The Stoic System - Graduate Seminar (HT 2025)

Tuesdays, 11am–1pm, Radcliffe Humanities (Ryle Room)

Convened by Prof Marion Durand and Prof Simon Shogry

The Stoics divide philosophy into three parts: physics, logic, and ethics. Physics studies the principles and nature of the cosmos, god, causation, fate, bodies, qualities, and matter, among other ontological topics. Stoic logic comprises not only what we would today call formal logic – a theory of what makes an argument valid or invalid – but also epistemology: what justifies our perceptual and non-perceptual beliefs, and how do we employ the criteria of truth? Semantic theory also falls under Stoic logic, along with related questions in philosophy of language. Stoic ethics lays out an account of the human telos or goal – namely, happiness, which consists in ‘living in agreement with nature’ – and defends virtue as the sole human good; it also provides a particularist account of right action and a cognitivist analysis of the emotions.

The Stoics insist that the three parts of philosophy make up an integrated and coherent system of thought. To this end they offer a number of suggestive analogies: e.g. philosophy as a whole is compared to a farm, in which ethics is the crop, physics the soil, and logic the protective fence (DL 7.40). Such images raise a number of interesting questions:

  • Are physics and logic subordinate to ethics, so that we are justified in undertaking physical and logical inquiries only insofar as they contribute to acting rightly?
  • In what sense is knowledge of physics connected to knowledge of ethics? Can one act rightly and be happy without possessing knowledge of cosmic and human nature?
  • Can we theorise in ethics without taking a stand on controversial issues in physics?
  • Is there an ethical benefit to knowledge of formal logic?
  • What way does the world have to be in order for criteria of truth to exist?

With these larger questions in mind, this seminar will explore the nature, scope, and depth of the interconnections of the parts of the Stoic system. We will begin with a survey of each of the three canonical parts, following the order of study recommended by the Stoic founders, before exploring a selection of case studies, starting with the question of the relationship of Stoic physics and Stoic ethics: to what extent is Stoic physics indispensable, or foundational, for Stoic axiology (i.e. the claim that only virtue is good) and for the Stoic account of happiness? Further possible topics include: is knowledge of Logic necessary for happiness and, if so, why? To what extent and how do details in metaphysics bear on questions in the philosophy of language? Is Stoic metaphysical theory presupposed in their defence of the existence of criteria of truth? Does the Stoic critique of the passions make sense in a non-providential universe? In exploring these case studies, our aim is to better understand Stoic philosophy and illuminate the potentially surprising ways in which dialogue between apparently distinct areas of philosophy can be fruitful.

Weekly readings will be posted on Canvas. No previous knowledge of Greek, Latin, or ancient philosophy required. Student presentations are highly encouraged. We will be studying the Stoic sources using Long and Sedley’s The Hellenistic Philosophers (CUP, 1987).

 

Provisional Schedule

Week 1 – introduction to Stoicism and its three parts.

Text: Long and Sedley, chapter 26 (‘The philosophical curriculum’).

Recommended background readings:

Week 2 – introduction to Stoic logic and epistemology
Week 3 – introduction to Stoic physics and theology
Week 4 – introduction to Stoic ethics
Week 5 – does Stoic ethics make sense without Stoic physics?
Weeks 6-8 – exact topics TBD, depending on student interest