Musonius Rufus

Roman Stoic philosopher and teacher who was Epictetus's teacher — the 'Roman Socrates' — and who taught that philosophy is not merely theoretical but a practical daily discipline, that women should receive the same philosophical education as men, and that manual labor is compatible with philosophy.

Radicalized the practical dimension of Stoicism — philosophical training must be applied immediately in daily life, not merely contemplated — and argued for women's equal capacity for philosophical virtue, making him the earliest advocate for women's philosophical education in the Western tradition.