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Essential Stoic Concepts

Stoa

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Essential Stoic Concepts - Good

Book Subtitle: A Stoic glossary

Book Description: These are the most important concepts in Stoic philosophy.

Chapter: 14 of 32

Sections: 1

Author: Stoa

That which benefits, and can only benefit.

For the Stoics, the only good thing is virtue.

Good is differentiated from something that is indifferent, or preferred.

These things benefit people circumstantially.

Even something like health or friendship is beneficial circumstantially.

There are times when health is not the right thing to choose, for example, when donating a kidney to someone who needs it.

Virtue is good because it is always the appropriate thing to select, and never a bad thing.

Greek: Agathos ἀγαθός.