Talk:Republic (Zeno)

Discussion of Cannibalism

In the "Reception", there is a discussion about the existence or possibility of cannibalism in the ideal Stoic society. The article seems a little confusing here. Did either Zeno or Chrysippus actually endorse cannibalism???

I think that what the article is actually trying to say, but what it is not expressing quite clearly, is that Chrysippus allowed for the consumption of *dead* human bodies to feed the population, since he might have argued that a dead body (animal or human or whatever) serves no more utility to its original owner and it can thus be used by the people for their own survival. This would in line with the general Stoic disregard for death and disbelief in an afterlife. (Others would have found this deeply disturbing because the consumption of a dead body would have prevented its proper burial under the appropriate religious rituals, thereby denying the soul of the deceased entry into the afterlife: no ritual burial after death ---> no life after death.) That would make a lot more sense, but I can only speculate. I find it really difficult to believe that cannibalism of *live* human beings would have been supported or defended by either Zeno or Chrysippus. However, I am only working from a general knowledge of Stoic philosophy as a whole, so I do not know what is exactly stated in the texts.

Can someone who actually has the relevant texts at hand and is more knowledgeable about the sources comment on this? What exactly is meant by "cannibalism" here? The eating of *live* human beings or of their *dead* bodies? This would seem to be a paramount distinction - from an ethical point of view....