Marcus Tullius Cicero

Tusculan Disputations

On the Nature of the Gods, and on the Commonwealth

• Broschiertes Buch

Produktbeschreibung

[I]f the Gods have neither the power nor the inclination to help us; if they take no care of us, and pay no regard to our actions; and if there is no single advantage which can possibly accrue to the life of man; then what reason can we have to pay any adoration, or any honors, or to prefer any prayers to them? Piety, like the other virtues, cannot have any connection with vain show or dissimulation; and without piety, neither sanctity nor religion can be supported; the total subversion of which must be attended with great confusion and disturbance in life. -from The Nature of the Gods Roman orator and politician Cicero provides a vital firsthand viewpoint on the fall of the Roman Empire, and a grounding in his work is necessary for appreciating philosophers who came after him, including Saint Augustine, upon whom he exerted a profound influence. This edition, a replica of the 1877 translation by C. D. Yonge, offers highly readable versions of some of Cicero's most significant writings: . Tusculan Disputations is a classic of Stoic metaphysics, Cicero's argument that virtue is the root of the only true human happiness. . On the Nature of the Gods, which examines multiple viewpoints on the gods and religion, is an excellent example of the philosophical dialogue, and of Cicero's skeptical method. . On the Commonwealth, one of Cicero's most important works of political philosophy, sets out his thoughts on the ideal society. Roman lawyer and philosopher MARCUS TULLIUS CICERO (106-43 B.C) also wrote On Invention, On the Orator, On the Republic, and On the Laws. British scholar CHARLES DUKE YONGE (1812-1891) is also the author of The Life of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France and History of England From 1760 to 1860.

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Produktdetails

• Verlag: Cosimo Classics
• Seitenzahl: 468
• Erscheinungstermin: 1. Dezember 2005
• Englisch
• Abmessung: 203mm x 127mm x 27mm
• Gewicht: 559g
• ISBN-13: 9781596057302
• ISBN-10: 1596057300
• Artikelnr.: 21321889

Autorenporträt

Marcus Tullius Cicero (3 January 106 BC - 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, orator, lawyer and philosopher, who served as consul in the year 63 BC. He came from a wealthy municipal family of the Roman equestrian order, and is considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists. His influence on the Latin language was immense: it has been said that subsequent prose was either a reaction against or a return to his style, not only in Latin but in European languages up to the 19th century. Cicero introduced the Romans to the chief schools of Greek philosophy and created a Latin philosophical vocabulary (with neologisms such as evidentia, humanitas, qualitas, quantitas, and essentia), distinguishing himself as a translator and philosopher. Though he was an accomplished orator and successful lawyer, Cicero believed his political career was his most important achievement. It was during his consulship that the second Catilinarian conspiracy attempted to overthrow the government through an attack on the city by outside forces, and Cicero suppressed the revolt by summarily and controversially executing five conspirators. During the chaotic latter half of the 1st century BC marked by civil wars and the dictatorship of Gaius Julius Caesar, Cicero championed a return to the traditional republican government. Following Julius Caesar's death, Cicero became an enemy of Mark Antony in the ensuing power struggle, attacking him in a series of speeches. He was proscribed as an enemy of the state by the Second Triumvirate and consequently executed by soldiers operating on their behalf in 43 BC after having been intercepted during an attempted flight from the Italian peninsula. His severed hands and head were then, as a final revenge of Mark Antony, displayed on the Rostra.