Introduction. The Study of Stoicism: Its Decline and Revival

Abstract

Abstract This book was first published in 1974. As I remarked in the original preface, Hellenistic philosophy seemed then to need not only a general appraisal but a substantial rehabilitation. Though well looked after by a few devoted specialists, this period of Greek philosophy, broadly speaking, was depreciated and neglected by comparison with the enormous interest taken in Plato, Aristotle and their predecessors. A decade later, the fortunes of Hellenistic philosophy have changed dramatically ... The old prejudices seem to have been removed once and for all. New vistas have appeared, and it is already evident that they are altering the perspectives of ancient philosophy and stimulating philosophers in general.It is often remarked that Hellenistic philosophy has come to the centre of discussions on ancient philosophy only in our century, and especially since the last war. Since then, recovering the philosophical doctrines of the Stoics, the Epicureans, and the Sceptics has been an ongoing process, which was initiated by scholars who are still among us and who continue to contribute to our better understanding of the Hellenistic theories. However, no attempt has been made either to explain the reasons which led to this renewal of interest in Hellenistic philosophy, or to specify the factors which had previously marginalized its study in the history of ancient philosophy.