God and Cosmos in Stoicism

by Ricardo Salles (Editor)

Overview

This is a collective study, in nine new essays, of the close connection between theology and cosmology in Stoic philosophy. The Stoic god is best described as the single active physical principle that governs the whole cosmos. The first part of the book covers three essential topics in Stoic theology: the active and demiurgical character of god, his corporeal nature and irreducibility to matter, and fate as the network of causes through which god acts upon the cosmos. The second part turns to Stoic cosmology, and how it relates to other cosmologies of the time. The third part examines the ethical and religious consequences of the Stoic theories of god and cosmos.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780191609596
Publisher:	OUP Oxford
Publication date:	09/24/2009
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	22 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Ricardo Salles is Professor of Philosophy at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.

Table of Contents

List of Contributors ix

Introduction: God and Cosmos in Stoicism Ricardo Salles 1

I God, Providence, and Fate

1 How Industrious can Zeus be? The Extent and Objects of Divine Activity in Stoicism Thomas Bénatouïl 23

2 The Stoics on Matter and Prime Matter: 'Corporealism' and the Imprint of Plato's Timaeus Jean-Baptiste Gourinat 46

3 Chain of Causes: What is Stoic Fate? Susan Sauvé Meyer 71

II Elements, Cosmogony, and Conflagration

4 Chrysippus on Physical Elements John M. Cooper 93

5 Chrysippus on Conflagration and the Indestructibility of the Cosmos Ricardo salles 118

6 Stoic Themes in Peripatetic Sources? Inna Kupreeva 135

III The Ethics and Religion of Stoic Cosmo-Theology

7 Does Cosmic Nature Matter? Some Remarks on the Cosmological Aspects of Stoic Ethics Marcelo D. Boeri 173

8 Why Physics? Brad Inwood 201

9 Stoic Philosophical Theology and Graeco-Roman Religion Keimpe Algra 224

Index Nominum 253

Index Locorum 261