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W hen the problems concerning the nature of the universe appeared to offer philosophers of the West ern World no clues to a satisfactory solution, men turned to- a discussion of pressing ethical considerations as affording the best insight into the complexities of man and his place in the scheme of things. This is to say that for a time at least, the question, Where do we come from? with all of the lesser questions which it implies could give rise to no fruitful conclu sions; therefore, men sought to ask significant questions concerning ethi cal activities as set forth in the ques tion, What do we do while we are here? In a sense philosophers were attempting to establish on an ethical level that unity of experience and thought which they had been unable to demonstrate metaphysically. One of the most significant contri butions to the history of ethical thought was made by that group of thinkers known as the Stoics. These men achieved a type of disciplined living unequaled in the ancient world and seldom matched by anything in more modern times. In spite of the severity of life’s demands the Stoic called upon man to meet with un wavering resolution all the tests which experience might set before him. In a world where expediency and lack of self-control often led to the denial of moral principles in thought and action, one cannot be less than impressed by the stability which the Stoic commitment made possible in personal and social life. A lth ou gh the modern critic may question the metaphysical basis of this almost-religious surrender to the high ideal, he must pay tribute to the ancients who refused to be swerved from the pathway of moral recitude by changing events. This is the philosophy which influ enced strong men with a>willingness to undertake thôsè moral responsi b ilitie s before which weaklings cringed. Motivated by this point of view, courageous men suffered depri vation and want unmoved because they deemed themselves to be in true accord with the highest governing
principle of the universe. There is a grandeur in the concept of a man who is beaten but unbowed. Criti cised from the Christian point of view because of its unmitigated fa talism and for its lack of concern for the personal values of sympathy and understanding, Stoicism p layed a large part in setting the stage for the establishment of a Christian philos ophy. The Stoic doctrine could not com mend itself to the developing moral consciousness sensitized by the im pregnation of Christian virtues. It was impossible within the framework of Stoicism to make a place for the weaker brother who winced under the bludgeoning blows administered in experience. One dared not be sym pathetic to the degree that Christian ity encourages lest he breed an in decisiveness in his fellow man. Prac tically speaking, the impersonal char acter of the rational principal which governed all things left no place for the expression of that kind of love and devotion with which the Chris tian is familiar. Against the back ground of this rugged doctrine the Christian concept of the grace of God glows with greater glory. Human life is immeasurably enriched by the notion that the ultimate ethical im perative is not the acceptance of an unyielding Absolute. Rather it is the submission to an understanding Fath er. His moral injunctions are no less demanding of supreme commitment than were those of the Stoic. Yet, the gospel is that the harshness of the unyielding moral law is tempered by the action of the Father who suffers in the weakness of His children and for their redemption. The Christian doctrine does not set aside the uncom promising demand for moral integ rity, but it deals more realistically with the inadequacies of human na ture. Because these weaknesses are recognized as endemic the emphasis of Christian discipline is not upon the inflexibility of the moral law. Rather it is upon the provisions of Deity in encouraging and a id ing even the most feeble strivings toward spiritual maturity. END.
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