Lecture 2,Cosmopolitanism of
Mediterranean Empire,Hellenic
Social Thoughts
Empire of Alexander the Great
Ethos of Hellenic Time
? 世界的导师, 亚历山大帝国使希腊文明遍及世界，
希腊民族实现了自己的文明任务，希腊人变成了
世界的导师；
? 理论与实践的分离, 希腊科学中有机融合在一起
的纯理论兴趣和实践兴趣在希腊化时代开始分道
扬镳，实践兴趣更形重要；
? 伦理学转向, 政治生活丧失了城邦时代的力量和
光荣，哲学转向为人生安顿和避难提供个人道德
学说，发生由古典希腊精神向晚期希腊的伦理学
的转折
Ethical transformation of Greek
Spirit,Stoicism and Epitureer
希腊生活的理想世界分崩离析，民族的宗
教淹没在日常生活的习俗中，被剥夺了独
立性的和破碎的政治生活不再唤起忠诚与
虔敬，孤立无助的心理随处弥漫，产生对
人生哲学和个人生活智慧的强烈渴求，处
世哲学成为哲学的基本的和核心的探求，
并试图对抗东方的宗教成为乱世中人的安
身立命的心智替代品。
Epicurus,Pursuit of Pleasure
? Epicurus,the founder of the philosophy that bears his
name,advocated the pursuit of pleasure,But in his
definition of pleasure he intended something that had
little in common with what we today so often identify as
pleasure,In keeping with the traditions of Greek
philosophy in early Hellenistic times,he understood
pleasure as attaining freedom from the pains and hurts
of life through the practice of virtuous living,However,
unlike Socrates,he did not feel that virtue was a good in
itself,worthy of devotion because of its superior
qualities,He never looked deeply into the question of
virtue's great,even divine,qualities,Rather he
recommended focusing on living a virtuous life because
it was able to produce pleasure--freedom from
pain,Virtue was not the highest good,It was merely
the means to the highest good,which was pleasure
Features of Stoicism
? Unlike Epicureanism,which quickly froze
into a fixed dogma,Stoicism developed,
and became more complex,
comprehensive,and plausible,It forms a
system of interconnected doctrines
confirming and supporting each other,
Plato,Aristotle,and Epicurus never
managed as much; and the Stoics'
successors in the history of philosophy
have produced nothing more
comprehensive and systematic,
Stoa
Zeno,Logos and Quietism
? Zeno’s interest was primarily ethical--in the manner of Socrates,
whom he supposedly honored greatly in his teaching,He,like
Socrates,was quite confident of the powers of disciplined human
reason to secure both deep insight into the cosmos and happiness
in a person's own life,
? That confidence was clearly based on his belief in the supreme
existence of Divine Reason (the Logos),the ultimate reality behind
mere appearances,He taught that human mind could--and most
certainly should--attach itself to this Logos in pure devotion,
? He taught further that the only path to human happiness for a
person came through complete personal self-mastery,in particular
of the mind over the body,and especially as the mind was led to
contemplate the higher realities of the Logos,Zeno taught his
students to seek the ability to quiet the body's cravings so as to
become totally focused on this devotional union with the Logos,This
quieting of the body--and of the mind--furthermore was expected to
be possible (importantly so) in the face of particularly difficult
human circumstances,
? This "quietism" ultimately became the hallmark of the Stoic,
Different Images of Human Being
Greek Classic and Hellenistic Thoughts
Greek Classic Hellenistic
- Citizen - Member of Mankind
- Division of Human - Equal to one another
Being,freemen/ slaves
- Privileged Community - Universal Community
Hellenistic Empires
Natural Law and Two Orders
? Natural Law
That law which is common to all men is not the law of
any definite state,nor was it made and written by a
definite legislator,It is the law of eternal reason,which
man discovers in himself despite conventions,customs
and legal acts to which he is subjected by his
membership in a given political community,
? Double allegiance and two orders, as a member of
human being and a member of a state; the moral (and
reasonable) order and the political (and not necessarily
reasonable) one,
Turning to Inner Life
政治秩序固然并非总是反自然的,但它决非是令
人向往的。纷纷不已的党争,僭主的心血来潮,市
场及政治的自发力量,在在使人对政治产生恐惧、
不定及无助感 ;历史走着自己的路,似乎丝毫不受
人力的影响,人甚至连正在进行的过程是什么也浑
然不知。这就难怪斯多葛派及其他许多哲学家倾
向于对现存政治结构持一种疏离态度,退回内心世
界,专注于伦理的关怀。或是追求不为物役、不为
情牵,在世事无常的流转中咬定青山、自作主宰的
内圣境界 ;或是推广其众生平等之仁心于宇宙之内,
以实现, 四海之内皆兄弟, 的大同理想。
Reference and Question
? Reference
? 罗素：, 西方哲学史, （上），第 25,27,28章
? 苗力田主编：, 古希腊哲学,,斯多亚学派节,601-14页；伊壁鸠鲁
节,637-45页。
? Question
? How to evaluate the contributions by Stoicism to
Western social thoughts as a ethics on personal virtue
and salvation?
