The Stoic Doctrine of Providence: A Study of Its Development and of Some of Its Major Issues

The Stoic Doctrine of Providence attempts to reconstruct the Stoic doctrine of providence (as argued for in ancient texts now lost) and explain its many fascinating philosophical issues.

Examining issues such as the compatibility between good and evil, and how a provident god can serve as model of political leadership, this is the first monograph of its kind to focus on the question of Stoic providence. It offers an in-depth study of the meaning and importance of this topic in eight distinct generations of Stoics, from Zeno of Citium (fourth century B.C.) to Panaetius of Rhodes (second century B.C.) to Marcus Aurelius (second century A.D.).

The Stoic Doctrine of Providence is key reading for anyone interested in Ancient Stoicism or the study of divine providence in a philosophical setting.

Bernard Collette is Associate Professor of Ancient Philosophy at Laval University, Quebec, Canada. He is the co-editor of L’esprit critique dans l’Antiquité I. Critique et licence dans l’Antiquité (2019), and the author of books and articles on Neoplatonism and Stoicism. He is editor at the Laval théologique et philosophique.