Stoic Ethics and Oikeiosis:
- Stoicism centers around justice, self-interest, and concern for others through the concept of oikeiosis. This idea involves appropriating what benefits oneself while also considering the interests of others.
- The Stoics believed in grounding ethical systems in justice, starting with self-interest and expanding to include concerns for others. Chrysippus highlighted that parental love is implanted by nature and serves as a cornerstone of justice.
- Ethical development according to Stoicism progresses from valuing self-preservation to promoting what benefits others, culminating in navigating the interests and concerns of others.
Ethical Development According to Stoicism:
- Humans are born with an innate capability to form ethical preconceptions but must work on developing them over time. Reason guides ethical behavior by overriding impulse, ensuring harmony between individual nature and universal nature.
- As individuals grow, they learn to balance self-concern with concern for others, moving towards more fully ethical behavior. This progression involves understanding what is choice-worthy based on reason and experience.
Stoic Circles of Concern:
- Hercules' Circles illustrate how individuals should draw wider circles toward themselves, treating family as oneself and extending care to friends, neighbors, citizens, and even foreigners. This concept encourages expanding empathy beyond immediate relationships.
- The goal is social harmony beginning at the household level and expanding outward to encompass all relationships within society. Hercules emphasized bringing strangers closer through oikeiosis while maintaining strong bonds with family members.
The Role of Justice in Stoicism:
- Justice is seen as knowledge about apportioning each person what is due according to Arius Didymus during the rise of Emperor Augustus. It involves understanding fairness and proper distribution based on natural inclinations.
- Ethical teaching aims at achieving social harmony by focusing on marriage, family life, household management, citizenship duties, and widening circles of concern towards others. This approach highlights the importance of balancing personal needs with societal responsibilities.
Implications of Oikeiosis in Modern Society:
- The Stoic philosophy encourages individuals to balance self-interest with concern for others in order to promote social cohesion and interconnectedness. By applying principles like Hercules' Circles in modern society, stronger community relationships can be fostered by extending care beyond immediate circles to embrace a wider sense of kinship among all individuals.