Stoic Ethics

The first English language translation from the French of Julie Favre's Devoirs de l'homme envers ses semblables, originally published in her La Morale des Stoïciens (1888). In this work, Favre defends the idea of universal morality, by discussing Stoic views on our duties or responsibilities to each other. Favre supports these arguments with extensive selections of passages from primary classical sources, including, but not restricted to, Seneca's On Benefits and On The Happy Life, Epictetus' Discourses, and Marcus Aurelius' Meditations.



A philosopher and educator, Favre (née Velten) (1833-1896) believed that one's primary purpose is to be a moral citizen. An advocate for secular education, and for teaching methods that include both classical and modern philosophies, later in her career she was appointed director of the prestigious École Normale Supérieure de Sèvres.