The Hellenistic Stoa: Political Thought and Action

Stoicism, which came to be closely identified with the Roman establishment, began as a radical doctrine. Indeed Zeno, the first Stoic (335-263Bc), embarrassed his Roman successors by advocating the abolition of money, private property and marriage. How did this change come about? Dr Erskine pieces together the evidence for early Stoic political thought to examine the transition. He sets the philosophy in its historical context showing how political thought and action interrelate in the process. Chapters discuss Stoic attitudes to slavery, Roman imperialism, property and justice, as well as specific cases of political participation such as in third-century Athenian politics, the Spartan revolution and the land reform programme. There has been increasing interest in Hellenistic philosophy. This is the first book to treat in depth the Stoic attitude to society within the context of its political environment.