Stoic Virtues: Chrysippus and the Religious Character of Stoic Ethics

by Christoph Jedan

Overview

Like its ancient rivals, Stoic ethics was a form of virtue ethics, yet while the concept of virtue was clearly central to Stoic ethics, the concept of Stoic virtue has not yet been fully explored. Instead, the existing literature tends to impose on the Stoic material philosophically quite alien non-Aristotelian interpretations of virtue. According to Christoph Jedan, however, a thorough examination of the Stoic concept of virtue leads to a reassessment of our understanding of Stoic ethics.
This book emphasises in particular the theological underpinning of Stoic ethics, which Jedan contends has been underestimated in current accounts of Stoic ethics. Jedan argues that the theological motifs in Stoic ethics are in fact pivotal to a complete understanding of Stoic ethics. The book focuses on Chrysippus, the most important of the early Stoic thinkers, suggesting that his contribution, and in particular its religious aspect, remained a key point of reference for later Stoics. This fascinating book makes a crucial contribution to the field of ancient ethics.
Like its ancient rivals, Stoic ethics was a form of virtue ethics, yet while the concept of virtue was clearly central to Stoic ethics, the concept of Stoic virtue has not yet been fully explored. Instead, the existing literature tends to impose on the Stoic material philosophically quite alien non-Aristotelian interpretations of virtue. According to Christoph Jedan, however, a thorough examination of the Stoic concept of virtue leads to a reassessment of our understanding of Stoic ethics.
This book emphasises in particular the theological underpinning of Stoic ethics, which Jedan contends has been underestimated in current accounts of Stoic ethics. Jedan argues that the theological motifs in Stoic ethics are in fact pivotal to a complete understanding of Stoic ethics. The book focuses on Chrysippus, the most important of the early Stoic thinkers, suggesting that his contribution, and in particular its religious aspect, remained a key point of reference for later Stoics. This fascinating book makes a crucial contribution to the field of ancient ethics.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781441112521
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	02/10/2010
Series:	Continuum Studies in Ancient Philosophy , #15
Pages:	244
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Christoph Jedan is Lecturer in Ethics at the University of Groningen, The Netherlands. He has previously taught at the University of Münster, Germany.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements ix

Abbreviations xi

Introduction 1

Part 1 A Religious World-View

1 Stoic Corporealism 9

2 Stoic Theology 21

3 Two Pictures of Fate 31

Part 2 Virtue and the Virtues

4 Definitions of Virtue 51

Chrysippus' Characterization of Virtue as 'Perfect State' 52

Virtue as 'Consistent Character' 58

5 The Virtues as Epist&ebar;mai 66

6 The Virtues-Different yet Inseparable 75

The Difference between the Virtues 75

The Inseparability of the Virtues 77

7 A Catalogue of Virtues 81

Ethical virtues 81

Additional (Generic) Virtues 84

The Openness of Chrysippus' Catalogue of Virtues 90

Part 3 Becoming Virtuous

8 Vice and the Attainability of Virtue 97

9 Initiation 103

10 Virtue and Happiness 110

Part 4 Practice of Virtue

11 Law and Rules 121

Law 122

Rules and Kath&ebar;konta 129

Stoic Practical Reasoning 135

12 The Single Kath&ebar;kon and the Versatility of Stoic Prescriptions 143

Epilogue 156

Appendix 1 A Stoic Virtue Table 158

Appendix 2 Chrysippus' and Aristotle's Lists of Virtues-a Comparison 160

Notes 174

Bibliography 209

Index of Cited Passages 219

General Index 228