Abstract
The Stoic theory of movement has never been the object of a deep investigation despite the considerable number of sources in Neoplatonist commentators. This paper explores for the first time the Stoic notion of ἐνέργεια, which plays a fundamental role in the Stoic conception of movement and generally in the characterization of interaction between bodies. I will show that the Stoics identified movement and activity, so that everything that is active is necessarily moved. This implies that the Stoics merely characterized ἐνέργεια in a dynamic or kinetic sense, namely by connecting it with movement. In order to prove the coherence of this philosophical position to the Stoic doctrine, I will display the compatibility of Neoplatonists’ reports with other sources. Accordingly, I will claim that the Stoics conceived this peculiar sense of ἐνέργεια in reaction to Aristotle, who clearly distinguished between ἐνέργεια and κίνησις in his physical theory.
Acknowledgments
I am very grateful to the two anonymous readers for their helpful comments, which significantly enhanced the final version of this paper. To Barbara Castellani, my first reader and esteemed colleague, I extend my gratitude and friendship.
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Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Research Articles
- Surveying the Types of Tables in Ancient Greek Texts
- Something New Under the Sun in Anaximenes’ Astronomy?
- Aristotle and the Stoics on the Notion of ἐνέργεια
- The Social Contract in Epicureanism
- The Stoic Theory of Case
- The Many Do Not Recollect: The Nature and Scope of Recollection in Plato’s Phaedrus
- Aristotle on Materiate Paronymy: Concerning an Apparent Inconsistency in Aristotle’s Metaphysics
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Research Articles
- Surveying the Types of Tables in Ancient Greek Texts
- Something New Under the Sun in Anaximenes’ Astronomy?
- Aristotle and the Stoics on the Notion of ἐνέργεια
- The Social Contract in Epicureanism
- The Stoic Theory of Case
- The Many Do Not Recollect: The Nature and Scope of Recollection in Plato’s Phaedrus
- Aristotle on Materiate Paronymy: Concerning an Apparent Inconsistency in Aristotle’s Metaphysics