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Values in Classical Stoicism

August 2000
This is a rough version of a chart that could be refined considerably. (See comments below.) I give some
translations of the ancient Stoic terms, Greek originals first, Latin translations second. When there is just
one translation, it is Greek. Wherever a list uses "etc." there are other items that could be added. For
instance, I only give five virtues, but there are many more.

Stoics classify values as goods, evils, or indifferents. The indifferents are neither good nor evil, in the
strict sense. For a partial listing of indifferents, click here.

GOODS AND EVILS

VALUES UP TO GOOD THINGS (t' agatha,


BAD THINGS (ta kaka, mala)
US bona)

Virtues (hai aretai, virtutes) Vices (hai kakiai)

1. Wisdom (sophia, sapientia) 1. Folly (or Ignorance)


2. Justice (dikaiosune) 2. Injustice (adikia)
Character Traits 3. Bravery (andreia) 3. Cowardice
4. Temperance (sophrosune) 4. Intemperance (akolasia)
5. Generosity 5. Ungenerosity
etc. etc.

Virtuous Acts Vicious Acts

1. Wise acts 1. Foolish acts


2. Just acts 2. Unjust acts
Acts 3. Brave acts 3. Cowardly acts
4. Temperate acts 4. Intemperate acts
5. Generous acts 5. Ungenerous acts
etc. etc.

Good Feelings (hai eupatheiai) Passions or Emotions, a.k.a. Violent Feelings


(pathe)
1. Wish (boulesis)
Feelings 2. Caution (eulabeia) 1. Lust (epithumia, libido)
3. Joy (chara) 2. Fear (phobos)
[No good feeling contrary to 3. Delight (hedone, laetitia)
distress] 4. Distress (lupe, aegritudo)

INDIFFERENTS (t'adiaphora
t'adiaphora)
The Stoics classify indifferents into three mutually exclusive classes: preferred, rejected (a.k.a.
dispreferred), and unqualifiedly indifferent. Unqualifiedly indifferent things neither generally accord with
our nature (as the preferred things do) nor are they generally contrary to our nature (as rejected things
are).
Preferred Things (ta proegmena) Rejected Things (t' apoproegmena)

1. Survival or mere life 1. Death


2. Physical beauty 2. Ugliness
3. Health 3. Illness
4. Popularity 4. Unpopularity
5. "Good" reputation 5. "Bad" reputation
6. Wealth 6. Poverty
7. Technical ability 7. Lack of technical ability
etc. etc.

Comments

1. It is important to remember that the terms translated "good," "bad," "indifferent," "preferred," and
"rejected" have precise meanings within the context of ancient Stoic philosophy. These translations do not
always correspond to the normal meanings of the words in contemporary English. (The meaning of the
original Stoic terms did not always correspond to the normal meanings of the words in the original Greek,
for that matter.)

2. "Preferred" things are also called primary things in accord with nature and "rejected" things are also
called primary things contrary to nature. Of course, that does not mean that selecting preferred things has
priority over choosing the good, but that preferred things are the things that we naturally pursue, even as
children, long before we study philosophy and try to become virtuous. Likewise, rejected things are the
sorts of things that even children tend to avoid in favor of preferred things.

3. The ancient Stoics distinguished not only between good things, evil things and indifferent things, but
within the class of indifferent things, they distinguished between preferred things, rejected things and
unqualifiedly indifferent things. The chart gives no examples of unqualifiedly indifferent things.

4. Within the classes of good things, evil things, preferred things and rejected things, the Stoics also
distinguished between
"___ for themselves" and "___ for other things." Money, for instance, is a thing preferred for other things.
The charts do not make this distinction between "for themselves" and "for other things."

5. The Greek word "hedone" is ambiguous. On the one hand, it represents a class of passions or emotions
and falls under the class of evil things. There I have translated it "delight." On the other hand, it represents
physical pleasure. Some ancient reporters regarding Stoicism place physical pleasure among the preferred
indifferents; others say that it has some positive value but not enough to be included even among the
preferred indifferents. Cicero is aware of the distinction between these two meanings of "hedone,"
translating it as "laetitia" (delight) when he means the emotion, as "voluptas" (pleasure) when he means
physical pleasure.

6. The Greek writers on Stoicism distinguish in practice between "lupe," which I translate as "distress"
(following translators of Cicero, who uses the Latin "aegritudo" for the Greek "lupe"), and "ponos,"
which I translate as "pain" (following translators of Cicero, who uses the Latin "dolor" for the Greek
"ponos"). Unfortunately, translators of Greek often use "pain" to translate "lupe," which leads to
absurdities. Thus, a Cynic who is a kind of stand-in for the sage in Epictetus is made to say in English
translation, "Am I not free from pain?" What he is really saying is "Am I not free from distress?" As I
read them, the ancient Stoics did not teach that sages would be free from physical pain, only that they
would be free from the bad feelings, i.e., passions or emotions (pathe), which include distress.

7. The four emotions listed under Evils are really genera (large classes) of emotions. These four genera
are broken down more specifically in the reports we have of ancient Stoic ethics, such as those of Cicero,
Arius Didymus (the probable author of the Stoic Ethics section in the Anthology of John Stobaeus), and
Diogenes Laertius. Anger, for instance, is not ignored but is included as a specific kind of lust. Based on
the ancient records, we could construct an interesting classificatory chart of the emotions according to the
Stoics.

8. Note that the good feelings correspond (as contraries) to the passions Lust, Fear, and Delight. No good
feeling corresponds to Distress. Stoic sages, if there are any, will experience the good feelings. Nonsages
will experience the passions. I suspect that the ancient Stoics would have admitted, if pressed, that Stoics
who are not sages but are making progress toward wisdom will experience a kind of anticipation or
foreshadowing of the good feelings.

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