Ideas of Chrysippus, by Theme

[Greek, 280 - 207 BCE, Born at Soli in Cilicia. A pupil of Arcesilaus. Head of the Stoic school in Athens.]

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1. Philosophy / A. Wisdom / 1. Nature of Wisdom
9199 Wisdom for one instant is as good as wisdom for eternity
1. Philosophy / A. Wisdom / 2. Wise People
20853 Wise men should try to participate in politics, since they are a good influence [Diog. Laertius]
1. Philosophy / D. Nature of Philosophy / 4. Divisions of Philosophy
20772 Three branches of philosophy: first logic, second ethics, third physics (which ends with theology)
2. Reason / B. Laws of Thought / 2. Sufficient Reason
5969 Chrysippus said the uncaused is non-existent [Plutarch]
3. Truth / B. Truthmakers / 10. Making Future Truths
21388 The causes of future true events must exist now, so they will happen because of destiny [Cicero]
3. Truth / C. Correspondence Truth / 2. Correspondence to Facts
20780 Graspable presentations are criteria of facts, and are molded according to their objects [Diog. Laertius]
3. Truth / C. Correspondence Truth / 3. Correspondence Truth critique
20793 How could you ever know that the presentation is similar to the object? [Sext.Empiricus]
4. Formal Logic / B. Propositional Logic PL / 1. Propositional Logic
8077 Stoic propositional logic is like chemistry - how atoms make molecules, not the innards of atoms [Devlin]
4. Formal Logic / B. Propositional Logic PL / 2. Tools of Propositional Logic / e. Axioms of PL
20791 Chrysippus has five obvious 'indemonstrables' of reasoning [Diog. Laertius]
5. Theory of Logic / B. Logical Consequence / 5. Modus Ponens
8078 Modus ponens is one of five inference rules identified by the Stoics [Devlin]
5. Theory of Logic / D. Assumptions for Logic / 2. Excluded Middle
6023 Every proposition is either true or false [Cicero]
7. Existence / A. Nature of Existence / 6. Criterion for Existence
5992 Chrysippus says action is the criterion for existence, which must be physical [Tieleman]
7. Existence / D. Theories of Reality / 7. Facts / b. Types of fact
21673 There are simple and complex facts; the latter depend on further facts [Cicero]
7. Existence / E. Categories / 3. Proposed Categories
16652 Stoics categories are Substrate, Quality, Disposition, and Relation [Pasnau]
9. Objects / B. Unity of Objects / 3. Unity Problems / b. Cat and its tail
16058 Dion and Theon coexist, but Theon lacks a foot. If Dion loses a foot, he ousts Theon? [Philo of Alexandria]
9. Objects / E. Objects over Time / 2. Objects that Change
16059 Change of matter doesn't destroy identity - in Dion and Theon change is a condition of identity [Long/Sedley]
15. Nature of Minds / A. Nature of Mind / 7. Animal Minds
1875 Dogs show reason in decisions made by elimination [Sext.Empiricus]
16. Persons / F. Free Will / 4. For Free Will
20834 Chrysippus allows evil to say it is fated, or even that it is rational and natural [Plutarch]
16. Persons / F. Free Will / 5. Against Free Will
20833 A swerve in the atoms would be unnatural, like scales settling differently for no reason [Plutarch]
16. Persons / F. Free Will / 6. Determinism / a. Determinism
20808 Everything is fated, either by continuous causes or by a supreme rational principle [Diog. Laertius]
20835 Chrysippus is wrong to believe in non-occurring future possibilities if he is a fatalist [Plutarch]
16. Persons / F. Free Will / 6. Determinism / b. Fate
20837 Fate is an eternal and fixed chain of causal events
20836 The Lazy Argument responds to fate with 'why bother?', but the bothering is also fated [Cicero]
21679 When we say events are fated by antecedent causes, do we mean principal or auxiliary causes?
16. Persons / F. Free Will / 7. Compatibilism
5971 Destiny is only a predisposing cause, not a sufficient cause [Plutarch]
19. Language / D. Propositions / 1. Propositions
20787 A proposition is what can be asserted or denied on its own
20. Action / B. Preliminaries of Action / 2. Willed Action / d. Weakness of will
20850 Passions are judgements; greed thinks money is honorable, and likewise drinking and lust [Diog. Laertius]
20. Action / C. Motives for Action / 5. Action Dilemmas / c. Omissions
20869 The highest degree of morality performs all that is appropriate, omitting nothing
21. Aesthetics / C. Artistic Issues / 7. Art and Morality
3044 Stoics say that beauty and goodness are equivalent and linked [Diog. Laertius]
