The free ones do not discriminate

The true-metaphysical liberty in stoicism and its plausible connection with no-discrimination and antidiscrimination

Abstract

The Stoic conception of “metaphysical” liberty establishes that this is a characteristic of the virtuous person and, therefore, of the person who possesses happiness (eudaimonía). We argue, pushing the ancient Stoic conception of virtue (areté) towards contemporary political-moral conceptions, that, necessarily, whoever is virtuous and possesses the mentioned metaphysical liberty never discriminates and will always have an anti-discriminatory behavior. We propose, consequently, that those who are discriminatory and/or promote inequality and/or discrimination are in a metaphysical slavery. We establish that the cause of discrimination, following Stoicism, lies in wrongly considering certain issues as “goods” and in developing passions towards such issues. That is, discrimination is born because we do not recognize that only acting virtuously has value.