A philosophical dispute on the terrazza
by Robert S. Colter
As anyone who spends any time discussing ideas can attest, people disagree about all sorts of things, both for good reasons and bad, and in both productive and non-productive ways. This is true even in discussing Stoic philosophy. I want to use a specific case of disagreement between a couple of philosophers and Stoics in the hopes of illustrating the sort of things that might be sensibly disagreed about as well as how to make clear what is at stake in such a disagreement. I hope that by working through this example, we can see how thinking carefully about at least some disagreements can be productive in leading to a deeper understanding of the issues involved and perhaps also lead to a resolution of the dispute.
I had the wonderful opportunity in July 2019 to attend the Rome Stoic School, hosted by Massimo Pigliucci. After a few days discussing Cicero with a number of other participants, a few of us were able to spend the afternoon at the Capitoline Museums, at which Massimo generously led us on a tour. After the tour, we paused for a while on the terrace of the museum for some drinks and snacks, and even more philosophical conversation.
I want to start off by setting the stage a bit. I am a professor of philosophy and scholar of Greek philosophy in particular. I also am the founder and director of…
