St. George Stock (modern guide) · 1850–1922
A Guide to Stoicism 3 ¶23 — St. George Stock (modern guide)
From “Logic”
Original English text (1908)
St. George Stock (modern guide), A Guide to Stoicism 3 ¶23
The delight which the early Stoics took in this pure play of the intellect led them to pounce with avidity upon the abundant stock of fallacies current among the Greeks of their time. These seem--most of them--to have been invented by the Megarians and especially by Eubulides of Miletus a disciple of Eucleides but they became associated with the Stoics both by friends and foes who either praise their subtlety or deride their solemnity in dealing with them. Chrysippus himself was not above propounding such sophisms as the following-- Whoever divulges the mysteries to the uninitiated commits impiety The hierophant divulged the mysteries to the uninitiated The hierophant commits impiety Anything that you say passes through your mouth You say a wagon A wagon passes through your mouth
Cite this passage
St. George Stock (modern guide), A Guide to Stoicism 3 ¶23 (1908)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/a-guide-to-stoicism/3.23
St. George Stock, Stoicism (1908), text of the Haldeman-Julius reprint “A Guide to Stoicism”. Text: Project Gutenberg #7514. Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesEarly Stoics relished the trick arguments of their day, most of them invented by the Megarian school, and Chrysippus himself used word-play puzzles such as the one about a wagon passing through your mouth. Friends admired their cleverness, and critics mocked how solemnly they handled it.
Older wording
- “sophisms”
- — clever but misleading arguments
- “hierophant”
- — a priest who reveals sacred mysteries
- “Megarians”
- — followers of Euclides of Megara, known for logical puzzles
Themes and situations
- Learning and progress
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