Cicero: On the Commonwealth and On the Laws

Abstract

Cicero's On the Commonwealth and On the Laws were his first and most substantial attempt to adapt Greek theories of political life to the circumstances of the Roman Republic. They represent Cicero's vision of an ideal society, and remain his most important works of political philosophy. On the Commonwealth survives only in part, and On the Laws was never completed. The present volume offers a scholarly reconstruction of the fragments of On the Commonwealth and a masterly translation of both dialogues, prepared by James E. G. Zetzel, Professor of Classics at Columbia University. The texts are supported by a concise introduction, notes, synopsis, biographical notes and bibliography, all designed to assist students in politics, philosophy, ancient history, law and classics.

Fides, bona fides, and bonus vir

“…As it was the case with other human qualities, such as courage (virtus), justice (iustitia), dutifulness (pietas), decency (pudor), and chastity (pudicitia), the Romans elevated the virtue of fides to the rank of goddess. 13 The veneration of Fides goes back to the earliest antiquity. According to Varro, the Romans adopted her from the Sabins, an ancient nation from central Italy.…”

Missional Congregations as Public Companions with God in Global Civil Society: Vocational Imagination and Spiritual Presence

“…15 Or, as Joseph Conrad sarcastically put it at the dawn of the twentieth century, when self-styled colonizers sought to distinguish themselves morally from the mere barbaric conquerors of an earlier age: They were no colonists; their administration was merely a squeeze, and nothing more, I suspect. Atomistic individualism most often justifies itself morally by means of the benefactor ethos.…”

Philosophy and Its Reinterpretation

“…Further, those who share Law must also share Justice." 21 Kant equates this capacity to act according to the conception of laws with will. But since reason is required for the derivation of actions from laws, will is nothing else but the practical reason that governs human behavior through a conception of law.…”