The Academic Questions, Treatise De Finibus, and Tusculan Disputations, of M.T. Cicero, With a Sketch of the Greek Philosophers Mentioned by CiceroCicero, Marcus Tullius
Philosophy
The Academic Questions, Treatise De Finibus, and Tusculan Disputations, of M.T. Cicero, With a Sketch of the Greek Philosophers Mentioned by Cicero
Cicero, Marcus Tullius
Ethics -- Early works to 1800; Happiness -- Early works to 1800
However, there is this difference, that pleasure is also spoken of as
affecting the mind; which is wrong, as the Stoics think, who define it
thus: “An elation of the mind without reason, when the mind has an idea
that it is enjoying some great good.” But the words _lætitia_ (gladness),
and _gaudium_ (joy), do not properly apply to the body. But the word
_voluptas_ (pleasure) is applied to the body by the usage of all people
who speak Latin, whenever that pleasantness is felt which moves any one of
the senses. Now transfer this pleasantness, if you please, to the mind;
for the verb _juvo_ (to please) is applied both to body and mind, and the
word _jucundus_ is derived from it; provided you understand that between
the man who says,
I am transported with gladness now
That I am scarce myself....
and him who says,
Now then at length my mind’s on fire, ...
one of whom is beside himself with joy, and the other is being tormented
with anguish, there is this intermediate person, whose language is,
Although this our acquaintance is so new,
who feels neither gladness nor anguish. And, in the same manner, between
the man who is in the enjoyment of the pleasures of the body, which he has
been wishing for, and him who is being tormented with extreme anguish,
there is a third man, who is free alike from pleasure and from pain.
V. Do I not, then, seem to you sufficiently to understand the meaning of
words, or must I at this time of life be taught how to speak Greek, and
even Latin? And yet I would have you consider, whether if I, who, as I
think, understand Greek very fairly, do still not understand what Epicurus
means, it it may not be owing to some fault of his for speaking so as not
to be intelligible. And this sometimes happens in two ways, without any
blame; either if you do so on purpose, as Heraclitus did, who got the
surname of σκοτεινὸς,(27) because he spoke with too much obscurity about
natural philosophy; or when the obscurity of the subject itself, not of
the language, prevents what is said from being clearly understood, as is
the case in the Timæus of Plato. But Epicurus, as I imagine, is both
willing, if it is in his power, to speak intelligibly, and is also
speaking, not of an obscure subject like the natural philosophers, nor of
one depending on precise rules, as the mathematicians are, but he is
discussing a plain and simple matter, which is a subject of common
conversation among the common people. Although you do not deny that we
understand the usual meaning of the word _voluptas_, but only what he
means by it: from which it follows, not that we do not understand what is
the meaning of that word, but that he follows his own fashion, and
neglects our usual one; for if he means the same thing that Hieronymus
does, who thinks that the chief good is to live without any annoyance, why
does he prefer using the term “pleasure” rather than freedom from pain, as
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account