Stoic Pantheism

Dirk Baltzly
School of Philosophy and Bioethics
Monash University
Clayton, Victoria, Australia
dirk.baltzly@arts.monash.edu.au

This essay argues the Stoics are rightly regarded as pantheists. Their view differs from many forms of pantheism by accepting the notion of a personal god who exercises divine providence. Moreover, Stoic pantheism is utterly inimical to a deep ecology ethic. I argue that these features are nonetheless consistent with the claim that they are pantheists. The essay also considers the arguments offered by the Stoics. They thought that their pantheistic conclusion was an extension of the best science of their day. Some of their most interesting arguments are thus a posteriori.