The Stoic Origin of Natural Rights

Mitsis, Phillip

doi:10.5840/philinquiry2006281/220

Cited by 5 publications

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“…Although Locke's Christian credentials are often noted, his interest in Stoicism is underappreciated. Nevertheless, there is a small literature on Locke's interest in Stoicism, including studies of Stoic influence generally on Locke (Brooke, 2012;Nuovo, 2008Nuovo, , 2011, of Cicero specifically (Mitsis, 1999(Mitsis, , 2003, and of Stoic prefigurations of Locke's theory of property ownership (Long, 1997), property in the person (Mitsis, 1999;Tierney, 2006) and natural law (Nuovo, 2008). However, in none of these is the argument prosecuted in the manner attempted here.…”

Section: What Makes Us Think the Stoics Influenced Locke?mentioning

confidence: 91%

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The influence of classical Stoicism on John Locke’s theory of self-ownership

Hill

Nidumolu

2020

History of the Human Sciences

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The most important parent of the idea of property in the person (self-ownership) is undoubtedly John Locke. In this article, we argue that the origins of this idea can be traced back as far as the third century BCE, to classical Stoicism. Stoic cosmopolitanism, with its insistence on impartiality and the moral equality of all persons, lays the foundation for the idea of self-ownership, which is then given support in the doctrine of oikeiosis and the corresponding belief that nature had made all human beings equal, self-preserving, and self-regarding. On the Stoic account, self-ownership (or our preferred term self-guardianship) is a natural correlate and consequence of oikeiosis, the natural urge to self-preservation, proprioception, and the individuation that came with it. In recognising that people are separate and individual, and entrusting each individual’s welfare to herself, Zeus appears to make everyone a ‘self-guardian’. We uniquely argue that Locke was directly inspired by these Stoic ideas, which he then develops and incorporates into his own theory.

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Section: What Makes Us Think the Stoics Influenced Locke?mentioning

confidence: 91%

“…The Stoic insistence that people are their own best guardians is a foreshadowing of the principle of self-ownership upon which much modern rights talk depends (see for example, Mitsis, 1999). More importantly, it lays the foundation for Locke's particular rendering of the idea.…”

Section: Stoic Conceptual Resources For a Lockean Theory Of Self-ownershipmentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of classical Stoicism on John Locke’s theory of self-ownership

Hill

Nidumolu

2020

History of the Human Sciences

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“…36 Zeno's political thought, and that of the later Stoa: Schofield (1991). For contrasting views on whether ancient Stoics had a true conception of human rights, see Mitsis (1999;yes); Cooper (1999, 427-48;no). Because I suppose that human dignity is something more than a contingent social construct, here and elsewhere I use "recognition" deliberately-as opposed to "form a belief about"; see Cohen (1997, 128-30) on the distinction.…”

Section: Dignity and Democracy In Classical Greece: Case Studymentioning

confidence: 96%

Democracy's Dignity

Ober

2012

Am Polit Sci Rev

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D ignity, as equal high standing characterized by nonhumiliation and noninfantilization, is democracy's third core value. Along with liberty and equality, it is a necessary condition for collective self-governance. Dignity enables robust exercise of liberty and equality while resisting both neglectful libertarianism and paternalistic egalitarianism. The civic dignity required for democracy is specified through a taxonomy of incompletely and fully moralized forms of dignity. Distinctive features of different regimes of dignity are modeled by simple games and illustrated by historical case studies. Unlike traditional meritocracy and universal human dignity, a civic dignity regime is theoretically stable in a population of self-interested social agents. It is real-world stable because citizens are predictably well motivated to defend those threatened with indignity and because they have resources for effective collective action against threats to dignity. Meritocracy and civic dignity are not inherently liberal, but may persist within a liberal democracy committed to universal human dignity.

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“…Leibniz also mentions a few specific criticisms, so it is clear that he did read at least parts of the work. 30 For helpful discussions of the influence of Stoic ethics on the Roman legal system, see Honoré (2010) and Mitsis (1999). Stoicism is also a likely influence on Leibniz's understanding of natural law, in addition to the writings of later natural law theorists.…”

Section: Layer 1: Slavery As Against the Nature Of Thingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Leibniz on Slavery and the Ownership of Human Beings

Joráti

2019

Journal of Modern Philosophy

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Leibniz puts forward an intriguing argument against the moral permissibility of chattel slavery in a text from 1703. This argument has three independent layers or sub-arguments. The first is that slavery violates natural rights. The second is that moral laws such as the principles of equity and piety oppose slavery, or at least severely limit the permissible actions toward slaves. The third and final layer is that slavery can at most be justified if the slave is permanently incapable of conducting herself well. Yet, it is very doubtful that any actual human beings satisfy that description. This paper analyzes and evaluates Leibniz's argument, which scholars have so far largely neglected. Even though some elements of the argument are not original to Leibniz, it is of considerable importance for the scholarship of early modern philosophy: it sheds light on Leibniz's views not only on the moral status of slavery itself, but also on moral rights and obligations more generally.

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The Stoic Origin of Natural Rights

Cited by 5 publications

References 0 publications

The influence of classical Stoicism on John Locke’s theory of self-ownership

The influence of classical Stoicism on John Locke’s theory of self-ownership

Democracy's Dignity

Leibniz on Slavery and the Ownership of Human Beings

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