Episode 81 – Cicero: The Stoic Sympathizer

This episode examines the paradoxical role of Marcus Tullius Cicero as a crucial source for our understanding of Stoic philosophy, despite not being a Stoic himself. Cicero formally identified with the Academic Skeptics, a school of thought that emphasized questioning all doctrines rather than committing to one. However, a historical catastrophe led to the loss of nearly all the original major works by early Greek Stoics like Zeno and Chrysippus. Cicero's philosophical dialogues, written during the political chaos of the late Roman Republic, became an essential library preserving these lost Stoic arguments in detail.

His skeptical method required him to present the strongest possible arguments for various philosophical positions, and the Stoics often provided the most systematic and coherent ethical frameworks. He used Stoic ethics as a powerful counterweight to philosophies he found less suitable for a Roman statesman, such as Epicureanism, which he considered too focused on pleasure and withdrawal from public life. The discussion of the archer analogy, which separates the virtuous action from the external outcome, is one of the key Stoic concepts Cicero preserved. He also documented the Stoic cognitive theory of emotions, where passions are seen as diseases of the soul caused by faulty judgments.

Cicero's writings were deeply influenced by his own turmoil, including exile and the death of his daughter, making his exploration of Stoic resilience more than just an academic exercise. Ultimately, the skeptic who questioned everything became the indispensable link to understanding the core tenets of one of the most dogmatic ancient philosophies.