Epictetus, The Discourses, Book 1.27
Understanding our impressions and knowing how to deal with them is key in Stoic philosophy. They say that the only good is Virtue and that we must live in accordance with Nature, but all of that falls flat if we can’t perceive the world as it is truly happening. That’s why we need to dive deep into the appearance we encounter or not encounter.
In Stoic philosophy, every encounter with the world starts with what the Stoics called phantasiai (φαντασίαι) – our immediate impressions or perceptions of reality. Whether it’s seeing a vase of flowers, feeling hungry, or thinking someone is judging us, these initial mental experiences happen before we make any judgments about them. That’s why understanding how to handle these phantasiai is crucial for living a wise life.
Read all the other discourses of Epictetus covered here.
“Impressions come in four ways. Things are, and appear so to us; or they are not, and do not appear to be: or they are, and do not appear to be: or they are not, and yet appear to be.”
Epictetus, The Discourses, Book 1, Chapter 27.1
Let’s break this down with some examples and take a bit of time to analyze what Epictetus means here when he says that impressions come in four ways.
The four types of Stoic impressions.
- Things are, and appear so to us.
This is a correct appearance, one we can give assent to or approve of. We perceive things exactly the way they are. This is what we aim for and based on this we can come up with the right course of action based on reason and logic. Here are some examples:
- You see a vase with flowers on the table and it is actually there.
- Someone honestly tells you what they think of you and you understand it the same way.
- You feel hungry and your body needs food.
- Accurately judging your skill level compared to a task.
- Things are not, and they don’t appear to be.
This is, like the first impression, a correct appearance. When we don’t see or perceive what is not there. Again, based on this truth, we can then ensure we take the right course of action. Some examples are:
- There is no vase with flowers on the table and you don’t see one.
- Someone doesn’t tell you what they think of you and you don’t think that they do.
- You don’t feel hungry and your body isn’t hungry either.
- Your skills are not required or there are no tasks, and you don’t judge your skills.
False Appearances
Now we are entering the area of false impressions. We need to be aware of the following two appearances. These are the blindspots or misjudgments we can fall for. When we base our actions on these appearances, we will run the risk of falling in error. We might be lucky that we chose the right action, but this is not probable. Even when we apply reason and logic, they will be based on falsehoods.
- Things are and do not appear to be.
This type of impression makes us miss reality. We might be occupied or distracted with other things or overlook clues that can help us find out the truth.
- There is a vase with flowers on the table, but I don’t see it.
- Someone honestly tells you what they think of you, but I don’t hear or understand it.
- Your body needs food, but you don’t feel hungry.
- You have the right skills for a task, yet you don’t judge your skills to be adequate for it.
- Things are not and yet appear to be.
Another false impression, but the opposite of the previous one. Conspiracies can be placed in this category. Thinking that certain events have happened, while they have not. We let our imagination or mind create something that isn’t true.
- There is no vase with flowers on the table, yet we think there is.
- Someone doesn’t tell you what they think of you, yet we believe they have.
- Your body doesn’t need food, yet you feel hungry.
- Your skills are not suited for a certain task, yet you believe they are.
What is our task?
“Thus it is the task of the educated man to form the right judgment in all these cases.”
Epictetus, The Discourses, Book 1, Chapter 27.2
Now that we have the Stoic impressions clear and what the four types are, we need to know what to do with them. If we keep it at the theory, then we might as well not learn anything at all. Stoicism is a lived philosophy, therefore now we look at how to implement this knowledge. This will sound like a difficult task, but we need to make the right judgments in all of these cases, as Epictetus tells us. The Stoics aim at the perfect example of the sage. Unfortunately, were are not perfect, at least I am not, therefore we need to cut us some slack.
Moreover, we need experience to learn to test these impressions. The ancient Stoics believed that children under the age of 7 or 8 would not have the reasoning capabilities to see impressions for what they are. From that age onward, they will learn and start to connect knowledge and experience to become wiser. This process will continue for the rest of our lives.
Compassion for those in error
Socrates pointed out that we don’t do bad things willingly, we do them because we don’t know what the right thing to do is. That’s why we need to show compassion to those in error. They don’t know the concept of the four types of Stoic impressions. When possible, we should educate them on the right way to judge these appearances. If that doesn’t work, do what Marcus Aurelius reminded himself of and that was to endure them.
The appropriate aid
“Whatever the difficulty that afflicts us, we must bring forward, the appropriate aid against it.”
Epictetus, The Discourses, Book 1, Chapter 27.2
“What aid, then, is it possible to discover against habit? The contrary habit.”
Epictetus, The Discourses, Book 1, Chapter 27.4
Epictetus makes a shift in the discourse here, or at least Arrian does. The most important part was found in the first paragraph of this discourse when it relates to the Stoic impressions. With that being said, what follows is valuable to us in life. We need to make sure that we get the appearances right and then do what is needed to do the right thing. If we notice that we are caught in a bad habit, then we must replace it with the opposite, a good habit. Following that, we need to understand the underlying beliefs that led us to adopt this habit or misjudgment of the impressions.
The Stoic impression of death
Although there are some more examples in this discourse, understanding the types of Stoic impressions was key to this post. One example I want to highlight is the Stoics’ impression of death.
“When death appears an evil, we ought immediately to remember that evils may be avoided, but death is a necessity.”
Epictetus, The Discourses, Book 1, Chapter 27.7
Read the post on Why Death Needs a Rebranding for more insights.
Most people approve or give assent to the wrong impression when it comes to death. They see it as an evil, a bad thing that should be avoided. In this case, they are applying types three and four of the Stoic impressions. Type three because they fail to attribute the fact that death is natural and type four because they are adding that it is an evil. But how can something natural be evil?
“I cannot escape death; but I can I not escape the dread of it? Must I die trembling and lamenting? For the origin of the distress is wishing for something that does not come about.”
Epictetus, The Discourses, Book 1, Chapter 27.9-10
Understanding Stoic Impressions
There are some key concepts on our Stoic journey that we need to understand. This is one of those key parts of the theory we need to understand before we can apply Stoic philosophy correctly. Stoic impressions are vital when we want to live a life according to our nature and Virtue. Don’t worry that you now need to reassess everything. Use the experience and knowledge you have gained so far and build from this. Find some things you know for sure to be true and start looking for possible errors.
Speak to people around you, or get in touch with us to talk to one of our Stoic coaches to test your impressions. It is all about making progress while aiming for perfection. Understanding that the likelihood of achieving that perfection will be difficult. Therefore, remember to be kind and compassionate to yourself and those around you, even when you or they fall into error.
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