Abstract

According to the stoic philosopher Chrysippus, we are to imagine our lives by analogy to a dog that is tied to a cart. It is not up to the dog whether or not he is so tied, just as it is not up to us what our external circumstances happen to be. However, it is up to the dog whether he willingly runs along behind the cart or is unwillingly dragged, just as it is up to us to decide the attitude or disposition we take to those events that occur in our life. To wit, a person who is dragged along by his passions or external circumstances is not and cannot be virtuous, while one who runs willingly assents to the events that are not under his control and can attain virtue. Epictetus..