Article ID: CBB001251238

God's Indifferents: Why Cicero's Stoic Jupiter Made the World (2012)

unapi

The Stoics say that a virtuous person pursues indifferents -- things that are neither good nor bad -- which she ought to pursue given her nature and circumstances. However, the Stoic god is a virtuous person. Does he pursue indifferents, and if so which? Some answers are given by Balbus in Book 2 of Cicero's De Natura Deorum. I find Balbus' god does not make the world good. He pursues first an indifferent community of the rational (gods and foolish humans). For that community, he makes the cosmos a stable, full and beautiful home. Its stability, fullness and beauty are indifferents we can use and enjoy.

...More
Citation URI
https://data.isiscb.org/isis/citation/CBB001251238/

Similar Citations

Chapter Fantham, Elaine; (2011)
More Sentiment than Science: Roman Stargazing before and after Manilius (/isis/citation/CBB001201028/)

Book Strange, Steven K.; Zupko, Jack; (2004)
Stoicism: Traditions and Transformations (/isis/citation/CBB000470196/)

Book Phillip Sidney Horky; (2019)
Cosmos in the Ancient World (/isis/citation/CBB403481991/)

Article Andree Hahmann; (2019)
Cicero Defining the Stoic Science of Divination (/isis/citation/CBB152808236/)

Article Moreno, Jesús Luque; (2007)
Agua de Éstige, agua de la vida (/isis/citation/CBB000831593/)

Article Cuomo, Serafina; (2012)
Exploring Ancient Greek and Roman Numeracy (/isis/citation/CBB001210323/)

Chapter Glauthier, Patrick; (2011)
Census and Commercium: Two Economic Metaphors in Manilius (/isis/citation/CBB001201034/)

Article Vanessa de Harven; Ron Polansky; (2015)
How Nothing Can Be Something: The Stoic Theory of Void (/isis/citation/CBB412862776/)

Book Kullmann, Wolfgang; (2010)
Naturgesetz in der Vorstellung der Antike, besonders der Stoa: Eine Begriffsuntersuchung (/isis/citation/CBB001220039/)

Article Paparazzo, Ernesto; (2008)
Why Take Chemistry Stoically? The Case of Posidonius (/isis/citation/CBB000930619/)

Book Engberg-Pedersen, Troels; (2010)
Cosmology and Self in the Apostle Paul: The Material Spirit (/isis/citation/CBB001200617/)

Article Gryz, Jarek; (2012)
The Logical Structure of Stoic Ethics (/isis/citation/CBB001251232/)

Article Papaziana, Michael; (2012)
Chrysippus Confronts the Liar: The Case for Stoic Cassationism (/isis/citation/CBB001210998/)

Book Sedley, David N.; (2007)
Creationism and Its Critics in Antiquity (/isis/citation/CBB000830460/)

Chapter Brunschwig, Jacques; (2007)
Science et philosophie chez les stoïciens (/isis/citation/CBB001022498/)

Authors & Contributors
Gaca, Kathy L.
David Machek
Vanessa de Harven
Hahmann, Andree
Horky, Phillip Sidney
Zupko, Jack
Concepts
Stoicism
Philosophy
Cosmology
Science and culture
Astronomy
Soul (philosophy)
Time Periods
Ancient
Early modern
Modern
Renaissance
Places
Greece
Rome (Italy)
Comments

Be the first to comment!

{{ comment.created_by.username }} on {{ comment.created_on | date:'medium' }}

Log in or register to comment