Stoic Ethics: Epictetus and Happiness as Freedom (Continuum Studies in Ancient Philosophy) PDF
Preview Stoic Ethics: Epictetus and Happiness as Freedom (Continuum Studies in Ancient Philosophy)
STOIC ETHICS Also available from Continuum: Aristotle's Ethics, Hope May Aristotle's Theory of Knowledge, Thomas Kiefer Aristotle, Ethics and Pleasure, Michael Weinman Cicero's Ethics, Harald Thorsrud Happiness and Greek Ethical Thought, Andrew Holowchak Plato's Stepping Stones, Michael Cormack The Ideas of Socrates, Matthew S. Linck STOIC ETHICS Epictetus and Happiness as Freedom William O. Stephens continuum Continuum International Publishing Group The Tower Building 80 Maiden Lane 11 York Road Suite 704 London SE1 7NX New York NY 10038 © William O. Stephens 2007 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN: HB: 0-8264-9608-3 9780826496089 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. Typeset by Fakenham Photosetting, Fakenham, Norfolk Printed and bound in Great Britain by Biddies Ltd, King's Lynn, Norfolk Contents Foreword vii Abbreviations ix Preface xiii Introduction 1 1 What exactly is 'up to me? 7 A. Internals vs. externals 7 B. Prohairesis as self 16 C. Judgements determine everything 25 D. The status of the location of the good 36 Notes 41 2 How must I view the use of externals? 47 A. The use of externals is not neutral 48 B. The rationality of following fate 54 C. Do your best and accept the rest 67 Notes 74 3 How does the Stoic love? 81 A. The good of others is my own concern 82 B. Only my own conduct matters 83 C. Human affection and feeling 91 D. Stoic love is free and painless 97 E. Only the sage truly loves 107 Notes 109 vi Stoic Ethics Happiness as freedom 113 A. The sage as prescriptive ideal 114 B. Life according to nature as the life of reason 123 C. Why the life of reason is a life of virtue 132 D. Evdaimonia and ataraxia 141 E. The strength of Stoicism 150 Notes 154 Bibliography 161 Index 169 Foreword This is a lightly edited version of my 1990 doctoral dissertation at the University of Pennsylvania supervised by Professor Charles H. Kahn titled Stoic Strength: An Examination of the Ethics of Epictetus. After leaving Penn, I turned to other projects at Creighton without a serious thought to seek a publisher for the largest early relic of my years of fascination with Epictetus. On 15 September 2004 Dr Jim Fieser of the Philosophy Department at the University of Tennessee at Martin emailed me with that very thought. Without his prompting, encouragement, and persistence, this monograph would have been fated to remain undisturbed, collecting dust in the archives of University Microfilms International in Ann Arbor, as it were, perched precariously above the dustbin of history. Readers will judge whether publishing this dissertation is a case of the old cliche 'Better late than never.' Technologically speaking, 1990 was an age ago. The manuscript was produced using a Magnavox Videowriter and an IBM correcting Selectric typewriter with a Greek font element. Email was unknown. Yet Epictetus' gritty charm endures. So the bibliography has been updated to include selected publications after 1990 in which Epictetus figures prominently, but not work in Stoic ethics broadly. My hope is that others may find this monograph as useful as Jim believes it is. I dedicate this dusted-off package, retitled to please my publisher, to him. I also again thank my colleagues at Penn for their generous comments and support offered long ago. August 2006 WOS Abbreviations D.L. Hicks, R. D. (1925, 1972 repr.) (tr.), Diogenes Laertius: Lives of Eminent Philosophers. 2 vols. Loeb Classical Library. London: W. Heinemann. NE Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, in W. D. Ross and J. A. Smith (1908-52) (trs), The Works of Aristotle. Oxford: Clarendon Press. ENCH Encheridion = Handook. The Discourses are cited by book, chapter, and section, and the Encheridion by chapter and section SEAM Mutschmann, H. and Mau, J. (1961) (eds), Sexti Empirici Opera, vols II and III Adversus Mathematicos. Leipzig: Teubner. SVF Arnim, H. von, Stoicorum Veterum Fragmenta. Vols 1-3 (1903-05), Vol. 4 (1924), indexes by M. Adler. Leipzig: Teubner.
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