Hierocles the Stoic

Hierocles was a Stoic philosopher who lived in the 2nd century CE. Little is known about his life, but he is described by Aulus Gellius as a "grave and holy man." He is primarily known for his work 'Elements of Ethics' (Ἠθικὴ στοιχείωσις). A fragment of this work, discovered in 1901 at Hermopolis, discusses self-perception as a fundamental faculty of animals from birth. This argument was central to the Stoic concept of 'oikeiôsis', which posits that all animals exhibit self-preserving behavior and are aware of themselves in relation to others. Hierocles extended this concept to ethics, proposing a theory that begins with the individual and expands outwards through concentric circles of concern, encompassing family, community, country, and ultimately, the entire human race. The goal, according to Hierocles, is to draw these circles inward, making all humans a part of one's primary concern. His ideas on cosmopolitanism, particularly the concentric circles model, have been influential and are still discussed and expanded upon by contemporary philosophers.