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Abstract
The dissertation aims to trace the image of the Roman state, which is
unfolded in Cicero's philosophical opera. While Cicero treats politics and
law in other writings, such as De re publica and De legibus, he argues also
in the purely philosophical-theoretical writings on many political subjects.
Until today, despite extensive research on Cicero, there is no
profound investigation into the political views of Cicero in the
philosophical writings: A few researchers have confined their examination to
the political purpose of these philosophical works of Cicero. Since previous
researches have been limited to the political relationship between Cicero
and Caesar and mostly to the prosopographic analysis of the interlocutors,
there is a need for a renewed investigation, that tries to find out not only
the current political relations of those days, but also the correlation
between political conceptions, the relevant art of argumentation, which
Cicero actively used in his speeches on the forum, and the philosophical
position.
In order to answer to the question, how and why Cicero unfolds his political
thoughts also in his philosophical writings, the following analyses are
carried out: 1) politician and non-politician as a dialogue participant, 2)
explicit statements about politics and political engagement, 3) use of
historical and political examples in the dialogues, 4) characteristic moral
concepts of Rome. A concrete and detailed connection between politics and
philosophy appears in a special way in Cicero, who was both a Roman
politician and a philosopher. Cicero mostly expresses the state ideal and
the virtuous actions of Roman politics through the exempla maiorum, which
shows at the same time just the Roman specialty.
>From the above-mentioned analyses it can be concluded as follows: Cicero
uses just in the \213to outward seeming\213 purely philosophical works before the
death of Caesar under political pressure both philosophical discussion and
exempla skilfully. He does it in order to criticize influential public
enemies \213not only active public enemies such as Caesar and his supporters,
but also passive corrupt politicians, who yield to luxury and give up their
skeptic attitude towards the republican enemies\213 indirectly, but
effectively.
At the same time Cicero produces a connection between epistemology and the
art of governing the state: He propagates thus not only a philosophical, but
also a political skepticism.
This Dissertation comes to this conclusion: the political background
influences the determination of the time in each piece of writing and its
form, dialogue or monologue. After the death of Caesar the philosophica,
which Cicero wrote after his return to Rome, treat suddenly real political
and social themes. Moreover Cicero places special emphasis on his own person
by use of the monologue. Then the sapiens, who was severely criticized in
the earlier works, plays the main role and is represented in a positive way
as authority. In the last three works Cicero's will can be recognized to act
as the only real sapiens in Roman politics, to unite his political friends,
optimates and all viri boni and to restore the senate and a new res publica.
Finally Cicero acts up to his ideal pro patria mori by means of his speech
activity in the Philippica, to which he appealed again and again through
exempla maiorum in his philosophica, and places himself in the number of the
Roman sages, who devoted themselves to the state.
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Dates
Created: 2004Issued: 2004-11-25Updated: 2011-08-10
Faculty
Fachbereich Fremdsprachliche Philologien
Publisher
Philipps-Universität Marburg
Language
ger
Data types
DoctoralThesis
Keywords
Philosophische SchriftenRhetoricMarcus Tullius CiceroStaatsauffassungMarcus Tullius CiceroRhetorik, Exempla maiorumPolitical thoughtPhilosophical worksExempla maiorum
DFG-subjects
Klassische PhilologieMarcus Tullius CiceroAltertumswissenschaftLatinistikPolitische Philosophie, Philosophica
DDC-Numbers
100
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Takahata, Tokiko: Das Bild des römischen Staates in Ciceros philosophischen Schriften. : Philipps-Universität Marburg 2004-11-25. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17192/z2004.0622.
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This item has been published with the following license: In Copyright