 These three topics have rightly been regarded as the foundation of Epictetus’s educational system, although (pace Hadot (1978)), they are not to be identified with the three divisions of philosophical discourse discussed by the early Stoics (viz. physics, ethics, and logic; Diogenes Laertius 7.39–40). As presented in 3.2, the schema seems intended primarily to deemphasize the role of logic; that is, of the sterile conundrums and oversubtle analyses enjoyed by some of Epictetus’s contemporaries. As Barnes (1997) has shown, however, Epictetus is not at all averse to the study of logic provided it is given its proper supporting role. Learning of this kind may be instrumental in developing one’s intellectual acumen, just as the weights used by athletes in their training serve to develop the muscles (1.4.13; 1.17).