Guilt and liability between Aristotle and Stoics

Tomáš Gábriš

doi:10.46282/blr.2017.1.2.79

Authors

Tomáš Gábriš Comenius University in Bratislava, Faculty of Law https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6862-2688

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46282/blr.2017.1.2.79

Keywords:

Aristotle, Stoics, Cicero, guilt, punishment, liability

Abstract

Cicero interpreted the Stoic term ἁμάρτημα, used already by Aristotle, as a “crime”, thus coming to a seeming paradox of equality of all crimes, when explaining the Stoic claim of all ἁμαρτήματα being equal. However, should the term refer rather to illegality or “guilt”, all quotes become much less paradoxical. This seems even more appropriate in the context of responsibility for “killing one’ s father” mentioned in Stoic (and Aristotle’ s) treatises.

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