J. Warren Smith
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195369939
- eISBN:
- 9780199893362
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195369939.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
Though understandably overshadowed by Augustine’s preeminence in the West, Ambrose is a doctor of the Catholic Church and an important patristic authority for the Middle Ages and Reformation, ...
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Though understandably overshadowed by Augustine’s preeminence in the West, Ambrose is a doctor of the Catholic Church and an important patristic authority for the Middle Ages and Reformation, especially in moral theology. Christian Grace and Pagan Virtue argues that Ambrose of Milan’s theological commitments, particularly his understanding of the Christian’s participation in God’s saving economy through baptism, are foundational for his virtue theory laid out in his catechetical and other pastoral writings. While he holds a high regard for classical and Hellenistic views of virtue, Ambrose insists that the Christian is able to attain the highest ideal of virtue taught by Plato, Aristotle, and the Stoics. This is possible because the Christian has received the transformative grace of baptism that allows the Christian to participate in the new creation inaugurated by Christ’s incarnation, death, and resurrection. This book explores Ambrose’s understanding of this grace and how it frees the Christian to live the virtuous life. The argument is laid out in two parts. In Part I, the book examines Ambrose’s understanding of human nature and the effects of sin upon that nature. Central to this Part is the question of Ambrose’s understanding of the right relationship of soul and body as presented in Ambrose’s repeated appeal to Paul’s words, “Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Rom. 7:24). Part II lays out Ambrose’s account of baptism as the sacrament of justification and regeneration (sacramental and proleptic participation in the renewal of human nature in the resurrection). Ultimately, Ambrose’s account of the efficacy of baptism rests upon his Christology and pneumatology. The final chapters explain how Ambrose’s accounts of Christ and the Holy Spirit are foundational to his view of the grace that liberates the soul from the corruption of concupiscence.Less
Though understandably overshadowed by Augustine’s preeminence in the West, Ambrose is a doctor of the Catholic Church and an important patristic authority for the Middle Ages and Reformation, especially in moral theology. Christian Grace and Pagan Virtue argues that Ambrose of Milan’s theological commitments, particularly his understanding of the Christian’s participation in God’s saving economy through baptism, are foundational for his virtue theory laid out in his catechetical and other pastoral writings. While he holds a high regard for classical and Hellenistic views of virtue, Ambrose insists that the Christian is able to attain the highest ideal of virtue taught by Plato, Aristotle, and the Stoics. This is possible because the Christian has received the transformative grace of baptism that allows the Christian to participate in the new creation inaugurated by Christ’s incarnation, death, and resurrection. This book explores Ambrose’s understanding of this grace and how it frees the Christian to live the virtuous life. The argument is laid out in two parts. In Part I, the book examines Ambrose’s understanding of human nature and the effects of sin upon that nature. Central to this Part is the question of Ambrose’s understanding of the right relationship of soul and body as presented in Ambrose’s repeated appeal to Paul’s words, “Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Rom. 7:24). Part II lays out Ambrose’s account of baptism as the sacrament of justification and regeneration (sacramental and proleptic participation in the renewal of human nature in the resurrection). Ultimately, Ambrose’s account of the efficacy of baptism rests upon his Christology and pneumatology. The final chapters explain how Ambrose’s accounts of Christ and the Holy Spirit are foundational to his view of the grace that liberates the soul from the corruption of concupiscence.
Runar M. Thorsteinsson
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199578641
- eISBN:
- 9780191722868
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199578641.003.0012
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion
This chapter concludes the whole study by giving a brief summary of its main findings, and by drawing some conclusions about the similarities and differences between the moral teachings of Roman ...
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This chapter concludes the whole study by giving a brief summary of its main findings, and by drawing some conclusions about the similarities and differences between the moral teachings of Roman Christianity and Roman Stoicism. Subsequent to a summary of each chapter of the study, it is concluded that the comparison has revealed a fundamental similarity between the Christian and Stoic sources in terms of morality or ethics. It is pointed out that this conclusion does not mean that there are no differences whatsoever between the two. But, except for the ethical scope of the moral teachings, these differences are minor variations which do not affect the basic moral agreement between Roman Christianity and Roman Stoicism.Less
This chapter concludes the whole study by giving a brief summary of its main findings, and by drawing some conclusions about the similarities and differences between the moral teachings of Roman Christianity and Roman Stoicism. Subsequent to a summary of each chapter of the study, it is concluded that the comparison has revealed a fundamental similarity between the Christian and Stoic sources in terms of morality or ethics. It is pointed out that this conclusion does not mean that there are no differences whatsoever between the two. But, except for the ethical scope of the moral teachings, these differences are minor variations which do not affect the basic moral agreement between Roman Christianity and Roman Stoicism.
