Description
Book SynopsisCicero''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 historyas does On the Laws. The Laws, moreover, presents the results of Cicero''s reflections as
Trade Review
Fott accomplishes what he has set out to do: provide an accessible translation that focuses more on the text than on the secondary scholarship. Fott's translation will prove a handy reference guide for anyone interested in either or both of these political works. It would be exceptionally well-suited for an undergraduate class on cicero, Roman philosophy, or the reception of Greek philosophy by the Romans, and I look forward to adopting it for my own students.
-- Polis * The Journal for Ancient Greek Political Thought *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments
Introduction
Note on the Text and the Translation
Chronology of Cicero's Life
Outlines of On the Republic and On the Laws
On the Republic (with explanatory notes)
Book 1
Book 2
Book 3
Book 4
Book 5
Book 6
Fragments of Uncertain Location
On the Laws (with explanatory notes)
Book 1
Book 2
Book 3
Fragments
Selected Bibliography
Index of Personal Names
Index of Terms
