "Meditations" of Marcus Aurelius and the "Discourses and Manual" of Epictetus, shows a striking discrepancy between the choice of Epictetus and that of the other Stoics. The results of the present research favor the conclusion that such dramatic difference has an exquisitely philosophical root. This root can be traced back to the highly original and convincing arguments provided by Epictetus and that allow us to define the human being as a creature equipped by nature not only with a "hegemonic," as all other living creatures are; but equipped by nature with the "proairesis," that is with the special faculty of the hegemonic that characterizes human nature thanks to its ability to recognize the nature of things.