Two Classic Problems in the Stoic Theory of Time

Abstract

In this paper I deal with two philosophical problems in the Stoic theory of time that have been extensively discussed by the Stoics and in modern Stoic scholarship. My overall aim is to prove that, contrary to appearances, the Stoic theory of time is fully internally consistent. To do so, I explore fundamental issues in ontology and causal theory: the connection between the four ontological ‘categories’ and events construed as property exemplifications, the role of procatarctic and synectic causes in the unity of events, the role of events in the individuation of times, and the importance of the distinction between event types and event tokens for assessing the doctrine of everlasting recurrence. Thus, I intend to shed new light on Stoic metaphysics and cosmology.