HOW THE SIX COMMITMENTS OPERATE OUTSIDE OF STOICISM

This is an excellent question that reveals something crucial: the six commitments aren't "Stoic" commitments - they're classical philosophical commitments that enable multiple ancient ethical systems, not just Stoicism.

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THE KEY INSIGHT

The six commitments are the metaphysical infrastructure of ancient philosophy generally. They make possible:

• Stoicism
• Platonism
• Aristotelianism
• Epicureanism (partially - they reject some)
• Classical virtue ethics broadly

They're the shared operating system of ancient philosophy, not proprietary Stoic software.

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1. IN PLATONISM

How the Six Commitments Operate:

Dualism (even stronger):

• Not just mind/body distinction
• World of Forms vs. Material world
• Soul can exist independently of body (immortality)
• Enables: Soul's recollection of Forms, ascent to intelligible realm

Libertarian Freedom:

• Soul chooses which realm to orient toward (Forms or material)
• Can choose philosophy (turn toward Forms) or remain in cave
• Enables: Moral responsibility, education as "turning the soul"

Correspondence:

• True judgments correspond to Forms (ultimate reality)
• False judgments fail to grasp Forms
• Enables: Knowledge vs. opinion distinction, dialectic

Moral Realism:

• Form of the Good exists objectively
• Justice, Courage, Temperance are real Forms
• Enables: Philosopher-kings can know objective good, moral education possible

Foundationalism:

• Forms are unhypothetical first principles
• Dialectic ascends to Form of the Good (ultimate foundation)
• Enables: Knowledge (epistēmē) vs. mere belief (doxa)

Intuitionism:

• Direct intellectual vision (noēsis) of Forms
• Soul "recollects" what it knew before embodiment
• Enables: Recognition of justice itself (not just instances), philosophical insight

Result: Platonic ethics (return to Forms, escape material world, philosopher-king) is impossible without these six.

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2. IN ARISTOTELIANISM

How the Six Commitments Operate:

Dualism (modified):

• Not substance dualism (soul = form of body)
• But: Rational soul distinct from material processes
• Enables: Contemplation (theōria) as highest activity, nous as divine element

Libertarian Freedom:

• Deliberation (bouleusis) requires real alternatives
• Can choose virtue or vice (up to us - eph' hēmin)
• Enables: Moral responsibility, virtue as choice, habituation works

Correspondence:

• Truth = saying of what is that it is (Metaphysics)
• Practical wisdom (phronēsis) grasps what is truly good
• Enables: Prudential judgment, mean relative to circumstances

Moral Realism:

• Virtues are objective excellences (aretai)
• Human function (ergon) determines good objectively
• Enables: Eudaimonia as objective flourishing, natural teleology

Foundationalism:

• First principles (archai) known by nous
• Practical wisdom grasps ends (not just means)
• Enables: Science (demonstration from first principles), ethics has foundations

Intuitionism:

• Nous grasps first principles immediately
• Phronēsis perceives the particular (this is courageous act)
• Enables: Moral perception, practical wisdom, recognition of mean

Result: Aristotelian virtue ethics (habituation to eudaimonia through phronēsis) is impossible without these six.

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3. IN EPICUREANISM (Partial Acceptance)

Which Commitments Epicureans Accept:

Correspondence (YES):

• Truth corresponds to reality (atomic theory is true)
• Senses reliably report facts
• Enables: Natural philosophy, atomism

Foundationalism (YES):

• Basic beliefs (prolēpseis) terminate regress
• Sensation = criterion of truth
• Enables: Knowledge without infinite regress

Moral Realism (MODIFIED):

• Pleasure objectively good (but subjective in content)
• Pain objectively bad
• Enables: Hedonism as objective standard (though content varies)

Which Commitments Epicureans Reject:

Dualism (REJECT):

• Soul is material (composed of atoms)
• Mind = body (physicalism)
• Dies with body

Libertarian Freedom (REJECT):

• Swerve (clinamen) introduces randomness, not libertarian choice
• Actions follow from atomic motions + random swerves
• Compatibilist or determinist (debated)

Intuitionism (REJECT):

• All knowledge from sensation (empiricism)
• No a priori moral knowledge
• Must derive everything from observation

Result: Epicurean ethics (ataraxia through pleasure, materialism, withdrawal) works differently - succeeds in some areas (correspondence, foundation), fails in others (can't ground responsibility without freedom, can't escape determinism).