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- August 2004
- ISBN:
- 9780199245789
- eISBN:
- 9780191601453
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199245789.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
De officiis, by Ambrose of Milan (c. 339–397), is one of the most important texts of Latin Patristic literature, and a major work of early Christian ethics. Modelled on the De officiis ...
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De officiis, by Ambrose of Milan (c. 339–397), is one of the most important texts of Latin Patristic literature, and a major work of early Christian ethics. Modelled on the De officiis of Cicero, it synthesizes Stoic assumptions on virtue and expediency with biblical patterns of humility, charity, and self–denial to present Ambrose's vision of conduct appropriate for representatives of the church of Milan in the late 380s. Ambrose aspires to demonstrate that Christian values not only match but also exceed the moral standards advocated by Cicero. His purpose is not to build bridges between Cicero and Christ, but to replace Cicero's work with a new Christian account of duties, designed to show the social triumph of the gospel in the world of the Roman Empire. This edition consists of Ambrose's Latin text and a new English translation, the first since the nineteenth century. The Introduction considers in detail such matters as the composition of the work, its intended purpose, and its combination of biblical teaching and Ciceronian Stoicism. The Commentary (Volume 2 of the set) concentrates on the structure of the work, its copious citations of Scripture and Cicero, and its historical and social context.Less
De officiis, by Ambrose of Milan (c. 339–397), is one of the most important texts of Latin Patristic literature, and a major work of early Christian ethics. Modelled on the De officiis of Cicero, it synthesizes Stoic assumptions on virtue and expediency with biblical patterns of humility, charity, and self–denial to present Ambrose's vision of conduct appropriate for representatives of the church of Milan in the late 380s. Ambrose aspires to demonstrate that Christian values not only match but also exceed the moral standards advocated by Cicero. His purpose is not to build bridges between Cicero and Christ, but to replace Cicero's work with a new Christian account of duties, designed to show the social triumph of the gospel in the world of the Roman Empire. This edition consists of Ambrose's Latin text and a new English translation, the first since the nineteenth century. The Introduction considers in detail such matters as the composition of the work, its intended purpose, and its combination of biblical teaching and Ciceronian Stoicism. The Commentary (Volume 2 of the set) concentrates on the structure of the work, its copious citations of Scripture and Cicero, and its historical and social context.
Brad Inwood (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199666164
- eISBN:
- 9780191751936
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199666164.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy
Oxford Studies in Ancient Philosophy provides, twice each year, a collection of the best current work in the field of ancient philosophy. Each volume features original essays that ...
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Oxford Studies in Ancient Philosophy provides, twice each year, a collection of the best current work in the field of ancient philosophy. Each volume features original essays that contribute to an understanding of a wide range of themes and problems in all periods of ancient Greek and Roman philosophy, from the beginnings to the threshold of the middle ages. From its first volume in 1983, OSAP has been a highly influential venue for work in the field, and has often featured essays of substantial length as well as critical essays on books of distinctive importance. Volume 43 includes two articles on Plato, five on Aristotle, two on important aspects of Stoicism and one on Plutarch and scepticism.Less
Oxford Studies in Ancient Philosophy provides, twice each year, a collection of the best current work in the field of ancient philosophy. Each volume features original essays that contribute to an understanding of a wide range of themes and problems in all periods of ancient Greek and Roman philosophy, from the beginnings to the threshold of the middle ages. From its first volume in 1983, OSAP has been a highly influential venue for work in the field, and has often featured essays of substantial length as well as critical essays on books of distinctive importance. Volume 43 includes two articles on Plato, five on Aristotle, two on important aspects of Stoicism and one on Plutarch and scepticism.
John Dillon
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198237662
- eISBN:
- 9780191597336
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198237669.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy
In this book, John Dillon investigates the development of the Academy in the 70 years after Plato's death in 347 b.c. He discusses the careers of the Academy's chief figures, in particular, ...
