Stoic Ethics and the Decline of the Political

Abstract

This article examines the status of passions and emotions in Stoic philosophy, highlighting its Platonic roots and its functional transformations following the decline of political life in the Hellenistic era. The research aims to demonstrate how philosophy evolved into a spiritual exercise and psychological therapy centered on the concepts of "practicing for death" and "cosmopolitanism". It further analyzes the conceptual intersection between philosophy and medicine by tracing the evolution of the term pathos, leading to the pivotal role of the "guide" in achieving moral autonomy. Through a critical lens, the study contrasts this traditional Stoic perspective with the radical modern thought of Spinoza and Du Marsais, emphasizing the divergence between the Stoic "exclusion" of passions and the modern "utilization" of them. The research concludes that while the roles of philosophy shifted from the politics of the city to the therapy of the soul and ultimately to radical liberation, it remained a conscious and persistent effort to manage the ambiguous relationship between reason and emotion.