64 - David Sedley on Stoicism
David Sedley of Cambridge University chats with Peter about the development of the Stoic school, from the early days to the imperial age.
• A.A. Long and D. Sedley, The Hellenistic Philosophers, 2 vols (Cambridge: 1987).
• D. Sedley, "Philosophical allegiance in the Greco-Roman world’ in M. Griffin, J. Barnes (eds), Philosophia Togata (Oxford: 1989), 97-119
• D. Sedley (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Greek and Roman Philosophy (Cambridge: 2003).
• D. Sedley, "The school: from Zeno to Arius Didymus," in B. Inwood (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to the Stoics (Cambridge: 2003), 7-34
• D. Sedley, "Stoic metaphysics at Rome, in R. Salles (ed.), Metaphysics, Soul and Ethics. Themes from the Work of Richard Sorabji (Oxford: 2005), 117-42.
• D. Sedley, Creationism and its Critics in Antiquity (Berkeley: 2007).
Episodes 52 - 76: Hellenistic
Comments
Analogy
Did you include the cyrenaics with the idea that you could draw the parallels of Stoics being a moderated long view of Cynics and Epicureans being a moderated long view of Cyrenaics? Do you agree that Cynics are to Stoics as Cyrenaics are to Epicureans?
Cyrenaics
Well, no, I wasn't really thinking that way. I included the Cyrenaics just because I try to include everything (no gaps!) and I would actually see them as being just as interesting a school in their own right, albeit not as successful and it is harder to reconstruct their doctrines. Having said that you are right that there is a closer connection between Cynicism and Stoicism then Cynicism and these other schools, as we see especially with the information about Zeno of Citium who was for all intents and purposes a kind of Cynic.
Rock & Roll
I love the Beatles, but they did not "kick off" rock & roll, though adding to it nicely. Rock & rock started in early 1950's when the Beatles were still in diapers. DKG
Beatles
Did one of us say that during the interview? If it was me, then maxima mea culpa - the Beatles were cultural appropriators of the most extravagant variety, and didn't even pay due reverence to the African American musicians they stole from like the Rolling Stones did. To be honest I don't really like the Beatles, in part for this reason, though I concede they were songwriting geniuses.
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