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On the Republic / On the Laws
8Cicero
Cicero articulated the concept of natural law — the Roman political vocabulary that shaped medieval legal thought, the Enlightenment, and the American founding.
GBM Assessment (Score: 8/10)
Cicero's On the Republic and On the Laws constitute the most important works of Roman political philosophy, articulating the concept of natural law that would decisively shape Western legal and political thought. The celebrated Dream of Scipio, which concludes On the Republic, influenced Augustine, Dante, and centuries of cosmological and moral reflection.
Begun as the Roman Republic collapsed around him, Cicero's political treatises sought to articulate the principles of just governance at a moment of existential crisis. His theory of natural law influenced Thomas Aquinas, John Locke, and the American Founders, who drew heavily upon Cicero's republican ideals in framing the United States Constitution.
Late Roman Republic to Early Empire, c. 55 BC - 19 BC
The Roman Republic collapses: Caesar crosses the Rubicon, is assassinated; Octavian becomes Augustus, first emperor (27 BC). Amid upheaval, Latin literature reaches its zenith. Lucretius writes Epicurean philosophy in verse. Cicero defines Roman political thought. Virgil composes Rome's national epic. Horace perfects the ode.
Awards & Adaptations
Dream of Scipio. American Founders drew on Cicero.
Recommended Edition
C.W. Keyes (Loeb 1928)
