The Stoic Creed - College of Stoic Philosophers

220 THE STOIC CREED
world as a universe. The world as a whole,
it is
argued, is perfect (so reasons Balbus, reproducing
Chrysippus, in Cicero s De Naturti Deorum, ii.). It
must, therefore, contain in itself all the qualities and
excellences that are to be found in its parts, only in
a superior degree (in this we seem to hear Descartes
speaking). 1 But reason, wisdom, and virtue are ex
cellences that are in parts of the world : we find
them in man, though imperfectly. This means that
there must be a being in whom they exist perfectly.
The world, therefore, has virtue: it is also wise,
and, consequently, a god."
(c) Thirdly, God exists, because what will necessarily
come to pass is foreknown by Him : His own nature,
as supreme reason, implies that.
(d) To which, fourthly, may be added the comple
mentary argument, frequently insisted on by the Stoics,
from Divination. Divination is but ; nothing could be
predicted or divined, unless things were foreordained.
Therefore, God is.
These arguments have more than an historical
interest ; they show the human mind vigorously at
work on the theistic problem, and they touch points
that go to the very root of theism.
Against Agnosticism
The Supreme Being, thus proved to exist, may, of
course, be known by man. The Stoics would have had
little sympathy with that extreme form of agnosticism
put forward by Herbert Spencer in his First Principles,
and defended in other of his works, founded on an
1
The view was also Scholastic.