Common Notions
Certain basic truths are naturally known by all rational beings; philosophy begins by clarifying and extending these pre-philosophical insights.
Stoics believed in koinai ennoiai — common notions or pre-theoretical intuitions shared by all rational beings. Everyone naturally knows that justice matters, that goodness is preferable to badness, that reason should guide action. Philosophy does not create these intuitions but clarifies, extends, and systematizes them.
Philosophy does not promise to get you any external goods. To do so would be to admit something outside its proper subject matter.
Stoic common notions anticipate Kant's a priori knowledge and contemporary moral intuitionism in metaethics.
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