? Presentation
Empire and World Civilization,From Alexander to
Napoleon
Mediterranean Empire,Hellenic
Social Thoughts
Empire of Alexander the Great
Ethos of Hellenic Time
? 世界的导师, 亚历山大帝国使希腊文明遍及世界，
希腊民族实现了自己的文明任务，希腊人变成了
世界的导师；
? 理论与实践的分离, 希腊科学中有机融合在一起
的纯理论兴趣和实践兴趣在希腊化时代开始分道
扬镳，实践兴趣更形重要；
? 伦理学转向, 政治生活丧失了城邦时代的力量和
光荣，哲学转向为人生安顿和避难提供个人道德
学说，发生由古典希腊精神向晚期希腊的伦理学
的转折
Ethical transformation of Greek
Spirit,Stoicism and Epitureer
希腊生活的理想世界分崩离析，民族的宗
教淹没在日常生活的习俗中，被剥夺了独
立性的和破碎的政治生活不再唤起忠诚与
虔敬，孤立无助的心理随处弥漫，产生对
人生哲学和个人生活智慧的强烈渴求，处
世哲学成为哲学的基本的和核心的探求，
并试图对抗东方的宗教成为乱世中人的安
身立命的心智替代品。
Epicurus,Pursuit of Pleasure
? Epicurus,the founder of the philosophy that bears his
name,advocated the pursuit of pleasure,But in his
definition of pleasure he intended something that had
little in common with what we today so often identify as
pleasure,In keeping with the traditions of Greek
philosophy in early Hellenistic times,he understood
pleasure as attaining freedom from the pains and hurts
of life through the practice of virtuous living,However,
unlike Socrates,he did not feel that virtue was a good in
itself,worthy of devotion because of its superior
qualities,He never looked deeply into the question of
virtue's great,even divine,qualities,Rather he
recommended focusing on living a virtuous life because
it was able to produce pleasure--freedom from
pain,Virtue was not the highest good,It was merely
the means to the highest good,which was pleasure
Features of Stoicism
? Unlike Epicureanism,which quickly froze
into a fixed dogma,Stoicism developed,
and became more complex,
comprehensive,and plausible,It forms a
system of interconnected doctrines
confirming and supporting each other,
Plato,Aristotle,and Epicurus never
managed as much; and the Stoics'
successors in the history of philosophy
have produced nothing more
comprehensive and systematic,
Stoa
Zeno,Logos and Quietism
? Zeno’s interest was primarily ethical--in the manner of Socrates,
whom he supposedly honored greatly in his teaching,He,like
Socrates,was quite confident of the powers of disciplined human
reason to secure both deep insight into the cosmos and happiness
in a person's own life,
? That confidence was clearly based on his belief in the supreme
existence of Divine Reason (the Logos),the ultimate reality behind
mere appearances,He taught that human mind could--and most
certainly should--attach itself to this Logos in pure devotion,
? He taught further that the only path to human happiness for a
person came through complete personal self-mastery,in particular
of the mind over the body,and especially as the mind was led to
contemplate the higher realities of the Logos,Zeno taught his
students to seek the ability to quiet the body's cravings so as to
become totally focused on this devotional union with the Logos,This
quieting of the body--and of the mind--furthermore was expected to
be possible (importantly so) in the face of particularly difficult
human circumstances,
? This "quietism" ultimately became the hallmark of the Stoic,
Different Images of Human Being
Greek Classic and Hellenistic Thoughts
Greek Classic Hellenistic
- Citizen - Member of Mankind
- Division of Human - Equal to one another
Being,freemen/ slaves
- Privileged Community - Universal Community
Hellenistic Empires
Natural Law and Two Orders
? Natural Law
That law which is common to all men is not the law of
any definite state,nor was it made and written by a
definite legislator,It is the law of eternal reason,which
man discovers in himself despite conventions,customs
and legal acts to which he is subjected by his
membership in a given political community,
? Double allegiance and two orders, as a member of
human being and a member of a state; the moral (and
reasonable) order and the political (and not necessarily
reasonable) one,
Turning to Inner Life
政治秩序固然并非总是反自然的,但它决非是令
人向往的。纷纷不已的党争,僭主的心血来潮,市
场及政治的自发力量,在在使人对政治产生恐惧、
不定及无助感 ;历史走着自己的路,似乎丝毫不受
人力的影响,人甚至连正在进行的过程是什么也浑
然不知。这就难怪斯多葛派及其他许多哲学家倾
向于对现存政治结构持一种疏离态度,退回内心世
界,专注于伦理的关怀。或是追求不为物役、不为
情牵,在世事无常的流转中咬定青山、自作主宰的
内圣境界 ;或是推广其众生平等之仁心于宇宙之内,
以实现, 四海之内皆兄弟, 的大同理想。
Reference and Question
? Reference
? 罗素：, 西方哲学史, （上），第 25,27,28章
? 苗力田主编：, 古希腊哲学,,斯多亚学派节,601-14页；伊壁鸠鲁
节,637-45页。
? Question
? How to evaluate the contributions by Stoicism to
Western social thoughts as a ethics on personal virtue
and salvation?
? Presentation
Empire and World Civilization,From Alexander to
Napoleon
