ABSTRACT
Chapter 4 focuses on Panaetius of Rhodes’ doctrine of providence. After investigating what may have been included in his own On Providence, it examines the particular stance Panaetius took on some related issues: the destructibility of the world, which he denied, the existence of divination, which he doubted, and astrology, which he also rejected. After looking into Panaetius’ definition of the human telos, presented as ‘living in accordance with the starting points towards virtue bestowed upon us by nature’ (or god), the chapter ends with an examination of the importance of reason in humans and how, according to Panaetius, reason serves as god’s instrument for human beings to achieve their telos through the formation of political communities.