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4. IN CLASSICAL VIRTUE ETHICS GENERALLY

The Shared Infrastructure:

All classical virtue ethics traditions (Stoic, Platonic, Aristotelian, even Cynic) share:

The Package:

1. Dualism → Rational soul distinct from body/world
2. Libertarian Freedom → Virtue = choice (not determined)
3. Correspondence → Can know what's truly good (not just opinion)
4. Moral Realism → Virtues are objective excellences
5. Foundationalism → Virtue = foundational good (terminates "why be virtuous?")
6. Intuitionism → Wise person recognizes virtue/vice immediately

What This Enables:

• Moral education works (can develop virtue through training)
• Responsibility is real (could have chosen otherwise)
• Sage is possible (perfect virtue achievable in principle)
• Eudaimonia objective (not subjective preference)
• Practical wisdom (immediate recognition of right action)

What Distinguishes Each Tradition:

• Content of virtue differs (Stoic: only virtue good vs. Aristotle: virtue + externals)
• Metaphysics differs (Platonic Forms vs. Aristotelian hylomorphism vs. Stoic materialism)
• Psychology differs (Stoic unified soul vs. Platonic/Aristotelian parts)

But all require the same six commitments to function.

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5. IN CONTEMPORARY VIRTUE ETHICS (Problems)

Modern Virtue Ethics Without Full Commitments:

Contemporary virtue ethicists (Foot, Hursthouse, MacIntyre) try to revive virtue ethics without fully accepting the six commitments:

What They Accept:

• Some moral realism (virtues objectively good)
• Some foundationalism (virtue as foundational)
• Correspondence (usually)

What They Often Reject or Weaken:

• Dualism → Accept physicalism (Foot)
• Libertarian Freedom → Accept compatibilism (most)
• Intuitionism → Prefer empiricism/naturalism

The Result:

• Weakened system (virtue ethics without full metaphysical support)
• Tension (trying to ground virtue in physicalist/compatibilist framework)
• Less robust than ancient versions

Example - Philippa Foot:

• Wants objective virtues (moral realism)
• But: physicalist about mind, naturalist about ethics
• Problem: Hard to ground objective virtues in purely natural facts
• Missing: Dualism, libertarian freedom, intuitionism

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6. OUTSIDE ETHICS: IN EPISTEMOLOGY

The Six Commitments Enable Classical Epistemology:

Foundationalism:

• Enables: Aristotelian science (demonstration from first principles)
• Enables: Euclidean geometry (axioms → theorems)
• Enables: Any deductive system with bedrock

Intuitionism:

• Enables: Nous grasping first principles (Aristotle)
• Enables: Rational insight into necessary truths
• Enables: Non-empirical knowledge (mathematics, logic)

Correspondence:

• Enables: Truth as adequatio (matching mind to reality)
• Enables: Realism about external world
• Enables: Objective knowledge possible

Without these: Modern epistemology struggles with:

• Infinite regress (coherentism as response)
• Skepticism (can't escape circle)
• Relativism (no objective truth)

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7. THE BROADER PATTERN

The Six Commitments as Classical Philosophy's Foundation:

SIX COMMITMENTS (Metaphysical Infrastructure)

    ↓

ENABLES MULTIPLE SYSTEMS

    ├─ Stoicism (virtue alone sufficient)

    ├─ Platonism (return to Forms)

    ├─ Aristotelianism (eudaimonia through virtue + externals)

    ├─ Classical epistemology (foundationalism + intuitionism)

    └─ Ancient science (first principles → demonstration)

    

MODERN REJECTION (1600-present)

    ↓

COLLAPSES ALL SYSTEMS SIMULTANEOUSLY

    ├─ Virtue ethics loses ground

    ├─ Foundationalism replaced by coherentism

    ├─ Intuitionism replaced by empiricism

    └─ Freedom becomes compatibilism/determinism

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8. CRITICAL INSIGHT

Why This Matters:

The six commitments aren't Stoic innovations. They're the shared operating system of ancient philosophy.

