city-state. In calling their state a “cosmos” also, they gave a positive social content to the narrow individualism of the Cynics.1014 Moreover, as seen above, their ideal undoubtedly contained some communistic elements. However, according to the fundamental tenet of Stoicism, as expressed by Zeno,1015 that only the wise can be free and citizens, we are still faced with the old duality and anti-socialistic ideal. The Stoics, like the Cynics, were after all essentially individualistic, and were probably believers in private ownership, though they dreamed of a future golden age of altruism, when private property would be no longer necessary.1016
Chrysippus, the greatest of the Stoics,1017 continued and expanded the principle that virtue is the only absolute good, and that all other things are indifferents, depending for their worth upon right use.1018
But since the wise alone are capable of right use of externals, they alone are truly wealthy.1019 They are wealthy, even though beggars, and noble though slaves.1020 They are not eager for wealth1021 yet they are good economists, since they know the proper source,1022 time, method, and extent of money-making.
The worthless, on the other hand, are most needy, even though wealthy.1023 Chrysippus seems to have advanced still farther, in teaching the negative doctrine that wealth is an evil, since it may come from an evil source,[##] an idea suggestive of the modern theory of “tainted money.” Naturally, he with the other Stoics, was in sympathy with the Socratics, in objecting to the use of one’s knowledge for purposes of money-making.1024