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What would stoic ethics be like today if stoicism had survived as a systematic approach to ethical theory, and if it had coped successfully with the challenges of modern philosophy and experimental science?What would stoic ethics be like today if stoicism had survived as a systematic approach to ethical theory, if it had coped successfully with the challenges of modern philosophy and experimental science? A New Stoicism proposes an answer to that question, offered from within the stoic tradition but without the metaphysical and psychological assumptions that modern philosophy and science have abandoned. Lawrence Becker argues that a secular version of the stoic ethical project, based on contemporary cosmology and developmental psychology, provides the basis for a sophisticated form of ethical naturalism, in which virtually all the hard doctrines of the ancient Stoics can be clearly restated and defended. Becker argues, in keeping with the ancients, that virtue is one thing, not many; that it, and not happiness, is the proper end of all activity; that it alone is good, all other things being merely rank-ordered relative to each other for the sake of the good; and that virtue is sufficient for happiness. Moreover, he rejects the popular caricature of the stoic as a grave figure, emotionally detached and capable mainly of endurance, resignation, and coping with pain. To the contrary, he holds that while stoic sages are able to endure the extremes of human suffering, they do not have to sacrifice joy to have that ability, and he seeks to turn our attention from the familiar, therapeutic part of stoic moral training to a reconsideration of its theoretical foundations.

BeckerLawrence C.: Lawrence C. Beckeris a fellow of Hollins University and professor emeritus of philosophy at the College of William Mary. He was an associate editor of the journal Ethicsfrom 1985-2000, and the editor, with Charlotte B. Becker, of two editions of the Encyclopedia of Ethics.

Abstract
We focus on the question of how expertise as conceived by the Stoics interacts with the content of impressions. In Section 1, we situate the evidence concerning expert perception within the Stoic account of cognitive development. In Section 2, we argue that the content of rational impressions, and notably of expert impressions, is not exhausted by the relevant propositions. In Section 3, we argue that expert impressions are a subtype of kataleptic impressions which achieve their level of clarity and distinctness due to the contribution of expertise. In Section 4, we argue that the expertise in living well not only allows the wise person to assent correctly but also affects the content of her impressions. We suggest that these two models – one's attitude toward an impression being informed by expertise, and one's impressions being affected by expertise – might characterize distinct stages of cognitive development. Stoic wisdom is not only a matter of the way one assents to one's impressions but also a matter of the condition of one's soul and, consequently, of the kinds of impressions one even entertains. Expertise offers a model of how cognitive and discriminatory improvement through practice and effort can transform the non-wise into the wise. A reading on which the content of impressions is not exclusively propositional illuminates a further aspect of this transformation. If the same propositions are accessible through impressions with different non-propositional content, we can account for cases in which the novice and the expert entertain the same proposition.

BeckerLawrence C.: Lawrence C. Beckeris William R. Kenan, Jr., Professor in the Humanities and Professor of Philosophy at the College of William and Mary. He is the author of several books, including Reciprocityand Property Rights: Philosophic Foundations. He is the coeditor, with Charlotte B. Becker, of the Encyclopedia of Ethics.

How did Stoicism influence Western thought after Greek and Roman antiquity? Contributors for this volume include some of the leading international scholars of Stoicism as well as experts in later periods of philosophy. They trace the impact of Stoicism from late antiquity through the medieval and modern periods

One of the most influential schools of classical philosophy, stoicism emerged in the third century BCE and later grew in popularity through the work of proponents such as Seneca and Epictetus. This informative introductory volume provides an overview and brief history of the stoicism movement

La Revue internationale a publié déjà plusieurs études sur l'histoire des idées humanitaires. Il s'agissait d'approfondir ainsi les sources et de marquer les jalons, dans les civilisations successives, d'une quête vers plus d'humanité dans les rapports entre individus et entre nations.L'idée de l'entr'aide, de l'unité universelle, se trouve chez des penseurs anciens et l'on peut constater que certaines affirmations ont, dans la Gréce antique par exemple, annoncé en quelque sorte l'idéal de solidarité humaine dont s'inspire la Croix-Rouge. C'est ce que montre M. Vœlke, qui a étudié récemment, d'une manière approfondie, certaines questions traitées ici, et que nous remercions de sa contribution. (N.d.l.R.)

The International Review has already published several studies on the history of humanitarian ideas. It was necessary to return to the origins and to mark the milestones in successive civilizations in the search for more humanity in the relations between individuals and nations.

The norms of simplicity, convenience, unfussiness, and self-control guide Diogenes the Cynic, Zeno of Citium, Chrysippus, Seneca, Musonius Rufus, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius in approaching food. These norms generate the precept that meat and dainties are luxuries, so Stoics should eschew them. Considerations of justice, environmental harm, anthropogenic global climate change, sustainability, food security, feminism, harm to animals, personal health, and public health lead contemporary Stoics to condemn the meat industrial complex, debunk carnism, and select low input, plant-based foods.

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- PART ONE: THE WAY THINGS STAND -- 1. The Conceit -- 2. A New Agenda for Stoic Ethics -- 3. The Ruins of Doctrine -- PART TWO: THE WAY THINGS MIGHT GO -- 4. Normative Logic -- 5. Following the Facts -- 6. Virtue -- 7. Happiness -- Appendix. A Calculus for Normative Logic -- Postscript to the Revised Edition -- Bibliography -- Index