[FE 3772] BAC. 3rd yr/LIC Reading a classical philosophical text: the De natura deorum of Cicero
Semester I
friday
10:30 -
12:15
Course Information
Schedule:
Semester I
friday
10:30 -
12:15
Content
Through a close reading of Cicero’s philosophical dialogue On the Nature of the Gods (De Natura Deorum) students will gain an insight into two distinct moments in the history of philosophy: the philosophical otium of a Senator-Philosopher in the Late Roman Republic as well as the Hellenistic philosophy of the dialogue’s three interlocuters (a Stoic, an Academic Skeptic, and an Epicurean). The work covers significant themes in philosophical theology (e.g. divine providence and causality) as well as the social and political implications of cult and creed. While the course will focus on a close reading of the text in translation, students will also have occasion to appreciate Cicero’s Latin style and philosophical vocabulary.
Baccalaureate students: lettura guidata
Licence students: course
Bibliography
Cicero. The Nature of the Gods. Translated by P.G. Walsh. Oxford University Press, 2008.Maso, Stefano. Cicero's Philosophy. Berlin/Boston: De Gruyter, 2022.
The Cambridge Companion to Cicero's Philosophy. Edited by Jed Atkins and Thomas Bénatouïl. Cambridge University Press, 2022
Sellars, John. Hellenistic Philosophy. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018.
De Natura Deorum. Vols. 1-3. Edited by Joseph Mayor and J.H. Swainson. Cambridge University Press, 2010.