American International Journal of Social Science

The Views of Byzantine Thinker Theodoros Metochites about the Sorrow, and the Instability of Human Life
Sotiria, A. Triantari; Foteini, P. Sarimichailidou

Abstract
The purpose of this study is to show, first, that Theodoros Metochites recognized the human weakness to lead a life without sorrow “ἄλυπος βίος” and proceeded to the distinction of sorrow that is not up to us caused by external reasons and the sorrow that is up to us due to the human will. The sorrow that is up to us is related to learning and constitutes treatment for the estrangement of a human being from the sorrow that is not up to us and the turn to himself. Second, aim is to show that Metochites’ perception about a life without sorrow “ἄλυπος βίος” was influenced by Stoic Epictetus’ views, which respect to the proairesis, and particularly what it’s up to us.

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