The political origins of universal virtues in the middle stoa

The article is devoted to the study of the civil and political origins of the virtues in the concepts of the Middle Stoa and the reasons that led to their gradual transformation into the universal personal virtues of the "stoic sage" in the Late Stoa. The formation of politically oriented virtues was formulated and spread largely under the influence of the activities of the Scipionic Circle. The study found that the departure from political orientation was accompanied by a gradual rejection of the idea of the elitism of the "virtuous man", whose moral image was largely sanctified by the "heroic ideals" of belonging to the "divine" Rome. Historical changes have led to the fact that public life was gradually ceasing to be a "common cause" both in political terms and as a proper moral ideal. The ideas of civic virtues were losing their relevance. This contributed to a shift in emphasis on issues of personal morality, when moral self-education, both in the sense of teaching and forming oneself as a virtuous person, takes on a universal character, since it becomes the lot and personal concern of everyone. This finds expression in the ideas of the Late Stoa, whose ethical ideals are becoming increasingly popular in modern society.