The Stoic Doctrine of Providence: A Study of its Development and of Some of its Major Issues (Issues in Ancient Philosophy)

__The Stoic Doctrine of Providence__ attempts to reconstruct the Stoic doctrine of providence (as argued for in ancient texts now lost) and explain its many fascinating philosophical issues. Examining issues such as the compatibility between good and evil, and how a provident god can serve as model of political leadership,this is the first monograph of its kind to focus on the question of Stoic providence. It offers an in-depth study of the meaning and importance of this topic in eight distinct generations of Stoics, from Zeno of Citium (fourth century B.C.) to Panaetius of Rhodes (second century B.C.) to Marcus Aurelius (second century A.D.). __The Stoic Doctrine of Providence__ is key reading for anyone interested in Ancient Stoicism or the study of divine providence in a philosophical setting. The Stoic Doctrine of Providence attempts to reconstruct the Stoic doctrine of providence (as argued for in ancient texts now lost) and explain its many fascinating philosophical issues, such as the compatibility between good and evil, and how a provident god can serve as model of political leadership Cover 1 Half Title 2 Series Page 3 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Dedication 6 Table of Contents 8 List of abbreviations 14 Acknowledgements 20 Introduction 22 1 Why study Stoic providence? 22 2 Was Stoicism a philosophy or a religion? 24 3 Stoic providence in context 31 1 Zeno on providence 39 1 Providence as one of god’s names 39 2 Providence and nature 40 2.1 Nature as a craftsmanlike fire 40 2.2 Nature as a craftsman 43 3 Providence and divination 46 4 Does god care for even ‘the slightest of things’? 49 2 Cleanthes on providence 58 1 The world is governed by a divine mind 59 2 A cosmobiologogical approach 61 2.1 The world as an intelligent living being and a god 61 2.2 The sun as the commanding faculty of the world 62 2.3 The earth as the privileged object of providence 65 3 The maintenance and destruction of the cosmic order 66 3.1 The importance of earthly water 66 3.2 Cleanthes and Zeno on cosmic ekpurôsis 69 4 Cleanthes’ disagreement with Zeno’s theodicy 72 5 God’s care for human beings 74 5.1 All sins are equal 74 5.2 The starting points towards virtue 76 5.3 Cleanthes and Chrysippus on aphormai 78 3 Chrysippus’ On Providence 86 1 On Providence, book I 89 1.1 The world is a rational animal 89 1.2 The world soul and its parts 91 1.3 The world is full of gods 92 1.4 The destructibility of the world 95 1.4.1 The three senses of ‘world’ 95 1.4.2 Gods and destructibility 96 1.4.3 The world will not die 98 1.5 Zeus’ withdrawal into providence and the renewal of the world 100 2 On Providence, book IV 102 2.1 Providence and theodicy 102 2.2 Why good and evil are not separable 104 2.3 Why providence and evils are not incompatible 108 3 Fate and moral responsibility 113 3.1 Chrysippus on fate 113 3.2 Nature’s provision against the misfortunes of fate 115 4 Panaetius on providence 124 1 Panaetius’ On Providence 125 2 The world is indestructible 126 3 Doubts about divination 129 4 Rejection of astrology 130 4.1 Panaetius’ expertise and Pythagorean approach to cosmology 131 4.2 Arguments against astrology 133 5 The human telos and the power of reason 135 6 Reason, wisdom and politics 139 5 Posidonius and Cleomedes on providence 147 1 Posidonius on the human telos 147 2 Reason as a criterion of truth 149 3 God’s providence and the cosmos 152 3.1 The unity of the world and the sympathy of its parts 153 3.2 The providential power of heaven and the harmonizing function of the sun 155 4 Against Epicurus 157 5 Providence and the city (Sen. Ep. 90) 161 5.1 The condition of the first human beings according to Seneca 162 