Some things are up to you. Some are not. What about the things you can influence?
That question led William Irvine to turn Epictetus’s dichotomy of control into a trichotomy: things you control, things you don’t, and things you partly control, like whether you win a tennis match.
Michael thinks this is a mistake. Epictetus knew our choices influence outcomes and left that category out on purpose. His point is about value. Only your judgments and choices are good or bad, and the tennis match has more in common with tomorrow’s sunrise than with your character.
Caleb and Michael cover where the trichotomy comes from, why it appeals, and how to keep its useful insight without giving up the dichotomy.
(02:25) The Dichotomy of Control in Epictetus
(05:50) Where the Phrase Comes From
(07:05) William Irvine’s Trichotomy
(10:45) The Common Sense Appeal of Influence
(11:30) Mel Robbins and Let Them
(13:05) Why the Trichotomy Is Tempting
(15:40) It Is Not What Epictetus Meant
(16:45) It Hides the Point About Value
(19:30) The Intermediate Stoic and the Tennis Match
(22:15) What Is Actually Up to You
(24:05) Gods, Mortals, and a Third Category
(27:50) Does Epictetus Say Not to Care?
(30:05) Influence Is a Choice About Externals
(30:50) Keeping the Insight Without the Trichotomy
(33:45) Final Thoughts
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Thanks to Michael Levy for graciously letting us use his music in the conversations:
