Antiochus' Ethics and the Subordination of Stoicism

In recent scholarship, Antiochus' philosophical thought has been regarded either as a form of Stoicism or as Platonism, and in both cases it has usually been dismissed for being inconsistent. Aim of the paper is to show that an alternative interpretation is possible, which better explains his strategy. By focusing on the discussion of the telos (end of life) and on his account of passion, it is shown that Antiochus tried to integrate Stoic doctrines into a Platonist system, in order to show that Stoicism works only within a the Platonist context. In so doing Antiochus promotes the superiority of his Platonist allegiance.