5.1.1 Philosophy and wisdom did not yet exist 162 5.1.2 The appearance of greed and the invention of crafts 163 5.2 The condition of the first human beings according to Posidonius 164 5.2.1 Kingship and the voluntary submission to the best 166 5.2.2 The political usefulness of wisdom 171 5.2.3 The emergence of vice and the rule of law 172 6 Seneca on providence 179 1 Providence and the free unfolding of nature 179 2 Wisdom and the unfolding of human nature 182 2.1 The imperfection of human reason 182 2.2 Human impulse towards knowledge 185 2.3 Providence and the human telos 186 3 The practical and political dimension of contemplation 189 3.1 The ideal of an unimpeded life: death and the easy way out 189 3.2 The political life and its potential obstacles 190 3.3 Stoic will versus Platonic reluctance to engage in politics 193 4 From the cosmic city to Nero’s imperial administration 197 4.1 The king as god’s viceroy 198 4.1.1 Absolute power and accountability 199 4.1.2 God’s providence and philanthropy 201 4.2 Clemency and the obedience of the people 203 7 Epictetus on providence 213 1 Praising providence, or not 214 1.1 Human beings and contemplation 215 1.1.1 God and the world: a spectacle to contemplate 215 1.1.2 Why most human beings fail to contemplate 219 1.1.3 The cause of double ignorance 222 1.2 The inner nobility of human beings 225 1.2.1 Misfortunes and god’s apparent lack of care for human beings 226 1.2.2 God as father of humans 227 1.2.3 Man’s nobility and how it is getting perverted 229 1.2.4 Prohairesis and reason’s self-assessment 231 1.2.5 Baseness and ungratefulness 234 2 Providence, philostorgia and human societies 235 2.1 From parental love of children to philanthrôpia 235 2.2 Philostorgia as a natural affection 237 2.3 Epicurus’ anti-social views and the destruction of the city 238 2.3.1 Epicureanism as a perverted philosophy 238 2.3.2 Why did Epicurus care? Or on the indomitable force of nature 241 8 Marcus Aurelius on providence 246 1 The perfection of the world and its compatibility with evil 246 1.1 God’s will and its necessary consequences 246 1.2 A familiar world 249 1.3 Nature and the necessity of evil 250 2 Providence and the freedom to sin and to correct oneself 253 2.1 The power not to fall into evil 253 2.2 The right to self-correct 257 3 Providence and the Stoic doctrine of the principles 258 3.1 Two principles, one cause only 258 3.2 Everything turns on judgement 260 3.3 Matter and the things that are indifferent 261 3.3.1 Being indifferent to what is indifferent 261 3.3.2 Indifferent things in relation to other people 263 4 Providence and politics 266 4.1 Do gods care about individual human beings? 266 4.2 How gods care about human beings 269 4.2.1 Divine justice 269 4.2.2 Caring even for the bad 272 4.3 Marcus’ views on politics and his benevolence towards the people 274 9 Providence and self-preservation 283 1 Nature and the heed for self-preservation 283 2 Oikeiôsis and the preservation of life 285 2.1 Self-knowledge 285 2.2 Self-affection 288 2.3 Oikeiôsis as a sine qua non condition 290 3 Providence or atoms? The Epicurean challenge 291 3.1 Oikeiôsis and the cradle argument 292 3.2 Hierocles’ attack on Epicureanism 293 3.3 Lucretius on sense-perceiving one’s own capacities 294 3.4 Oikeiôsis and the love for the ugly 298 4 Stoics and Epicureans on the conservation of life 301 4.1 Lucretius and adaptation 301 4.2 The Stoics and adaptation to oneself 304 10 From cosmic oikeiôsis to personal providence 312 1 The object(s) of divine providence 312 1.1 The world 312 1.2 Human beings 314 2 Alexander’s objection and the Stoic reply 315 3 The Stoics on the good and the advantageous 316 3.1 The good and what is advantageous (to oneself) 316 3.2 Oikeiôsis and the good 320 4 Cosmic oikeiôsis 322 4.1 God has