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In this book, John Dillon investigates the development of the Academy in the 70 years after Plato's death in 347 b.c. He discusses the careers of the Academy's chief figures, in particular, Speusippus, Xenocrates, and Polemo, the three successive heads in the period generally known as ‘The Old Academy’. Dillon's main thesis is that these philosophers set the agenda for the major intellectual traditions that were to follow: Speusippus stimulated developments in what became known as ‘Neopythagoreanism’, which itself was to prove fruitful for ‘Neoplatonism’; Xenocrates initiated much of what we call ‘Middle Platonism’; while Polemo anticipated the chief ethical doctrines of the Stoics. Dillon proposes to argue that the basis of all later Platonism, and to some extent Stoicism as well, is laid down during the period in question by a series of innovations in, and consolidations of, Plato's teachings; furthermore, Dillon considers how, and how much, of the philosophy of Aristotle was absorbed into Platonism. Ch. 1 discusses the physical and organizational structure of the Academy under Plato, focussing on problems to do with the actual location of the Academy and on the methods, goals, and themes of its research. Special attention is paid to the relationship between Plato's written and unwritten doctrines. Ch. 2, 3, and 4 are devoted to individual studies of lives and doctrines of the three heads of the Academy after Plato: Speusippus, Xenocrates, and Polemo respectively. Ch. 5 discusses the contributions of four minor figures connected with the Academy: Philippus of Opus, Hermodorus of Syracuse, Heraclides of Pontus, and Crantor of Soli. In the Epilogue, Dillon discusses the relations of the Academy with both Peripatos and the Stoa.Less
In this book, John Dillon investigates the development of the Academy in the 70 years after Plato's death in 347 b.c. He discusses the careers of the Academy's chief figures, in particular, Speusippus, Xenocrates, and Polemo, the three successive heads in the period generally known as ‘The Old Academy’. Dillon's main thesis is that these philosophers set the agenda for the major intellectual traditions that were to follow: Speusippus stimulated developments in what became known as ‘Neopythagoreanism’, which itself was to prove fruitful for ‘Neoplatonism’; Xenocrates initiated much of what we call ‘Middle Platonism’; while Polemo anticipated the chief ethical doctrines of the Stoics. Dillon proposes to argue that the basis of all later Platonism, and to some extent Stoicism as well, is laid down during the period in question by a series of innovations in, and consolidations of, Plato's teachings; furthermore, Dillon considers how, and how much, of the philosophy of Aristotle was absorbed into Platonism. Ch. 1 discusses the physical and organizational structure of the Academy under Plato, focussing on problems to do with the actual location of the Academy and on the methods, goals, and themes of its research. Special attention is paid to the relationship between Plato's written and unwritten doctrines. Ch. 2, 3, and 4 are devoted to individual studies of lives and doctrines of the three heads of the Academy after Plato: Speusippus, Xenocrates, and Polemo respectively. Ch. 5 discusses the contributions of four minor figures connected with the Academy: Philippus of Opus, Hermodorus of Syracuse, Heraclides of Pontus, and Crantor of Soli. In the Epilogue, Dillon discusses the relations of the Academy with both Peripatos and the Stoa.
Simon Harrison
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- January 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780198269847
- eISBN:
- 9780191713385
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198269847.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
This chapter sets out the structure and method of this book. Will, evil, and predestination are all problems which have a history, and whose history is relevant to Augustine’s On Free Choice of the ...
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This chapter sets out the structure and method of this book. Will, evil, and predestination are all problems which have a history, and whose history is relevant to Augustine’s On Free Choice of the Will. This book adopts a rather parsimonious approach to these contexts by focusing upon On Free Choice itself. Rather than attempting to map Augustine’s text onto a contemporary account of these concepts or locating it in an overarching narrative of their development, this book is an enquiry into the way Augustine uses such terms and ideas in the context of this particular text. A related methodological minimalism consists in the leaving out of detailed references to Augustine’s relationship to other historical figures and movements (Manichaeanism, Stoicism, Neoplatonism).Less
This chapter sets out the structure and method of this book. Will, evil, and predestination are all problems which have a history, and whose history is relevant to Augustine’s On Free Choice of the Will. This book adopts a rather parsimonious approach to these contexts by focusing upon On Free Choice itself. Rather than attempting to map Augustine’s text onto a contemporary account of these concepts or locating it in an overarching narrative of their development, this book is an enquiry into the way Augustine uses such terms and ideas in the context of this particular text. A related methodological minimalism consists in the leaving out of detailed references to Augustine’s relationship to other historical figures and movements (Manichaeanism, Stoicism, Neoplatonism).
Tad Brennan
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- February 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199256266
- eISBN:
- 9780191603075
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199256268.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy
This reader-friendly introduction to the ethical system of the Ancient Greek Stoics combines state-of-the art scholarship with lively and accessible prose. It builds on the renewed attention that the ...
