Abstract

Stoicism offers an account of virtue ethics that grants individual’s agency over their dispositions and their actions. This makes virtue independent of other factors which distinguishes the Stoics from Aristotle, who is the most commonly referenced source for virtue ethicists. This paper accordingly uses Cicero to articulate a Stoic version of virtue ethics within the business context. The paper argues that the Stoic account, by acknowledging individual agency, offers a more actionable and instructive form of virtue ethics. To develop the Stoic account of virtue ethics the paper examines the Stoic’s use of reason, intentions, indifferents, and sociability. Throughout the paper comparisons are made to Aristotle to demonstrate areas of overlap and divergence. The paper concludes with suggestions for future research as well as the limitations within this paper’s examination of Stoic virtue ethics.