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
I suppose you mean Syro and Philodemus, excellent citizens and most
learned men. You are right, said he. Come, then, said I. But it would be
more fair for Triarius to give some opinion on this discussion of ours.
Indeed, said he smiling, it would be very unfair, at least on this
subject: for you manage the question more gently; but this man attacks us
after the fashion of the Stoics. Then Triarius said, Hereafter I will
speak more boldly still: for I shall have all these arguments which I have
just heard ready to my hand; and I will not begin before I see you
equipped by those philosophers whom you mention.
And when this had been said, we made an end both of our walk and of our
discussion.
Third Book Of The Treatise On The Chief Good And Evil.
I. I think, Brutus, that Pleasure, if she were to speak for herself, and
had not such pertinacious advocates, would yield to Virtue, as having been
vanquished in the preceding book. In truth, she would be destitute of
shame if she were to resist Virtue any longer, or persist in preferring
what is pleasant to what is honourable, or were to contend that a tickling
pleasure, as it were, of the body, and the joy arising out of it, is of
more importance than dignity of mind and consistency. So that we may
dismiss Pleasure, and desire her to confine herself within her own
boundaries, so that the strictness of our discussions may not be hindered
by her allurements and blandishments. For we have now to inquire what that
chief good is which we are anxious to discover; since pleasure is quite
unconnected with it, and since nearly the same arguments can be urged
against those who have considered freedom from pain as the greatest of
goods.
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