"Cicero the philosopher at work: the genesis of De Officiis III"

Gilbert, Nathan

doi:10.1017/9781009170352.007

"Cicero the philosopher at work: the genesis of De Officiis III"

Gilbert, Nathan

Authors

Dr Nathan Gilbert nathan.b.gilbert@durham.ac.uk
Associate Professor

Contributors

Dr Nathan Gilbert nathan.b.gilbert@durham.ac.uk
Editor

Margaret Graver
Editor

Sean McConnell
Editor

Abstract

In the chapter I argue that we should set aside the Quellenforschung arguments of Lefèvre and Brunt and Atkins and others and look at what Cicero is up to in book 3, where he aims to fill in a gap left by Panaetius and not followed up by Posidonius. My analysis focuses in particular on Cicero’s redeployment of the Ring of Gyges thought experiment to undercut the Epicurean reliance on Kuria Doxa (KD) 5 to bolster their ‘moral’ hedonism; and the critical role, or so I argue, of the correspondence with Cassius (which cites KD 5 in Fam 15.19) in the development of Cicero’s argument (with additional reference to Fin. 1-2, where KD 5 also takes a critical role). In addition to making the case for the importance of the correspondence as ‘work in progress’, I argue that Cicero’s engagement with Posidonius, Panaetius et al. represents a mature, confident Cicero philosophus, ready to make a targeted contribution to Stoic ethics, with none of the dissimulatio doctrinae of the works of the 50s.

Citation

Gilbert, N. (2023). "Cicero the philosopher at work: the genesis of De Officiis III". In N. Gilbert, M. Graver, & S. McConnell (Eds.), Power and Persuasion in Cicero's Philosophy (97-116). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009170352.007

Online Publication Date	Jan 15, 2023
Publication Date	2023-01
Deposit Date	Jul 10, 2021
Publicly Available Date	Jul 15, 2023
Publisher	Cambridge University Press
Pages	97-116
Book Title	Power and Persuasion in Cicero's Philosophy
ISBN	9781009170338
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009170352.007

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This material has been published in Power and Persuasion in Cicero's Philosophy edited by Nathan Gilbert, Margaret Graver, Sean McConnell. This version is free to view and download for personal use only. Not for re-distribution, re-sale or use in derivative works. © Cambridge University Press.