The Epictetus Club

by Jeff Traylor

Take a fascinating look inside the old Ohio Penitentiary as you follow a group of inmates who meet weekly under the tutelage of a lifer named Zeno in a group called the Epictetus Club. The inmates study the teachings of this Greek philosopher, and with the help of his ancient wisdom they meet the daily challenges of their lives. Learning to think outside the limits of their own literal walls as they struggle to redeem themselves, the club members show us how to think beyond our own self-imposed limitations and comfort zones.

Genres: Novels, Philosophy

Paperback

First published August 1, 2004

Reviews

[Phrodrick slowed his growing backlog · Rating 3 out of 5]

With Jeff Traylor with inmate Zeno we have a weakly written novel/self-help book, The Epictetus Club. It teaches about the Philosophy of Epictetus, Stoicism. As weak as I found the text, it gave me a lot of useful hints about my personal weaknesses and some useful tools for becoming a better person. The case for being a stoic is that it is an immediate help to survive prison, either as a convicted, violent criminal or in a POW camp. Unlike other self-help books the plot- successive meeting of violent criminals applying the lessons to their immediate need for better habits; this book avoids the kind of smiling hectoring, “three simple, easy steps” that make much of the self-help shelf repellent.

My last meeting with stoicism was in Tom Wolfe’s A Man in Full. Very well written as you might expect from Wolfe. A much grander scale and several hundred more pages. For me, a failure as an advocate for the philosophy. Wolfe had me believing that being Stoic meant being a pain in the butt towards anyone who for any reason disagrees with your naturally superior and unbending principals. And -Depending on those same people to clean up after you, making sure your debts are paid and that your lack of flexibility does not leave you and your dependents starving, if noble exemplars.

Instead Taylor and Zeno promotes a more inward-looking approach. Their stoic builds habits that keep you focused on what it might take to win over a life time. Expect reverses, do not cause them. Expect provocations do not fall for them. Help the other guy feel like they have won, while keeping your “eyes on your prize”.

I came a way from Wolfe a skeptic about Epictetus but with respect for Wolfe the writer. The abrupt ending of The Epictetus Club was gratefully received even if the story seemed incomplete. But I hope to have benefited from not just the ideas of Epictetus but from the tools. If applied these tools can make my life, and that of those around me better.

[Hadley Vega · Rating 5 out of 5]

***This is part of the curriculum in a Wisconsin Correctional Treatment Facility geared towards the early release program and many other state prisons***

I have a beloved going through this E.R.P. This is part of our email when I asked about the program. I thought I'd let him speak for it from the other side of the wall. His review of it.

“The Book that comes along with this group is called The Epictetus Club : Lessons From "The Walls" Thinking Skills Of The Inner Warrior by Jeff Traylor with Inmate Zeno. I actually think you might like it. Plus you were so excited and interested about it before. Part of the homework was to read chapter 1-5. I wasn't going to read it but its kind of an easy read and I didn't want to be put on the spot if she asked me a question about it. Lol. The last time they pretty much recommended we read it and gave us the option to. So I didn't. Lol. I don't think anyone did. I'll be surprised if most even do this time but maybe it will help me. Lol. Who knows. So far its pretty much about how you think about something is how it will effect you. If you think negative then it will be negative stuff like that. We both have those moments so maybe you would like it?
What upsets people is not things themselves but rather what they tell themselves about those things - Epictetus” -CoolHandLuke
**Edit Update
"Part of the Epictetus class today was a handout about Generating Compassion for self and others. There's some books they told us about that relates to it.
Lovingkindness by Sharon Salzburg
The Art Of Happiness by the Dalai Lama and Howard Cutler, MD
The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche." -CHL

To help me understand what he is doing right now in the actual program is the reason I got a copy of this book. It’s basically an instruction manual for how to live, not just for criminals. It’s a tutorial written on Stoicism.

Definitions from Oxford Languages ·
sto·i·cism
noun
1.
the endurance of pain or hardship without the display of feelings and without complaint.
Similar:
patience
forbearance
resignation
lack of protest
lack of complaint
fortitude
endurance
acceptance
acceptance of the inevitable
fatalism
philosophicalness
impassivity
dispassion
phlegm
imperturbability
calmness
coolness
cool
stolidness
Dunkirk spirit
unflappability
longanimity
2.
an ancient Greek school of philosophy founded at Athens by Zeno of Citium. The school taught that virtue, the highest good, is based on knowledge; the wise live in harmony with the divine Reason (also identified with Fate and Providence) that governs nature, and are indifferent to the vicissitudes of fortune and to pleasure and pain."

In the book the Author, who was part of the corrections department, takes an interest, and then has a role as advisor for a self-organized group of inmates in a maximum security prison. I think the book is more about what the Author learned from the teachings of the Greek philosopher, Epictetus. The inmate, “Zeno” is the head of the group, and was a boxer until at age 25 when he gets into a fight over a girl and something real bad happens and he ends up on death row. Zeno incorporates the boxing training into the club. (Actual names and identities of inmates, club members and staff are all changed)

There’s not a huge success rate for prisoners reintegrating back into society and not slipping up, the odds are against them they won’t return. I’m so glad to see there is something, even as small as this little book, that can help them get a handle on making choices and emotional intelligence, even if it's just a little. Just a spark. There is not much help during that transition period.
Written very simply, and if you think about it, most incarcerated individuals have poor learning abilities, emotional disorders, etc., not all though. This couldn't read like an actual textbook manual.
For this class, it seems the inmates aren’t actually “required” to read it, there’s no written test at the end, but in their groups and classes, before they go back into the “real” world, (which to most prisoners, is harder and scarier than actually being incarcerated) they discuss and role-play situations that come up in life and how they perceive them. There’s a saying my inmate told me recently, “you know what happens if you don’t finish reading a book while you’re in prison? You’ll be destined to return until you do.”

Also a read I would recommend to family or friends of loved ones who are incarcerated.

[Gregory · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story with rules as simple as those in enchridion but not as powerful as inchirdion. Still good read for interested in Stoic wisdom. Waiting for polish edition, almost 20 years have past from the first edition of this small read... yet still no luck! It's a shame!

[Tomek Sobolewski · Rating 5 out of 5]

At this point, this is one of my favorite book!

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was written to help prisoners to change their limiting thought patterns and become more functional members of society by accepting responsibility for their thoughts which are the drivers behind all our actions.

The book is so unbelievable simple yet immensely profound. It covers all elements of behavioural change from stopping murdering people, being a nicer kinder person, stop worrying about things you cannot change to quitting smoking.

It is totally in unpretentious and its simplicity is really the most striking element. I have read so many books that might be more details but the scientific explanations are often not necessary and now are page and pages of fluff.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in any form of self improvement, habit change or just those interested in philosophy or the work of Epictetus.

[Craig Sieracki · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this for work. Good Message, mediocre writing.