"Every soul is deprived of the truth against its will."Compare this with Popper's criticism of conspiracy theories of ignorance. Truth, Popper says, is hard to find and easy to lose. The failure of those around us to grasp the truth requires no elaborate explanation, no blame, no uncovering of any agent's intentional acts to hide and confuse. People can get confused, and stay confused, all on their own. It is the natural state of most people most of the time. Or as Plato suggests, ignorance need not be an act of will on anyone's part.
Epictetus applies this in Book I, Chapter 18 - "Don't be angry with wrongdoers." Epictetus suggests that thieves are acting in accordance with an undeniable law of human nature - that people conform to a view because they believe that is must be true, and they act according to what they believe is their best interest. Thieves are, of course, wrong both about what is true and what is in their interest, but this is a cause for pity, not anger.
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