sense-perception 323 4.1.1 Sense-captors located in the air 324 4.1.2 Other sense-captors 325 4.2 God has impulses 327 4.2.1 Impulse as cause of movements 327 4.2.2 Cosmic impulses 328 4.2.3 The self-maintenance of the world 330 5 Providence and individuals 332 5.1 Epictetus’ account 332 5.1.1 Ancient conceptions of god 332 5.1.2 Socrates and god’s omniscience 333 5.1.3 Demonstration of personal providence 334 5.2 Cicero’s account 337 5.2.1 Parts and whole 337 5.2.2 Divination and the apparent neglect of humans by the gods 339 5.3 The reception of the Stoic defence of personal providence 342 Bibliography 352 Glossary of Greek terms 364 Glossary of Latin terms 372 Index of sources 374 General index 388 Stoicism;,Stoicism;,Stoic,philosophy;,Divine,providence;,Providence;,Philosophy,of,divine,providence;,Stoic,doctrine,of,providence;,Doctrine,of,providence;,Zeno;,Cleanthes;,Chrysippus’,Peri,pronoias;,Chrysippus;,oikeiôsis;,Stoic,Theodicy;,Stoic,teleology;,Posidonius;,Seneca;,Cleomedes;,Musonius,Rufus;,Epictetus;,Hierocles;,Marcus,Aurelius;,Cornutus;,Manilius Stoicism,Stoicism,Stoic philosophy,Divine providence,Providence,Philosophy of divine providence,Stoic doctrine of providence,Doctrine of providence,Zeno,Cleanthes,Chrysippus’ Peri pronoias,Chrysippus,oikeiôsis,Stoic Theodicy,Stoic teleology,Posidonius,Seneca,Cleomedes,Musonius Rufus,Epictetus,Hierocles,Marcus Aurelius,Cornutus,Manilius "The Stoic Doctrine of Providence attempts to reconstruct the Stoic doctrine of providence (as argued for in ancient texts now lost) and explain its many fascinating philosophical issues. Examining issues such as the compatibility between good and evil, and how a provident god can serve as model of political leadership, this is the first monograph to focus on the question of Stoic providence. It offers an in-depth study of the meaning and importance of this topic in eight distinct generations of Stoics, from Zeno of Citium (4th century B.C.) to Panaetius of Rhodes (2nd century B.C.) to Marcus Aurelius (2nd century A.D.). The Stoic Doctrine of Providence is key reading for anyone interested in Ancient Stoicism or the study of divine providence in a philosophical setting"-- Provided by publisher "The Stoic Doctrine of Providence attempts to reconstruct the Stoic doctrine of providence (as argued for in ancient texts now lost) and explain its many fascinating philosophical issues. Examining issues such as the compatibility between good and evil, and how a provident god can serve as model of political leadership, this is the first monograph to focus on the question of Stoic providence. It offers an in-depth study of the meaning and importance of this topic in eight distinct generations of Stoics, from Zeno of Citium (4th century B.C.) to Panaetius of Rhodes (2nd century B.C.) to Marcus Aurelius (2nd century A.D.). The Stoic Doctrine of Providence is key reading for anyone interested in Ancient Stoicism or the study of divine providence in a philosophical setting"-- Résumé de l'éditeur The Stoic Doctrine of Providence attempts to reconstruct the Stoic doctrine of providence (as argued for in ancient texts now lost) and explain its many fascinating philosophical issues. Examining issues such as the compatibility between good and evil, and how a provident god can serve as model of political leadership, this is the first monograph of its kind to focus on the question of Stoic providence. It offers an in-depth study of the meaning and importance of this topic in eight distinct generations of Stoics, from Zeno of Citium (fourth century B.C.) to Panaetius of Rhodes (second century B.C.) to Marcus Aurelius (second century A.D.). The Stoic Doctrine of Providence is key reading for anyone interested in Ancient Stoicism or the study of divine providence in a philosophical setting.