Abstract

In this wide-ranging study, Ada Bronowski reconstructs the Stoic account of lekta. Usually translated into English as "sayables," lekta—Bronowski transliterates all key Greek terms—number among the Stoics' most contentious proposals in antiquity and remain the subject of interpretative disagreement today. One clear Stoic commitment is that lekta are what is signified by human speech: my utterance "Dion walks" in normal circumstances signifies the lekton 'Dion walks.' Are lekta to be understood, then, simply as meanings? And is the existence of lekta dependent on token utterances? No, claims Bronowski. 'Dion walks' is part of reality whether or not one utters "Dion walks." Lekta are "there to be said, but need not...