A significant two-fold development in recent classical scholarship
has been a revival of interest in, and respect for, post-Aristotelian
Greek philosophy and Cicero's contribution to our knowledge of
it. Of Cicero's major works in this field the Tusculan Disputations
is perhaps the most approachable. Less technical than Academica
and De Finibus, it still provides many insights into Hellenistic
philosophical controversies especially those concerning the two
great schools of Stoicism and Epicureanism. At the same time it
contains significant evidence of a reviving interest in Plato
and Aristotle themselves. The theme of the first Tusculan
is whether death is an evil. Of the many popular beliefs about
the nature of the soul and its fate after death Cicero has little
to say but the philosophically based approach which he adopts
is rich in material and provides the inspiration for striking
passages worthy of the great orator.
A.E. Douglas was Professor of Latin at the University of Birmingham. Publications of editions of Cicero Brutus (1966), Tusculans Disputations 2 & 5 (1990) and various articles and reviews.
136pp. (1985) cl 250 0 £35 / $59.99, pb 251 9 £13.25 / $22
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Preface INTRODUCTION PARALLEL LATIN TEXT AND ENGLISH TRANSLATION COMMENTARY Addendum |
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