Stoicism unbound: Cicero’s Academica in Toland’s Pantheisticon

Auteur: Leask, Ian
Titre: Stoicism unbound: Cicero’s Academica in Toland’s Pantheisticon
Revue/Collection: "British Journal for the History of Philosophy", 3.10.16
Annèe edition: 2016
Mots-clès: Héritage - Fortuna - Legacy, Philosophie - Filosofia - Philosophy
Description: This article shows how and why John Toland’s Pantheisticon (1720) presents a version of Stoicism that locates Stoic ethics in terms of its ‘original’, naturalistic, foundation and devoid of any reconciliation with Christianity. As the article demonstrates, Toland’s account – based on Cicero’s Academica – stands opposed to the Christianized version of Stoicism that had dominated so much seventeenth-century discourse: in effect, Toland restores the materialism that was incompatible with neo-Stoicism. Furthermore, the article also suggests that this ‘restoration’ can be taken as a Spinozistic statement: Toland’s ‘application’ of Cicero celebrates what the first critics of neo-Stoicism had deemed dangerously close to Spinozism and so a threat to established piety [Author].
Oeuvres:
Sigle auteur: Leask 2016