Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 BC-43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, political theorist, philosopher, and Roman constitutionalist. He is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists. He is generally perceived to be one of the most versatile minds of ancient Rome. He introduced the Romans to the chief schools of Greek philosophy and created a Latin philosophical vocabulary, distinguishing himself as a linguist, translator, and philosopher. An impressive orator and successful lawyer, he probably thought his political career (...) his most important achievement. Today, he is appreciated primarily for his humanism and philosophical and political writings. Although a great master of Latin rhetoric and composition, Cicero was not Roman in the traditional sense, and was quite self-conscious of this for his entire life. He was declared a "righteous pagan" by the early Catholic Church, and therefore many of his works were deemed worthy of preservation. Saint Augustine and others quoted liberally from his works On the Republic and On the Laws, and it is due to this that we are able to recreate much of the work from the surviving fragments. (shrink)
It deals with the problems of the Latin text, it delineates the work's structure and sometimes elusive train of thought, clarifies the underlying Greek and Latin concepts, and provides starting points for approaching the philosophical and historical problems that De Officiis raises.
In the de Officiis we have, save for the latter Philippics, the great orator's last contribution to literature. The last, sad, troubled years of his busy life could not be given to his profession; and he turned his never-resting thoughts to the second love of his student days and made Greek philosophy a possibility for Roman readers. The senate had been abolished; the courts had been closed. His occupation was gone; but Cicero could not surrender himself to idleness. In those (...) days of distraction he produced for publication almost as much as in all his years of active life.The liberators had been able to remove the tyrant, but they could not restore the republic. Cicero's own life was in danger from the fury of mad Antony and he left Rome about the end of March, 44 b.c. He dared not even stop permanently in any one of his various country estates, but, wretched, wandered from one of his villas to another nearly all the summer and autumn through. He would not suffer himself to become a prey to his overwhelming sorrow at the death of the republic and the final crushing of the hopes that had risen with Caesar's downfall, but worked at the highest tension on his philosophical studies. (shrink)
A splendid new translation of one of the greatest books on friendship ever written In a world where social media, online relationships, and relentless self-absorption threaten the very idea of deep and lasting friendships, the search for true friends is more important than ever. In this short book, which is one of the greatest ever written on the subject, the famous Roman politician and philosopher Cicero offers a compelling guide to finding, keeping, and appreciating friends. With wit and wisdom, Cicero (...) shows us not only how to build friendships but also why they must be a key part of our lives. For, as Cicero says, life without friends is not worth living. Filled with timeless advice and insights, Cicero’s heartfelt and moving classic—written in 44 BC and originally titled De Amicitia—has inspired readers for more than two thousand years, from St. Augustine and Dante to Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. Presented here in a lively new translation with the original Latin on facing pages and an inviting introduction, How to Be a Friend explores how to choose the right friends, how to avoid the pitfalls of friendship, and how to live with friends in good times and bad. Cicero also praises what he sees as the deepest kind of friendship—one in which two people find in each other “another self” or a kindred soul. An honest and eloquent guide to finding and treasuring true friends, How to Be a Friend speaks as powerfully today as when it was first written. (shrink)
Charles Brittain's elegant new translation of Cicero's Academica makes available for the first time a readable and accurate translation into modern English of this complex yet crucial source of our knowledge of the epistemological debates between the skeptical Academics and the Stoics. Brittain's masterly Introduction, generous notes, English–Latin–Greek Glossary, and Index further commend this edition to the attention of students of Hellenistic philosophy at all levels.
Cicero's On the Republic and On the Laws are his major works of political philosophy. They offer his fullest treatment of fundamental political questions: Why should educated people have any concern for politics? Is the best form of government simple, or is it a combination of elements from such simple forms as monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy? Can politics be free of injustice? The two works also help us to think about natural law, which many people have considered since ancient times (...) to provide a foundation of unchanging, universal principles of justice. On the Republic features a defense of politics against those who advocated abstinence from public affairs. It defends a mixed constitution, the actual arrangement of offices in the Roman Republic, against simple forms of government. The Republic also supplies material for students of Roman history—as does On the Laws. The Laws, moreover, presents the results of Cicero's reflections as to how the republic needed to change in order not only to survive but also to promote justice David Fott’s vigorous yet elegant English translation is faithful to the originals. It is the first to appear since publication of the latest critical edition of the Latin texts. This book contains an introduction that both places Cicero in his historical context and explicates the timeless philosophical issues that he treats. The volume also provides a chronology of Cicero’s life, outlines of the two works, and indexes of personal names and important terms. (shrink)
Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts We have not used OCR, as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.
Excerpt from De Finibus Bonorum Et Malorum: Libri Quinque About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We (...) do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works. (shrink)
On Obligations was written by Cicero after the murder of Julius Caesar to provide principles of behaviour for aspiring politicians. Though written for first-century Romans it has been adopted as a guide to political conduct in every major era in the West: by the early Christians, in the high Middle Ages, in the Renaissance, and in the age of the Enlightenment.
Die "Akademischen Abhandlungen" , in denen Cicero die Erkenntnislehre der griechischen Philosophie darstellt, bieten eine einzigartige historische Quelle nicht nur für Art und Form der Übertragung grundlegender philosophischer Begriffe aus dem Griechischen ins Lateinische, sondern auch ganz allgemein für die Rezeption griechischer philosophischer Konzepte in Rom.
