Excerpted from the 20-volume series of "Talking about the World" published in 2020
As one of the "immortal Romans", Cicero's thought had a profound influence on European philosophy and political doctrine and remains the object of study of Roman history to this day.
In Memoriam - Marcus Tullius CiceroDavid Watson - Homo Novus
Cicero (106–43 BC) was a famous Roman statesman, jurist, philosopher, writer and orator.
Cicero was born into nobility and revealed superhuman talent from an early age. When he was in school, he was known for his excellent performance.
As an adult, he went to Greece to study philosophy, and later to Asia and Rhodes, where he was admired by the Greek philosopher Apollo Neos.
Born into an aristocratic family, Cicero started as a lawyer and judge in his youth, and then served as governor and consul of Sicily, and crushed the Catiline coup, and was later killed by Antony and became a political victim.
Ruling career
After completing his studies in Greece, Cicero returned to Rome with great enthusiasm and full of warp.
Cicero was also an excellent orator, and his outstanding eloquence laid the foundation for his entry into politics.
Cicero began his career as a judge. In 75 BC, he was appointed governor of Sicily and was deeply loved by the Sicilian people.
Cicero believed that the role of a politician was to unite people in the accomplishment of public utilities.
Through social interaction, Cicero did gain great fame, and the number of people who visited him was endless, and even Pompey extended an olive branch of friendship to him.
This also involved Cicero in the struggle for supreme power, laying the groundwork for the final killing.
The first golden age of Cicero's political career was his election as consul in 63 BC.
During his tenure, he successfully smashed Catiline's plot to stage a coup d'état and was revered as the "Father of the Nation", before whom no one had received such a high honor.
At this time, Cicero's spring breeze was triumphant, and his arrogance swelled, gradually causing dissatisfaction among many people.
Whether in the Council of elders, the People's Assembly or the courtroom, he always went out of his way to tell the story of Catillin to show his great achievements.
He also liked to show off his eloquence indefinitely, and once he saw a friend leading three ugly daughters past, and he recited aloud: "He gave birth to a child against the will of Forbos (the god of light)." ”
Sarcastic a friend's daughter is ugly. During this time, he experienced the struggle between Pompey and Caesar and the assassination of Caesar, and the brutal political struggle made Cicero sad.
But Cicero was passionate about politics at heart, and when Octavian wanted Cicero to help him gain the support of the Senate and ascend to the throne of supreme power, Cicero raised the political sails, the second golden period of his political career.
In 43 BC, Octavian formed a "three-headed alliance" with Antony and Rebida, at the cost of abandoning Cicero, making him an enemy of the state, and punishing him to death.
Antony ordered his subordinates to hunt down Cicero, who was killed in the woods of Formia and his hands were brought back to Rome.
In this way, a generation of talents died.
A conspiratorial coup d'état initiated by Catiline at the end of the Roman Republic. Catilin, unsuccessful in his two elections for consulship in 64 and 63 BC, organized a conspiracy coup d'état by the fallen nobles and soldiers under the former Sulla, but was discovered by Cicero and failed, escaping and being killed in a battle with the Republican Army.
Generalists
Cicero loves every kind of knowledge, has a wide range of subjects, and has made achievements in many fields.
In terms of literature and education, Cicero's style became a model of later Latin literature.
In addition, he left 57 speeches to posterity, as well as a large number of books and newsletters. In terms of education, "On the Orator" is his masterpiece.
It points out that the training of educated orators is the ultimate goal of education, and continuous practice is the main way to achieve this purpose.
Cicero was also politically and legally insightful, and his ideas were mainly embodied in "On the Law" and "On the State".
He pointed out that the State was a collective of peoples united by the principles of justice and the pursuit of the common good, and that the State was therefore the business of all peoples.
He also argued that the ideal form of state government should be a combination of monarchy, nobility, and democracy, rather than one of them.
In other words, the constitutional system of ancient Rome or the Roman slave-owning aristocratic republic headed by the Senate. As a result, Cicero is considered a precursor to the ancient doctrine of separation of powers.
In terms of philosophy, Cicero based on Stoic philosophy, took what was needed from greek philosophies such as Platonism and Skepticism, and synthesized them into a complex system of ideas to form an eclectic philosophy.
His main ideas are embodied in works such as On the Definition of Good and Evil, On the Nature of God, and Tuskulam's Discussion.
Cicero opposed Epicurus's atomism and fell in favor of the Stoic idea of "divine grace."
He believed that God was the supreme Lord, advocated that people obey God or naturally arranged destinies, and believed that gods were eternal and souls were immortal.
He also accepted the Stoic view that human virtue consisted in the promotion of reason, the control of desires, and the attainment of "the pleasure of the heart."
Cicero, a consul at the end of the Roman Republic, discovered of the Cateline conspiracy coup d'état, denounced Catillin at the Senate meeting and delivered a famous speech.