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This reader-friendly introduction to the ethical system of the Ancient Greek Stoics combines state-of-the art scholarship with lively and accessible prose. It builds on the renewed attention that the Hellenistic philosophers have enjoyed in the last few decades, incorporating the best results of recent critical debates while staking out new positions on a variety of topics. Starting from scrupulous attention to the evidence (references are provided to all of the standard collections of Stoic texts), it then provides translations of the original texts, with extensive annotations that will allow readers to pursue further reading. No knowledge of Greek is required. An introductory section provides context by introducing the reader to the most important figures in the Stoic school, the philosophical climate in which they worked, and a brief summary of the leading tenets of the Stoic system. The book is divided into three sections. The first section provides a thorough exploration of the Stoic school’s theories of psychology, focusing on their analyses of fear, desire, and other emotions. The second section develops the more centrally ethical topics of value, obligation, and right action. The third section explores the Stoic school’s views on fate, determinism, and moral responsibility.Less
This reader-friendly introduction to the ethical system of the Ancient Greek Stoics combines state-of-the art scholarship with lively and accessible prose. It builds on the renewed attention that the Hellenistic philosophers have enjoyed in the last few decades, incorporating the best results of recent critical debates while staking out new positions on a variety of topics. Starting from scrupulous attention to the evidence (references are provided to all of the standard collections of Stoic texts), it then provides translations of the original texts, with extensive annotations that will allow readers to pursue further reading. No knowledge of Greek is required. An introductory section provides context by introducing the reader to the most important figures in the Stoic school, the philosophical climate in which they worked, and a brief summary of the leading tenets of the Stoic system. The book is divided into three sections. The first section provides a thorough exploration of the Stoic school’s theories of psychology, focusing on their analyses of fear, desire, and other emotions. The second section develops the more centrally ethical topics of value, obligation, and right action. The third section explores the Stoic school’s views on fate, determinism, and moral responsibility.
Peter Adamson
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- January 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195181425
- eISBN:
- 9780199785087
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195181425.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion
Al-Kindī’s extant ethical corpus is relatively small, but sufficient to show that his ethics is an application of his Neoplatonic ideas about metaphysics and psychology. He provides the first Arabic ...
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Al-Kindī’s extant ethical corpus is relatively small, but sufficient to show that his ethics is an application of his Neoplatonic ideas about metaphysics and psychology. He provides the first Arabic account of Socrates, a philosophical hero who is presented as despising things of the physical world, or “external goods” — Socrates is here conflated with the Cynic philosopher Diogenes. In al-Kindī’s largest ethical treatise, On Dispelling Sorrows, al-Kindī provides a work of consolation which uses Platonist ideas to undergird a broadly Stoic or Cynic teaching on the value of external goods.Less
Al-Kindī’s extant ethical corpus is relatively small, but sufficient to show that his ethics is an application of his Neoplatonic ideas about metaphysics and psychology. He provides the first Arabic account of Socrates, a philosophical hero who is presented as despising things of the physical world, or “external goods” — Socrates is here conflated with the Cynic philosopher Diogenes. In al-Kindī’s largest ethical treatise, On Dispelling Sorrows, al-Kindī provides a work of consolation which uses Platonist ideas to undergird a broadly Stoic or Cynic teaching on the value of external goods.
A. A. Long
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- January 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199279128
- eISBN:
- 9780191706769
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199279128.003.0002
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy
This chapter focuses on the idea of philosophy as the art of life, studying the foundations and implications of this idea, with a view to asking whether some version of it can still be useful to ...
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This chapter focuses on the idea of philosophy as the art of life, studying the foundations and implications of this idea, with a view to asking whether some version of it can still be useful to ethics. The embryo of this idea can be traced back to Socrates and the sophists, but its full and explicit development only began with the founding fathers of Stoicism in the third century bc. The idea is also implicit in Epicureanism; and it became widespread in later antiquity when it was contested by Sceptics. The discussion will incorporate the Epicureans as well as the Stoics, because both schools — in spite of their obvious divergences and rivalry — share many similarities in their basic assumptions and in what they promise their adherents. That common ground provides an understanding of the ancient appeal of both systems, while their divergences show that an art of life was taken to involve a totally consistent self-orientation, mediated by one's choice of system.Less
This chapter focuses on the idea of philosophy as the art of life, studying the foundations and implications of this idea, with a view to asking whether some version of it can still be useful to ethics. The embryo of this idea can be traced back to Socrates and the sophists, but its full and explicit development only began with the founding fathers of Stoicism in the third century bc. The idea is also implicit in Epicureanism; and it became widespread in later antiquity when it was contested by Sceptics. The discussion will incorporate the Epicureans as well as the Stoics, because both schools — in spite of their obvious divergences and rivalry — share many similarities in their basic assumptions and in what they promise their adherents. That common ground provides an understanding of the ancient appeal of both systems, while their divergences show that an art of life was taken to involve a totally consistent self-orientation, mediated by one's choice of system.
A. A. Long
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- January 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199279128
- eISBN:
- 9780191706769
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199279128.003.0011
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy
The Stoic Zeno's most famous and most contested doctrine was thekatalepticor ‘cognitive’ impression (phantasia katalēptikē, hereafter KP). Arcesilaus attacked the KP by arguing that for any putative ...