22. Metaethics / A. Value / 1. Nature of Value / f. Ultimate value
20864 Live in agreement, according to experience of natural events
22. Metaethics / B. The Good / 1. Goodness / d. Good as virtue
5972 Living happily is nothing but living virtuously [Plutarch]
22. Metaethics / B. The Good / 1. Goodness / f. Good as pleasure
1777 Pleasure is not the good, because there are disgraceful pleasures [Diog. Laertius]
5973 Justice can be preserved if pleasure is a good, but not if it is the goal [Plutarch]
22. Metaethics / B. The Good / 3. Pleasure / c. Value of pleasure
20845 There are shameful pleasures, and nothing shameful is good, so pleasure is not a good [Diog. Laertius]
22. Metaethics / C. Ethics Foundations / 1. Nature of Ethics / g. Moral responsibility
20838 Fate initiates general causes, but individual wills and characters dictate what we do
22. Metaethics / C. Ethics Foundations / 2. Source of Ethics / e. Human nature
20813 Human purpose is to contemplate and imitate the cosmos
22. Metaethics / C. Ethics Foundations / 2. Source of Ethics / j. Ethics by convention
3045 Stoics say justice is a part of nature, not just an invented principle [Diog. Laertius]
22. Metaethics / C. Ethics Foundations / 2. Source of Ethics / k. Ethics from nature
20774 Only nature is available to guide action and virtue
23. Ethics / A. Egoism / 2. Hedonism
5967 People need nothing except corn and water [Plutarch]
23. Ethics / C. Virtue Theory / 1. Virtue Theory / a. Nature of virtue
5966 All virtue is good, but not always praised (as in not lusting after someone ugly)
23. Ethics / C. Virtue Theory / 1. Virtue Theory / b. Basis of virtue
20855 Chrysippus says virtue can be lost (though Cleanthes says it is too secure for that) [Diog. Laertius]
5970 Chrysippus says nothing is blameworthy, as everything conforms with the best nature [Plutarch]
24. Political Theory / A. Basis of a State / 1. A People / b. The natural life
20842 Rational animals begin uncorrupted, but externals and companions are bad influences [Diog. Laertius]
25. Social Practice / D. Justice / 2. The Law / c. Natural law
20856 Justice, the law, and right reason are natural and not conventional [Diog. Laertius]
25. Social Practice / F. Life Issues / 6. Animal Rights
1779 We don't have obligations to animals as they aren't like us [Diog. Laertius]
20857 Justice is irrelevant to animals, because they are too unlike us [Diog. Laertius]
26. Natural Theory / A. Speculations on Nature / 2. Natural Purpose / a. Final purpose
20812 Covers are for shields, and sheaths for swords; likewise, all in the cosmos is for some other thing
26. Natural Theory / A. Speculations on Nature / 6. Early Matter Theories / f. Ancient elements
21403 The later Stoics identified the logos with an air-fire compound, called 'pneuma' [Long]
20828 Fire is a separate element, not formed with others (as was previously believed) [Stobaeus]
5975 Stoics say earth, air, fire and water are the primary elements [Plutarch]
27. Natural Reality / D. Time / 1. Nature of Time / h. Presentism
20819 The past and the future subsist, but only the present exists [Plutarch]
27. Natural Reality / D. Time / 3. Parts of Time / e. Present moment
20818 The present does not exist, so our immediate experience is actually part past and part future [Plutarch]
20821 Time is continous and infinitely divisible, so there cannot be a wholly present time [Stobaeus]
28. God / A. Divine Nature / 3. Divine Perfections
3048 Stoics say that God the creator is the perfection of all animals [Diog. Laertius]
28. God / A. Divine Nature / 6. Divine Morality / a. Divine morality
20773 The origin of justice can only be in Zeus, and in nature
28. God / A. Divine Nature / 6. Divine Morality / d. God decrees morality
5965 The source of all justice is Zeus and the universal nature
3042 Stoics teach that law is identical with right reason, which is the will of Zeus [Diog. Laertius]
29. Religion / B. Monotheistic Religion / 1. Monotheistic Religion
1782 Stoics teach that God is a unity, variously known as Mind, or Fate, or Jupiter [Diog. Laertius]
29. Religion / D. Religious Issues / 2. Immortality / b. Soul
20830 Death can't separate soul from body, because incorporeal soul can't unite with body
29. Religion / D. Religious Issues / 3. Problem of Evil / d. Natural Evil
21404 There is a rationale in terrible disasters; they are useful to the whole, and make good possible