Keinen Menschen der Antike kennen wir so gut wie Marcus Tullius Cicero. Wir verdanken dies dem Umstand, dass ein großer Teil seiner Korrespondenz überliefert ist, im ganzen etwa 780 Briefe, davon gut die Hälfte an seinen Freund Titus Pomponius Atticus gerichtet. Die Atticus-Briefe sind insofern eine historische Quelle außerordentlichen Ranges, als Cicero sich in ihnen unbefangen und vorbehaltlos äußert. So folgen wir in zahlreichen Krisen seines Lebens zuweilen Tag für Tag den wechselnden Stimmungen, erleben den Kampf um gesellschaftliche und politische (...) Anerkennung, erkennen aber auch Ciceros heiße Vaterlandsliebe, erhalten Einblick in die privaten Verhältnisse, kurzum, alle Züge seines Wesens erscheinen in klarer Kontur wie in einem Spiegel. Die Atticus-Briefe vermitteln uns das Bild eines antiken Menschen, der zwar nicht der Weltgeschichte ihren Lauf gewiesen hat, der aber doch zu den bedeutendsten Persönlichkeiten einer Zeit gehörte, in der Weltgeschichte gemacht wurde, und der darüber zu berichten weiß. Darin liegt der nicht zu schätzende Wert der Sammlung. Mit Einführung, Erläuterungen, Registern und Zeittafel. (shrink)
An seine Freunde - wer da Zeugnisse dessen, was wir Freundschaft nennen, erwartet, wird sich ein wenig enttäuscht finden. Abgesehen von den Briefen an seine Gattin Terentia und seine Freigelassenen Tiro, die eine Sonderstellung einnehmen, gibt sich Cicero nur einigen wenigen Partnern gegenüber ganz so, wie er ist, und das ist doch das, was wir bei einem Freund voraussetzen: Unbefangenheit und Unverstelltheit. Die große Masse seiner Briefe ist zweckgebunden, trägt mehr oder weniger formellen Charakter. Da gilt es, das eigene politische (...) Handeln zu rechtfertigen, das persönliche Verdienst ins rechte Licht zu rücken, Differenzen mit politischen "Freunden" auszufechten, Beziehungen für sich und andere auszuwerten, den politischen Gesinnungsgenossen bei der Stange zu halten oder zu fördern und was dergleichen mehr ist. So leuchten diese Briefe tief hinein in das Treiben der führenden Kreise und bergen mit ihren Schlaglichtern auf das politische Geschehen der Zeit eine Fülle von Interessantem und Fesselndem. Ganz von der Politik diktiert ist der Briefwechsel mit L. Plancus, M. Lepidus, D. Brutus und C. Cassius in den Büchern X, XI und XII. Er bildet eine unschätzbare Quelle für unsere Kenntnis der Vorgänge während des Todeskampfes der Republik. (shrink)
cicero, der unbestrittene Meister der römischen Beredsamkeit in Theorie und Praxis, hat sich in mehreren Werken mit der Theorie der Rhetorik beschäftigt. Vom geplanten umfassenden Handbuch zur Rhetorik wurden nur zwei Bücher ausgearbeitet, die unter dem Titel "De inventione" überliefert sind. Unverkennbar ist die Nähe zu der anonymen, lange Zeit ebenso Cicero zugeschriebenen Schrift "Rhetorica ad Herennium". Gegen die zunehmende Verkümmerung des Rednerideals durch eine "Versachlichung" der rhetorischen Praxis kämpft Cicero in der kleinen Schrift "De optimo genere oratorum". Zwischen dem (...) Abfassen beider Schriften liegt ein Zeitraum von etwa 40 Jahren. "De inventione" gehört zu den Jugendwerken Ciceros und mit der "Rhetorica ad Herennium" zu den ältesten römischen Schriften zur Rhetorik überhaupt. (shrink)
Was macht den idealen Redner aus? Im Senat wie vor Gericht riss Cicero die Zuhörer durch sein Pathos mit. Gleichzeitig war er ein kühler Analytiker der Rhetorik. In seinen theoretischen Schriften formuliert er, was einen idealen Redner ausmacht. Darum geht es in dem fiktiven Dialog "De oratore". In Ciceros Landhaus in Tusculum versammeln sich die bedeutendsten Redner seiner Zeit zum Gespräch. Hier werden die Elemente der Redekunst untersucht: Von der Auffindung des Argumentationsmaterials bis zu Schönheit und Angemessenheit.
Ist das menschliche Handeln vorbestimmt oder kann der Einzelne frei entscheiden? In Auseinandersetzung mit den Positionen von Chrysipp, Epikur und Karneades gelangt Cicero zur Auffassung, dass es für den menschlichen Willen keine von außen wirkenden und vorausgehenden Ursachen gebe, die diesen Entscheidungsprozess bestimmen. Die Mitte 44 v.Chr. begonnene und unvollendet gebliebene Schrift schließt sich unmittelbar an "De divinatione" und "De natura deorum" an.
gedanken von zeitloser Aktualitat werden in den Dialogen uber das Alter und die Freundschaft beruhmten Personlichkeiten aus Roms grosser Vergangenheit in den Mund gelegt. Die kleinen Schriften sind mit ihrer vollendeten Sprache wahre Perlen im philosophischen Werk Ciceros. Herausgegeben von M. Faltner, mit einer Einfuhrung von G. Fink. ".