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The Stoic Zeno's most famous and most contested doctrine was thekatalepticor ‘cognitive’ impression (phantasia katalēptikē, hereafter KP). Arcesilaus attacked the KP by arguing that for any putative KP, an indistinguishable but false impressioncouldexist. This criticism is perfectly telling and intelligible without reference to any objections Arcesilaus may have had about Zeno's relationship to Plato or Socrates. It is proposed that this latter was probably a further stimulus for Arcesilaus, since he found Zeno recycling and meddling with material in Plato'sTheaetetus, and interpreting the dialogue's findings positively rather than sceptically. It is argued that Zeno, in formulating his doctrine of the KP, drew a good deal on theTheaetetus, putting some of its substantive suggestions to work for himself in quite un-Platonic ways. If there is force to this proposal, most details of which are novel, it should cast light not only on Zeno's encounter with Arcesilaus but also on some of the thinking that led up to the KP.Less
The Stoic Zeno's most famous and most contested doctrine was thekatalepticor ‘cognitive’ impression (phantasia katalēptikē, hereafter KP). Arcesilaus attacked the KP by arguing that for any putative KP, an indistinguishable but false impressioncouldexist. This criticism is perfectly telling and intelligible without reference to any objections Arcesilaus may have had about Zeno's relationship to Plato or Socrates. It is proposed that this latter was probably a further stimulus for Arcesilaus, since he found Zeno recycling and meddling with material in Plato'sTheaetetus, and interpreting the dialogue's findings positively rather than sceptically. It is argued that Zeno, in formulating his doctrine of the KP, drew a good deal on theTheaetetus, putting some of its substantive suggestions to work for himself in quite un-Platonic ways. If there is force to this proposal, most details of which are novel, it should cast light not only on Zeno's encounter with Arcesilaus but also on some of the thinking that led up to the KP.
A. A. Long
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- January 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199279128
- eISBN:
- 9780191706769
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199279128.003.0012
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy
Stoics were enormously influential on the Graeco-Roman grammatical tradition, which extends from the later Hellenistic epoch into the Christian period of the Roman Empire. Recourse to the Stoic ...
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Stoics were enormously influential on the Graeco-Roman grammatical tradition, which extends from the later Hellenistic epoch into the Christian period of the Roman Empire. Recourse to the Stoic influence on that tradition can give the impression that these philosophers were merely pioneers in starting what the grammarians carried forward more fully and systematically. It is argued that such an impression may be seriously misleading in two respects. First, it incorrectly implies that the Stoics approached language as a phenomenon callingprimarilyfor the kind of grammatical and syntactical description later grammarians developed. Secondly, it fails to identify the philosophical considerations that underpin the Stoics' principal interests in language. It is shown that the Stoics had some splendid intuitions about the phonetic, grammatical, and semantic levels of linguistic structure. Although these bear directly on the development of traditional grammar, they also seem to have clear affinities with what modern experts in linguistics call universal grammar.Less
Stoics were enormously influential on the Graeco-Roman grammatical tradition, which extends from the later Hellenistic epoch into the Christian period of the Roman Empire. Recourse to the Stoic influence on that tradition can give the impression that these philosophers were merely pioneers in starting what the grammarians carried forward more fully and systematically. It is argued that such an impression may be seriously misleading in two respects. First, it incorrectly implies that the Stoics approached language as a phenomenon callingprimarilyfor the kind of grammatical and syntactical description later grammarians developed. Secondly, it fails to identify the philosophical considerations that underpin the Stoics' principal interests in language. It is shown that the Stoics had some splendid intuitions about the phonetic, grammatical, and semantic levels of linguistic structure. Although these bear directly on the development of traditional grammar, they also seem to have clear affinities with what modern experts in linguistics call universal grammar.
A. A. Long
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- January 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199279128
- eISBN:
- 9780191706769
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199279128.003.0013
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy
In his bookOn providence, Chrysippus, the most learned and rigorous of Stoic philosophers, discussed the recurrence of the world. ‘Since this is so,’ he went on, ‘it is evidently not impossible that ...
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In his bookOn providence, Chrysippus, the most learned and rigorous of Stoic philosophers, discussed the recurrence of the world. ‘Since this is so,’ he went on, ‘it is evidently not impossible that we too, after our death, will return to the shape we now are, when certain periods of time have elapsed.’ It is shown that certain aspects of Stoic cosmology are less foolish than they have often been judged to be. The everlasting recurrence of the world, together with the exact replication of ourselves, is an inevitable consequence of mainstream Stoic thinking on causation, time, physical process, and theology. So far from being baldly assumed, or defectively argued, the world-conflagration and everlasting recurrence appear to be over-determined by a convergence of considerations from Stoic philosophy.Less
In his bookOn providence, Chrysippus, the most learned and rigorous of Stoic philosophers, discussed the recurrence of the world. ‘Since this is so,’ he went on, ‘it is evidently not impossible that we too, after our death, will return to the shape we now are, when certain periods of time have elapsed.’ It is shown that certain aspects of Stoic cosmology are less foolish than they have often been judged to be. The everlasting recurrence of the world, together with the exact replication of ourselves, is an inevitable consequence of mainstream Stoic thinking on causation, time, physical process, and theology. So far from being baldly assumed, or defectively argued, the world-conflagration and everlasting recurrence appear to be over-determined by a convergence of considerations from Stoic philosophy.
