Stoicism as Dogmatikos Philosophy

Is Stoicism a dogmatikos philosophy?

Claude:

Yes, absolutely - and recognizing this is crucial for understanding what Sterling's six commitments actually are.

Stoicism as Dogmatikos Philosophy

In ancient philosophical taxonomy, there were three basic orientations:

Dogmatikoi (δογματικοί) - philosophers who held positive doctrines (dogmata) about reality, knowledge, and value. This included:

• Platonists
• Aristotelians
• Epicureans
• Stoics

Skeptikoi (σκεπτικοί) - skeptics who suspended judgment (epochē) on all non-evident matters

Empirikoi (ἐμπειρικοί) - empiricists (mainly medical) who relied on experience without theoretical commitments

"Dogmatic" here doesn't mean "closed-minded" in the modern pejorative sense. It means "having positive teachings that are held as true" - doctrines affirmed rather than questioned indefinitely.

Why Stoicism Is Dogmatic

They claim knowledge is possible:

• Through kataleptic impressions (φαντασία καταληπτική)
• These are cognitive impressions that compel assent because they clearly correspond to reality
• Against the Academic Skeptics, Stoics maintain we CAN achieve certainty about truth

They teach positive doctrines (dogmata):

• Physics: cosmic logos, providence, conflagration cycles
• Logic: kataleptic impressions, syllogistic reasoning, truth-values
• Ethics: virtue is the only good, live according to nature, the sage ideal
• The six commitments are dogmata in precisely this sense

They have foundational principles (archai):

• Self-evident starting points that need no further justification
• Common notions (koinai ennoiai) shared by all rational beings
• Basic preconceptions (prolēpseis) that serve as foundations
• This is foundationalism as dogmatic epistemology

The Stoic-Skeptic Debate

The fundamental divide between Stoics and Academic Skeptics:

Skeptics said:

• Suspend judgment on all non-evident matters
• No impression is kataleptic (clearly true)
• Epochē (suspension) leads to ataraxia (tranquility)
• Live by appearances without affirming them as true

Stoics responded:

• Some impressions ARE kataleptic - self-evidently true
• These impressions compel assent from the rational person
• We SHOULD affirm what we clearly know
• Suspending judgment on the knowable is irrational

Epictetus as Dogmatic Philosopher

When Epictetus says "test your impressions" (Discourses 3.12.15), he doesn't mean "suspend judgment indefinitely." He means:

Assent to kataleptic impressions - what is clearly grasped as true:

• "Only virtue is good" - AFFIRM this as known truth
• "Externals are indifferent" - AFFIRM this as dogma
• "I control my prohairesis alone" - AFFIRM this foundational principle

Suspend only non-kataleptic impressions - what isn't clearly known:

• "That noise was a burglar" - unclear, suspend until investigated
• "Exile will make me miserable" - appearance, not kataleptic truth

Never suspend judgment on basic moral truths:

• Foundational dogmata are self-evident
• Suspending them is intellectual vice, not virtue
• The trained philosopher KNOWS these truths and affirms them

The entire training program presupposes dogmatic epistemology: truth can be known, and when known, should be firmly held.

Why This Matters for Sterling's Framework

The six commitments are dogmata - positive philosophical doctrines held as true:

1. Substance Dualism - dogma about metaphysical structure
2. Libertarian Freedom - dogma about agency
3. Ethical Intuitionism - dogma about moral epistemology
4. Foundationalism - dogma about justificatory structure
5. Correspondence Theory - dogma about truth
6. Moral Realism - dogma about objective value

These aren't:

• Therapeutic suggestions to try if they help
• Pragmatic tools for psychological comfort
• Hypotheses held tentatively pending evidence
• Cultural constructions we choose to adopt

They are philosophical truths affirmed as known - exactly what dogmata means in the ancient sense.

The Modern Confusion

Modern Stoicism often adopts a skeptical or pragmatic stance:

• "Try these practices and see if they work for you"
• "These are just mental models, not claims about reality"
• "Don't worry about the metaphysics, focus on what helps"

This is anti-dogmatic in precisely the way ancient Stoicism was not.

Epictetus would respond:

• "Virtue IS the only good - not 'might be for you'"
• "Prohairesis IS metaphysically distinct - not 'a useful way to think about it'"
• "You CAN know these truths - not 'these are working hypotheses'"

Sterling's Hard Line

Sterling's insistence on the six commitments is dogmatic philosophy in the proper sense:

These are truths, not tools:

• You can't "try out" substance dualism to see if it helps
• Libertarian freedom isn't a "perspective" to adopt
• Moral realism isn't "true for you"

Knowledge is possible:

• Through ethical intuitionism, we directly grasp moral truths
• Through foundationalism, we recognize self-evident principles
• Through correspondence, our judgments match reality

Teaching requires affirmation:

• You can't train someone to virtue while suspending judgment on whether virtue is objectively good
• You can't correct errors while denying objective truth
• You can't demand improvement while maintaining relativism

The therapeutic function REQUIRES dogmatic epistemology. The doctor must know what health is, not merely have opinions about it.

The Answer

Yes, Stoicism is dogmatikos philosophy - and must be for the system to function. The six commitments are the core dogmata that Epictetus teaches, affirms as known truths, and uses as foundations for all practical guidance.

Any attempt to make Stoicism non-dogmatic (skeptical, pragmatic, relativistic) destroys its coherence. Sterling's "hard line" is simply recognizing what ancient Stoicism always was: a systematic philosophy making truth-claims about reality, knowledge, and value - claims it holds can be known and should be affirmed.

The dogmata aren't the problem. They're the solution. They're what make rational agency and moral progress possible.