Sterling's contribution: Not inventing these (they're classical), but showing they're NECESSARY for Stoic practice specifically.

The broader point: When modernity rejected these (1600+), it didn't just make Stoicism impossible - it made all of ancient philosophy impossible:

• Can't do Platonic ascent without dualism + intuitionism
• Can't do Aristotelian virtue ethics without freedom + moral realism
• Can't do ancient epistemology without foundationalism + intuitionism
• Can't do ancient science without correspondence + foundationalism

Modern philosophy = systematic rejection of the classical infrastructure → all ancient systems collapse simultaneously.

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9. SPECIFIC EXAMPLES OUTSIDE STOICISM

Platonic Education (Republic):

Requires ALL SIX:

1. Dualism → Soul can turn from shadows to Forms
2. Freedom → Can choose to leave cave or stay
3. Correspondence → True knowledge matches Forms
4. Realism → Form of Good exists objectively
5. Foundationalism → Form of Good = ultimate foundation
6. Intuitionism → Direct vision of Forms (noēsis)

Without any one: Platonic education incoherent.

Aristotelian Phronēsis (Practical Wisdom):

Requires ALL SIX:

1. Dualism → Rational soul distinct from appetites
2. Freedom → Can deliberate and choose
3. Correspondence → Judgment matches objective good
4. Realism → Mean objectively exists
5. Foundationalism → Eudaimonia = ultimate end (terminates "why?")
6. Intuitionism → Perceives particular as instance of universal (this = courageous)

Without any one: Phronēsis impossible.

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10. SUMMARY TABLE

Commitment	Stoicism	Platonism	Aristotelianism	Epicureanism	Modern Virtue Ethics
Dualism	✓ (prohairesis distinct)	✓✓ (Forms + soul)	✓ (modified)	✗ (materialism)	✗ (usually physicalist)
Freedom	✓ (libertarian)	✓ (soul chooses)	✓ (eph' hēmin)	✗ (swerve/determined)	✗ (usually compatibilist)
Correspondence	✓ (test vs reality)	✓ (match Forms)	✓ (what is/is)	✓ (senses reliable)	✓ (usually)
Moral Realism	✓ (virtue objectively good)	✓✓ (Form of Good)	✓ (objective aretai)	~ (pleasure good)	✓ (usually)
Foundationalism	✓ (Th 10 axiomatic)	✓✓ (unhypothetical)	✓ (nous grasps archai)	✓ (prolēpseis)	~ (weakened)
Intuitionism	✓ (recognize virtue)	✓✓ (noēsis)	✓ (nous + phronēsis)	✗ (empiricism)	✗ (usually naturalist)
System Works?	YES	YES	YES	PARTIAL	WEAKENED

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CONCLUSION

The six commitments operate outside Stoicism by providing the metaphysical foundation for:

1. All classical virtue ethics (Platonic, Aristotelian, Stoic)
2. Classical epistemology (foundationalism + intuitionism)
3. Ancient science (demonstration from first principles)
4. Any system requiring: objective morality, real responsibility, non-empirical knowledge, ultimate foundations

They're not "Stoic commitments" - they're classical philosophy's operating system.

Sterling's insight: These aren't optional for Stoicism - they're necessary conditions. But this necessity extends beyond Stoicism to all of ancient philosophy.

Modern philosophy's rejection (1600+) didn't just kill Stoicism - it killed the entire classical tradition simultaneously.

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