A. A. Long
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- January 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199279128
- eISBN:
- 9780191706769
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199279128.003.0016
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy
This chapter suggests a further tie between Stoicism and later conceptions of the person as a moral, psychological, and legal entity. That tie has to do not only with consciousness or ...
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This chapter suggests a further tie between Stoicism and later conceptions of the person as a moral, psychological, and legal entity. That tie has to do not only with consciousness or self-consciousness, but also with the concept of property or ownership, a concept that the Stoics connected with self-consciousness and individual identity in a highly original way. It is argued that the Stoics pioneered two key notions of liberal thought: first, that every human individual is the natural and rightful owner of at least one thing — himself or herself; second, that human nature inclines individual human beings to acquire private property and to interact with one another as property-owners. Stoic ideas about human beings as property-owners have striking affinities with 17th-century and Enlightenment thought on property and persons, especially ideas developed by Locke and Hegel.Less
This chapter suggests a further tie between Stoicism and later conceptions of the person as a moral, psychological, and legal entity. That tie has to do not only with consciousness or self-consciousness, but also with the concept of property or ownership, a concept that the Stoics connected with self-consciousness and individual identity in a highly original way. It is argued that the Stoics pioneered two key notions of liberal thought: first, that every human individual is the natural and rightful owner of at least one thing — himself or herself; second, that human nature inclines individual human beings to acquire private property and to interact with one another as property-owners. Stoic ideas about human beings as property-owners have striking affinities with 17th-century and Enlightenment thought on property and persons, especially ideas developed by Locke and Hegel.
A. A. Long
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- January 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199279128
- eISBN:
- 9780191706769
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199279128.003.0017
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy
In urging himself and Lucilius to cultivate a ‘good mentality’ (bona mens), Seneca's principal point is that objective human excellence and authentic happiness depend intrinsically and essentially on ...
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In urging himself and Lucilius to cultivate a ‘good mentality’ (bona mens), Seneca's principal point is that objective human excellence and authentic happiness depend intrinsically and essentially on the state of one's mind, and only instrumentally and contingently on the health and condition of one's body. This division between mind and body involves the folk psychology recognized in everyday consciousness; and it is compatible with the strict physicalism endorsed both by Stoicism and by most modern theorists. Seneca, moreover, taps completely into the contemporary world when one moves from the academy into popular culture.Less
In urging himself and Lucilius to cultivate a ‘good mentality’ (bona mens), Seneca's principal point is that objective human excellence and authentic happiness depend intrinsically and essentially on the state of one's mind, and only instrumentally and contingently on the health and condition of one's body. This division between mind and body involves the folk psychology recognized in everyday consciousness; and it is compatible with the strict physicalism endorsed both by Stoicism and by most modern theorists. Seneca, moreover, taps completely into the contemporary world when one moves from the academy into popular culture.
A. A. Long
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- January 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199279128
- eISBN:
- 9780191706769
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199279128.003.0018
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy
This chapter argues, using the example of Epictetus, that ancient moral psychology can still be very good to think with because it addresses problems that human beings of any time or place encounter. ...
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This chapter argues, using the example of Epictetus, that ancient moral psychology can still be very good to think with because it addresses problems that human beings of any time or place encounter. Yet, Epictetus is embedded in his own time and place and Stoic doctrines. Thus, all his ideas should not be accepted as completely applicable to ourselves.Less
This chapter argues, using the example of Epictetus, that ancient moral psychology can still be very good to think with because it addresses problems that human beings of any time or place encounter. Yet, Epictetus is embedded in his own time and place and Stoic doctrines. Thus, all his ideas should not be accepted as completely applicable to ourselves.
George E. Karamanolis
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199264568
- eISBN:
- 9780191603990
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199264562.003.0005
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy
This chapter contends that Atticus wrote with the aim of castigating the widespread use of Aristotle’s work by Platonists and Peripatetics, who tended to use Aristotle as a guide to Plato’s ...
