Stoicism

Stoicism is among the ancient Hellenistic schools of philosophy that flourished after Plato’s and Aristotle’s time. Begun by Zeno of Citium (334-262 BCE) and named for the Stoa poikile (“painted porch”), a structure in the ancient Athenian agora, the Stoics formulated a systematic philosophy consisting of logic, ethics, and natural philosophy. However, unlike Plato and Aristotle, no discernable “Stoic school” of political theory has come down to us. This is ironic as many important concepts in modern political theory have their origins in Stoicism, including cosmopolitanism, natural law, and human rights. This chapter seeks to describe in outline core concepts of Stoic political theory, focusing on the Stoic Sage, the ideal of the perfectly virtuous person. The Sage, the Stoics tell us, will participate in politics. But in what kind of community will the Sage participate? And what are the laws of this community? Stoic answers to these questions reveal a universal moral community of human beings governed by a single, unchanging law. But the Stoics were mostly silent about how this ideal community should inform political practice, and interpretations range from a liberal cosmopolitan Stoicism, on the one hand, to a conservative communitarian Stoicism, on the other hand.