Philosophic Pride: Stoicism and Political Thought from Lipsius to Rousseau

by Christopher Brooke

Philosophic Pride is the first full-scale look at the essential place of Stoicism in the foundations of modern political thought. Spanning the period from Justus Lipsius's Politics in 1589 to Jean-Jacques Rousseau's Emile in 1762, and concentrating on arguments originating from England, France, and the Netherlands, the book considers how political writers of the period engaged with the ideas of the Roman and Greek Stoics that they found in works by Cicero, Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius. Christopher Brooke examines key texts in their historical context, paying special attention to the history of classical scholarship and the historiography of philosophy.

Brooke delves into the persisting tension between Stoicism and the tradition of Augustinian anti-Stoic criticism, which held Stoicism to be a philosophy for the proud who denied their fallen condition. Concentrating on arguments in moral psychology surrounding the foundations of human sociability and self-love, Philosophic Pride details how the engagement with Roman Stoicism shaped early modern political philosophy and offers significant new interpretations of Lipsius and Rousseau together with fresh perspectives on the political thought of Hugo Grotius and Thomas Hobbes.

Philosophic Pride shows how the legacy of the Stoics played a vital role in European intellectual life in the early modern era.

Genres: Philosophy, History

304 pages, Hardcover

First published April 8, 2012

About the author

For the medieval historian, see Christopher Nugent Lawrence Brooke.

Reviews

[Ericka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Real review tba. This is a great book as a standalone or for those interested the larger understanding of the role of Hellenistic philosophy in Early Modern Philosophy, or for anyone interested in early modern political theory or post-Reformation political thought. Brooke is able to bring to life what might otherwise be seen as somewhat technical debates about the role of stoicism, sociability, etc. among figures most of the reading public is barely familiar with -- Lipsius, Grotius, etc. Really a must read. An excellent companion to the works of Tuck, Skinner, Pocock and Tully.