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This chapter contends that Atticus wrote with the aim of castigating the widespread use of Aristotle’s work by Platonists and Peripatetics, who tended to use Aristotle as a guide to Plato’s philosophy on the assumption that Aristotle preserved Plato’s doctrines and/or often also followed them. Atticus argues that Aristotle opposed Plato’s philosophy systematically and that no doctrine of his can be of help in understanding Plato, or for doing philosophy in general. He holds such a view because, like Numenius, he construes Plato’s philosophy as a system based on the metaphysics of the transcendent Forms, which determine all entities including ethical values, and considers immanent Forms derivative from them. Also crucial for the evaluation of Aristotle’s doctrine is his tendency to be inspired by Stoicism and to reconstruct Plato’s doctrines relying on the parts of Plato which inspired the Stoics, as is the case with his view on the divine providence or with his view that the soul is essentially rational and yet a separable substance (against the Stoics). For Atticus, Aristotle’s difference on the Forms, the providence, and the nature of the soul entails a substantially different position in ethics. Since for Atticus ethics is the purpose of all philosophy, Aristotle’s divergence from Plato in this is taken as indicative of the fundamental conflict between Aristotle and Plato.Less
This chapter contends that Atticus wrote with the aim of castigating the widespread use of Aristotle’s work by Platonists and Peripatetics, who tended to use Aristotle as a guide to Plato’s philosophy on the assumption that Aristotle preserved Plato’s doctrines and/or often also followed them. Atticus argues that Aristotle opposed Plato’s philosophy systematically and that no doctrine of his can be of help in understanding Plato, or for doing philosophy in general. He holds such a view because, like Numenius, he construes Plato’s philosophy as a system based on the metaphysics of the transcendent Forms, which determine all entities including ethical values, and considers immanent Forms derivative from them. Also crucial for the evaluation of Aristotle’s doctrine is his tendency to be inspired by Stoicism and to reconstruct Plato’s doctrines relying on the parts of Plato which inspired the Stoics, as is the case with his view on the divine providence or with his view that the soul is essentially rational and yet a separable substance (against the Stoics). For Atticus, Aristotle’s difference on the Forms, the providence, and the nature of the soul entails a substantially different position in ethics. Since for Atticus ethics is the purpose of all philosophy, Aristotle’s divergence from Plato in this is taken as indicative of the fundamental conflict between Aristotle and Plato.
John Dillon
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198237662
- eISBN:
- 9780191597336
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198237669.003.0006
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy
Arcesilaus of Pitane succeeded Crates as head of the Academy in the mid‐270s, and is credited with instigating the era of the ‘sceptical’ Academy. Dillon shows that this radical change of direction ...
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Arcesilaus of Pitane succeeded Crates as head of the Academy in the mid‐270s, and is credited with instigating the era of the ‘sceptical’ Academy. Dillon shows that this radical change of direction was in fact inspired by Arcesilaus’ desire to return to the original spirit and methods of Plato's philosophy. Faced with the challenge of Zeno of Citium's nascent Stoicism, which in many ways was a logical development and intellectual heir of Platonism, Arcesilaus revived the dialectic of Plato's ‘Socratic’ dialogues and attacked the Stoic belief in the certainty of sense perception. Arcesilaus thus reinvigorated the sceptical and aporetic strand of his Socratic–Platonic heritage, as represented in a work like the Theaetetus, while eschewing the Timaeus‐inspired cosmological speculation that had characterized the preceding 70 years.Less
Arcesilaus of Pitane succeeded Crates as head of the Academy in the mid‐270s, and is credited with instigating the era of the ‘sceptical’ Academy. Dillon shows that this radical change of direction was in fact inspired by Arcesilaus’ desire to return to the original spirit and methods of Plato's philosophy. Faced with the challenge of Zeno of Citium's nascent Stoicism, which in many ways was a logical development and intellectual heir of Platonism, Arcesilaus revived the dialectic of Plato's ‘Socratic’ dialogues and attacked the Stoic belief in the certainty of sense perception. Arcesilaus thus reinvigorated the sceptical and aporetic strand of his Socratic–Platonic heritage, as represented in a work like the Theaetetus, while eschewing the Timaeus‐inspired cosmological speculation that had characterized the preceding 70 years.
Maurizio Viroli
- Published in print:
- 1997
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198293583
- eISBN:
- 9780191600289
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198293585.003.0003
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
The mid‐sixteenth to seventeenth centuries in Europe saw a general decline in republican patriotism due to the emergence of the modern state, which was disassociated with civic virtue and common ...
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The mid‐sixteenth to seventeenth centuries in Europe saw a general decline in republican patriotism due to the emergence of the modern state, which was disassociated with civic virtue and common liberty. Neo‐Stoicism also criticized patriotism as an illusory passion, which subordinated the higher life of the mind. On the other hand, the republican spirit was revived wherever there was a struggle for liberty, as in the English Revolution. Thinkers like Milton, Shaftesbury, and Bolingbroke contemplated the tension inherent in questions of patriotism, between particular, natural attachments, and universal, political principles.Less
The mid‐sixteenth to seventeenth centuries in Europe saw a general decline in republican patriotism due to the emergence of the modern state, which was disassociated with civic virtue and common liberty. Neo‐Stoicism also criticized patriotism as an illusory passion, which subordinated the higher life of the mind. On the other hand, the republican spirit was revived wherever there was a struggle for liberty, as in the English Revolution. Thinkers like Milton, Shaftesbury, and Bolingbroke contemplated the tension inherent in questions of patriotism, between particular, natural attachments, and universal, political principles.
