Stoic Logic and Semantics. "The Notion of Self-Sufficiency," Ch 5.5.4.1 of Luhtala, On the Origin of Syntactical Description in Stoic Logic

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Anneli Luhtala

On the Origin of Syntactical Description in Stoic Logic

Chapter 5: The Stoics

5.5.4.1 The Notion of Self-Sufficiency (Αύτοτέλεια, Autoteleia)

A sayable (λεκτόν, lekton) can be of an incomplete thought or a complete one. But the notion of completeness is not clear in our Stoic sources. Simple predicates are incomplete sayables, and in fact are the only parts of the sentence that can be incomplete sayables.

Incomplete sayables leave a question in our mind. If we hear, "writes," we are left uncertain, unless it is linked to a nominative, such as "Socrates." The complete sayable "Socrates writes" satisfies our minds.

Predicates and propositions can be said to be self-sufficient (αύτοτέλεια, autoteleia). However, we do not know if we can consider self-sufficient the nominal part of a sayable.

The "Stoics were keen to relate propositions to events in the real world whereby their truthfulness depended on the state of affairs being demonstrably true." (88a)

Luhtala, Anneli. On the Origin of Syntactical Description in Stoic Logic. Münster: Nodus Publikationen, 2000.