Seneca on Moral Improvement through Dialectical Study: A Chrysippean Reading of Letter 87

Ancient Philosophy (forthcoming)
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Abstract

Does Seneca entirely reject the utility of dialectical study for moral improvement? No, I argue here. Focusing on Letter 87, I propose that Seneca raises and disarms objections to formal Stoic arguments in order to help moral progressors avoid backsliding and advance towards ethical knowledge. I trace this method back to Chrysippus and show that reading Letter 87 in this Chrysippean framework yields a satisfying explanation of its otherwise puzzling features.

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Simon Shogry
University of Oxford

Citations of this work

Seneca.Katja Vogt - 2008 - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

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References found in this work

Desire and Impulse in Epictetus and the Older Stoics.Jacob Klein - 2021 - Archiv für Geschichte der Philosophie 103 (2):221-251.
Vagueness and Kataleptic Impressions.Katja Maria Vogt - 2022 - Aristotelian Society Supplementary Volume 96 (1):165-183.
Seneca: A Philosopher in Politics.Miriam T. Griffin - 1976 - Oxford: Clarendon Press.

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