An Epicurean Argument in Cicero, De Fato XVII-40

The Stoics on Determinism and Compatibilism

“…The opponent of Stoicism in Cicero, De fato 40 holds reasonably enough that praise and blame are not justified if the causes of our actions are not internal to us. (Salles agrees with Pamela Huby [1970] that this opponent is Epicurus.) Chrysippus replies with an analogy: just as a cylinder rolls not only because it is pushed but also, and more importantly, because it is of the right shape to roll, so an action may have an external cause and yet have its principal cause in the character of the agent.…”

Determinism, Fatalism, and Freedom in Stoic Philosophy

“…One possibility, fi rst envisaged by Pamela Huby, and with whom I side, is that it was Epicurus, the Atomist philosopher of the early third century BC and a contemporary of the Stoic Zeno (Huby 1975 ). The objection is specifi cally aimed at the Stoics as it is based on analysis and a certain interpretation of the Stoic theory of action: if actions are produced in the way envisaged by Stoic action theory, the objection maintains, the Stoics are forced to admit that our actions are in fact fully determined by external factors alone.…”