Author: Müller, Gernot Michael
Title: Designing Philosophical Authority in Cicero’s Dialogues
Review/Collection: in Hahmann, Andree & Vazquez, Michael, Cicero as Philosopher - New Perspectives on His Philosophy and Its Legacy, De Gruyter, 2025, 412 p.
Place edition: Berlin Boston
Editor: De Gruyter
Year edition: 2025
Pages: 63-81
Keywords: Philosophie - Filosofia - Philosophy
Description: Gernot Michael Müller’s discussion of Ciceronian authorship reveals an intentional effort on Cicero’s part to construct philosophical authority and to situate philosophical activity within broader Roman aristocratic norms. He argues that Cicero consciously created a foil to the professional philosophical discourse of Hellenistic Greece. Unlike the latter, Cicero depicts informal conversations among Roman aristocrats against the background of an ideal image of Roman social behavior. Cicero’s dialogues thereby emphasize egalitarianism, cooperation, and goodwill even in the face of philosophical disagreement between its interlocutors [Hahmann & Vazquez 2025, 5].
Author initials: Müller 2025
Title: Designing Philosophical Authority in Cicero’s Dialogues
Review/Collection: in Hahmann, Andree & Vazquez, Michael, Cicero as Philosopher - New Perspectives on His Philosophy and Its Legacy, De Gruyter, 2025, 412 p.
Place edition: Berlin Boston
Editor: De Gruyter
Year edition: 2025
Pages: 63-81
Keywords: Philosophie - Filosofia - Philosophy
Description: Gernot Michael Müller’s discussion of Ciceronian authorship reveals an intentional effort on Cicero’s part to construct philosophical authority and to situate philosophical activity within broader Roman aristocratic norms. He argues that Cicero consciously created a foil to the professional philosophical discourse of Hellenistic Greece. Unlike the latter, Cicero depicts informal conversations among Roman aristocrats against the background of an ideal image of Roman social behavior. Cicero’s dialogues thereby emphasize egalitarianism, cooperation, and goodwill even in the face of philosophical disagreement between its interlocutors [Hahmann & Vazquez 2025, 5].
Author initials: Müller 2025
