Hellenistic Philosophy Introductory

Ethics 197
not [to do], such as things like this: neglecting our parents, ignoring our
brothers, being out of sympathy with our friends, overlooking [the inter-
ests of] our fatherland and such things. 109. Neither appropriate nor
inappropriate are those which reason neither constrains us to perform
nor forbids, such as picking up a small stick, holding a writing instrument
or scraper and things similar to these.
And some are appropriate without regard to [special] circumstances,
while some are conditioned by circumstances. Those which [are appro-
priate] without regard to [special] circumstances are these: looking out
for one's health and sense organs, and similar things. Those which are
conditioned by circumstances are maiming oneself and throwing away
one's possessions. The analogous [distinctions apply] too for the things
which are contrary to what is appropriate. Again, of appropriate [actions],
some are always appropriate and some not always. And living according
to virtue is always appropriate, but asking questions and answering and
walking and similar things are not always [appropriate]. The same reason-
ing applies to inappropriate [actions]. 110. And there is also a kind of
appropriate [action] among intermediates, such as the obedience of boys
to their attendants.
They say that the soul has eight parts; for its parts are the five sense
organs and the vocal part and the thinking part (which is the intellect
itself) and the generative part. And corruption afflicts the intellect because
of falsehoods, and from [such a mind] there arise many passions and
causes of instability. Passion itself is, according to Zeno, the irrational
and unnatural movement of a soul; or, an excessive impulse.
According to Hecaton in book two of his On Passions and Zeno in his
On Passions, the most general [classification] of the passions is into four
types: 111. pain, fear, desire, pleasure. They believe that the passions
are judgements, as Chrysippus says in his On Passions; for greed is a
supposition that money is honourable, and similarly for drunkenness and
wantonness and the others.
And pain is an irrational contraction; its forms are: pity, grudging,
envy, resentment, heavy-heartedness, congestion, sorrow, anguish, confu-
sion. Pity is a pain [felt] for someone who is suffering undeservedly;
grudging is a pain at the goods of other people; envy is a pain at someone
else having things which one desires oneself; resentment is a pain at
someone else too having what one also has oneself; 112. heavy-heartedness
is a pain which weighs one down; congestion is a pain which crowds one
and makes one short of room; sorrow is a persistent or intensifying pain
caused by brooding on something; anguish is a laborious pain; confusion
is an irrational pain which gnaws at one and prevents one from getting
a comprehensive view of one's current circumstances.