國立臺灣大學政治科學論叢

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This  is  a  study  about  the  political  thought  of  the  Schools  in  the Hellenistic  period.  Major  emphases  are  placed  in  the  development  of  the notions,  say,  of  ataraxia,  autarkeia,  otium  and  ius  natura  and  their substitution for the city-state political ideals of homo politicus and agape. To be  sure,  the  Schools  originated  from  the  Philosophy  of  Escape,  they nevertheless coalesced to form a great challenge to the existing conception of  politics  especially  championed  by  Aristotle.  The  Epicurean  ideas  of self-sufficiency of man along with that of retreat from public life composed the image of the wise man (sophos), and when the Stoic legal thought and natural law were later added to the philosophy of the wise man the bulk of Roman political thought was indeed taking shape. However, it is contended that major tenets of modern liberalism do not largely  go  beyond  the  individualism  and  natural  jurisprudence  propounded two thousand years ago by the Schools; whereas the former is being plagued with  corruptive  tendencies  in  civilized  life,  the  latter  reminds  us  of  the possibility  of  vindicating  liberalism  without  having  to  appeal  to  natural rights but, instead, emerging out of a rigid conception of man who follows nature wisely.