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The stoics reached their peak during the Roman era. Some say that the influenced the early Christians. One thing is for sure, though; they played an important role in the Roman Empire. To start off, let's first discuss their viewpoint on God since it is an integral part of this ethical system. They believe that there is one reality which is God, also called divine nature. This makes all things rational and reasonable since God is always rational. Because of this, everything is the way it should and ought to be. All things occur because they are rational. We don't see this, though, because of our small, limited viewpoint of the universe. Since reality is essentially God, this means there is no free will. What it does mean is that we have control over our attitudes of the universe. This is where ethics, for them, comes in. One of the views held by stoics that made them help the Roman Empire was their view that since everything is rational, you should do what you are meant to do. We all have a purpose, whether it to be a slave or to be an emperor. This purpose must be met and performed, regardless of your wants. Egos tend to get into the way and that is why we sometimes do not realize this. We are also all endowed with reason, which demands respect. One argument about stoicism stems from their belief that we all have a divine spark; a part of God in us all if you will. What this means, though, is that slaves also have this spark. Now, would you ever enslave God? Most people would say no. What must be realized, though, was that during the Roman Empire slavery was not looked down upon like it was in the United States. But still, the stoics would say that slavery is okay, even though this means a part of God is a slave. |