The philosophy of Epictetus and the overcoming of the subject-object rupture

Abstract

This article examines the Stoic philosophy of Epictetus as a contribution to thinking beyond the rupture between subject and object of knowledge. Through a comparative analysis of the teachings of the Discourses and Marilena Chaui’s critical-epistemological reflection in the work Saber x poder: em busca do espaço de reflexão, Epictetus’ thought is presented as an alternative to modern technical rationality, proposing an ethics grounded in the notion of the cosmos as an animated substance in which human activity is integrated with the whole. The Stoic conception of knowledge, mediated by the rational correction of representations and by the practice of ethical exercises, excludes the subject-object dichotomy, promoting a dynamic relation of participation in nature. Chaui, by criticizing the conception of knowledge as representation, reinforces the need for a reflective form of knowledge that denies the immediacy of experience, finding resonance in the Stoic idea of progress as the transformation of the self in accordance with the cosmos. The articulation between both thinkers suggests implications for educational research methodology, proposing a dialectical approach that values the tensions and transformations of knowledge. Thus, this study highlights the formative potential of Epictetus’ philosophy for the education of ethical subjects who act in harmony with nature.