Troels Engberg-Pedersen
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199558568
- eISBN:
- 9780191720970
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199558568.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion
This book argues that the traditional, mainly cognitive and metaphorical ways of understanding central Pauline concepts, e.g. ‘being in Christ’, which have been heavily influenced by the ...
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This book argues that the traditional, mainly cognitive and metaphorical ways of understanding central Pauline concepts, e.g. ‘being in Christ’, which have been heavily influenced by the incorporation of Platonic dualism into early Christianity from the 2nd century onwards, must be supplemented by a literal, not just cognitive and non-metaphorical understanding that directly reflects Paul's cosmology. That cosmology, including Paul's understanding of the pneuma (‘spirit’), was a materialist, bodily one, with the pneuma being understood by Paul as consisting of a combination of physical elements that would at the resurrection act directly on the ordinary human bodies of believers and transform them into ‘pneumatic bodies’. The book traces this understanding of the future events back to the Pauline present and considers how Paul conceived in bodily terms of his own conversion, of the believers' reception of the pneuma in baptism, and the way it informed his own and their ways of life from the beginning to the projected end. In developing this picture of Paul's overall world view, which maintains its basically ‘apocalyptic’ character, the book draws on ancient Stoic materialist and monistic physics and cosmology, and on modern ideas on ‘religious experience’, ‘self’, ‘body’, and ‘practice’ derived from Foucault and Bourdieu. The book states the cosmological case for the author's earlier ‘ethical’ reading of Paul in his book, Paul and the Stoics (2000).Less
This book argues that the traditional, mainly cognitive and metaphorical ways of understanding central Pauline concepts, e.g. ‘being in Christ’, which have been heavily influenced by the incorporation of Platonic dualism into early Christianity from the 2nd century onwards, must be supplemented by a literal, not just cognitive and non-metaphorical understanding that directly reflects Paul's cosmology. That cosmology, including Paul's understanding of the pneuma (‘spirit’), was a materialist, bodily one, with the pneuma being understood by Paul as consisting of a combination of physical elements that would at the resurrection act directly on the ordinary human bodies of believers and transform them into ‘pneumatic bodies’. The book traces this understanding of the future events back to the Pauline present and considers how Paul conceived in bodily terms of his own conversion, of the believers' reception of the pneuma in baptism, and the way it informed his own and their ways of life from the beginning to the projected end. In developing this picture of Paul's overall world view, which maintains its basically ‘apocalyptic’ character, the book draws on ancient Stoic materialist and monistic physics and cosmology, and on modern ideas on ‘religious experience’, ‘self’, ‘body’, and ‘practice’ derived from Foucault and Bourdieu. The book states the cosmological case for the author's earlier ‘ethical’ reading of Paul in his book, Paul and the Stoics (2000).
Troels Engberg‐Pedersen
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199558568
- eISBN:
- 9780191720970
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199558568.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion
This chapter develops the ontology of Paul's notion of pneuma (‘spirit’) by analysing the cosmology that seems to be invoked in his account in 1 Corinthians 15 of the specific (ontological) shape of ...
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This chapter develops the ontology of Paul's notion of pneuma (‘spirit’) by analysing the cosmology that seems to be invoked in his account in 1 Corinthians 15 of the specific (ontological) shape of the resurrection body, the ‘pneumatic’ body. It appears that Paul understood the pneuma as a through and through material, bodily phenomenon. The chapter also situates Paul in relation to Graeco-Roman philosophy of his day. Two Alexandrian Jewish Hellenistic writers who were slightly earlier than Paul, the author of the Wisdom of Solomon and Philo, display a 1st century bce/ce, incipient interest in and influence from Plato that eventually issued in 1st-2nd century ce ‘Middle Platonism’. For Paul himself, however, the basic, philosophical reference point was materialistic and monistic Stoicism — which indeed was importantly present in the two other writers, too — rather than immaterialistic and dualistic Platonism.Less
This chapter develops the ontology of Paul's notion of pneuma (‘spirit’) by analysing the cosmology that seems to be invoked in his account in 1 Corinthians 15 of the specific (ontological) shape of the resurrection body, the ‘pneumatic’ body. It appears that Paul understood the pneuma as a through and through material, bodily phenomenon. The chapter also situates Paul in relation to Graeco-Roman philosophy of his day. Two Alexandrian Jewish Hellenistic writers who were slightly earlier than Paul, the author of the Wisdom of Solomon and Philo, display a 1st century bce/ce, incipient interest in and influence from Plato that eventually issued in 1st-2nd century ce ‘Middle Platonism’. For Paul himself, however, the basic, philosophical reference point was materialistic and monistic Stoicism — which indeed was importantly present in the two other writers, too — rather than immaterialistic and dualistic Platonism.
