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For many years, philosophers and other scholars have commented on the remarkable similarity between Spinoza and the Stoics, with some even going so far as to speak of 'Spinoza the Stoic'. Until now, however, no one has systematically examined the relationship between the two systems. In Spinoza and the Stoics Jon Miller takes on this task, showing how key elements of Spinoza's metaphysics, epistemology, philosophical psychology, and ethics relate to their Stoic counterparts. Drawing on a wide range of secondary literature including the most up-to-date scholarship and a close examination of the textual evidence, Jon Miller not only reveals the sense in which Spinoza was, and was not, a Stoic, but also offers new insights into how each system should be understood in itself. His book will be of great interest to scholars and students of ancient philosophy, early modern philosophy, Spinoza, and the philosophy of the Stoics.
List of contents
Introduction; 1. Monism; 2. Phantasia and ideas; 3. Conatus and Oikeiosis; 4. Value; 5. Happiness; Conclusion: Spinoza and the Stoics?; Bibliography; Index of names; General index.
About the author
Jon Miller is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Queen's University, Ontario. His many publications include Hellenistic and Early Modern Philosophy (Cambridge, 2003), Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics: A Critical Guide (Cambridge, 2011), and The Reception of Aristotle's Ethics (Cambridge, 2012).
Summary
Spinoza and the Stoics is the first book-length systematic examination of the key elements of Spinoza's metaphysics, epistemology, philosophical psychology, and ethics in relation to their Stoic counterparts. It is of great interest to scholars and students of ancient philosophy, early modern philosophy, Spinoza, and the philosophy of the Stoics.
