Short Works · Chapter
XCIII explained
A brief dialogue where Pyrrho asserts there is no difference between living and dying.
What happens
A brief dialogue where Pyrrho asserts there is no difference between living and dying. When challenged on why he does not then choose to die, he uses the same logic as his defense.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This moment is the emotional and philosophical peak where Epictetus forces the reader into a crisis of choice,…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Reason as Guide and Consolation
Pyrrho employs a strict, almost paradoxical, logical reasoning to dismiss the significance of the distinction between life and death, showcasing reason as a tool for confronting fundamental questions.
Key passages
“Pyrrho used to say that there is no difference between dying and living: and a man said to him, Why then do you not die? Pyrrho replied, Because there is no difference.”
Pyrrho claimed life and death are indistinguishable. When asked why he doesn't die, he answered that, since they are the same, there's no reason to.
Illustrates a skeptical or paradoxical argument that negates conventional value judgments about life and death.
