What is Dichotomy of Control?
The dichotomy of control is Epictetus's distinction between what is up to us in judgment and action and what is not fully up to us. It locates responsibility in conduct without making health, reputation, or external outcomes worthless or fully controllable.
Some things are within our power, while others are not.
— Enchiridion, Chapter 1 (Epictetus)
Key Takeaways
- Epictetus distinguishes what is up to us—judgment, choice, desire, aversion, and action—from things that are not fully up to us.
- The distinction locates responsibility in judgment and conduct; it does not make health, reputation, or material conditions worthless.
- It is an ethical framework for responding to outcomes, not a promise of serenity or freedom from anxiety.
Understanding Dichotomy of Control
The dichotomy of control is the distinction at the opening of Epictetus's Enchiridion: some matters concern our own judgments, choices, desires, aversions, and actions, while body, property, reputation, office, and other people's responses are not fully governed by us. The point is to separate responsibility for conduct from responsibility for an external result. Health, reputation, and material conditions may still be preferred or cared for; the distinction does not turn them into moral goods or guarantee that a reader will feel calm.
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Further Reading
Related Guides
- What is Letting Go? — The dichotomy of control parallels the practice of letting go in Eastern traditions
- What is Premeditatio Malorum? — Premeditatio malorum prepares one to accept what is outside one's control
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the dichotomy of control?
It is Epictetus's distinction between what is up to us—our judgments, choices, desires, aversions, and actions—and what is not fully up to us, including the body, property, reputation, office, and external events.
Does it make external things worthless?
No. It distinguishes what can be directly governed in judgment and conduct from what cannot be fully controlled. Health, reputation, and material conditions can matter without becoming proof of a person's moral worth or objects of complete control.
Also Known As
Stoic Dichotomy