Section 22

Section 22 is a social preparation. When you begin to take philosophy seriously — when you start actually living by the dichotomy rather than just discussing it — other people will notice and some of them will mock. Epictetus describes the specific form this takes: people will say 'look, a philosopher has appeared,' and they will sneer at what they take to be a superior expression. The mockery is predictable, and the section is preparing the reader for it in advance.

The advice on how to hold yourself is careful. Don't look superior — the sneer has a point if you are parading your philosophy. But also: don't be moved by the ridicule. Hold fast to what seems best to you as if assigned to that post by God. The image of a post — a military position — is precise. You did not choose this post for the comfort or the approval it brings; you are holding it because it is the right position. You hold it regardless of whether the crowd approves.

The incentive structure Epictetus presents is interesting: if you stand firm in your principles, those who ridiculed you will eventually come to admire you. This is not guaranteed quickly, and the Manual does not dwell on it — admiration from others is itself a thing outside your control. But the alternative is instructive: if you are talked out of your purpose, you earn double ridicule. You dropped the discipline, and you have nothing to show for the drop. Section 22 is a practical guide to what the commitment costs socially and how to bear the cost.