The notion of καθῆκον in the Early Stoa and “moral duty.” Reflections on Jack Visnjic’s book “The Invention of Duty. Stoicism as Deontology”
The notion of καθῆκον in the Early Stoa and “moral duty.” Reflections on Jack Visnjic’s book “The Invention of Duty. Stoicism as Deontology”

Summary/Abstract: In this paper, I argue against Jack Visnjic’s claim (in his recent book “The Invention of Duty”) that the Stoic term καθῆκον conveys the idea of moral duty. First, I examine Visnjic’s explicit argumentation and find it inconclusive. Then, I provide additional objections based on the evidence which Visnjic, in my opinion, either underestimates or completely disregards. Basically, I believe that at least the early Stoics regarded καθήκοντα as morally neutral activities that can become both morally right and wrong depending on the agent’s motivation.

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