Cicero- A Brief Overview

Cicero

Marcus Tullius Cicero was born on the 3rd of January 106 BC during the decline and eventual fall of the Roman Empire. He was a lawyer, politician, philosopher, orator and most importantly, to historians, a writer. Cicero had an extraordinary political career that was born from strong political ambition and a preference to politics above all other studies, including philosophy. Many of his works are politically and philosophically orientated and his writings have become an indispensable source for historians studying the events of which Cicero has documented.

Cicero's writing is very idealistic, opinionated and detailed. In his writing Cicero often employed rhetoric, philosophical language and the occasional passage riddled with keen observations. Without modesty, Cicero put forward his political idealism on what he believed would make the quintessential commonwealth, philosophy, history and law. The text that he wrote on "The Republic" spoke of combining aristocracy, democracy and monarchy in the right quantities to strengthen the foundations of Roman institutions that existed in his time. He also aimed to instruct others, in his writing, to take an interest and an active role in politics through the example of his life, through the making of good laws and through speeches. Cicero wrote a piece of writing named "Brutus" in which he described the many weaknesses, strengths and distinguishing characteristics of orators in the history of Greece and Rome. Cicero once wrote that the best orators would make the best people.  

In the 19th century Cicero was known as one of the great philosophical writers of the ancient era and, as a result, was read by a diverse audience. However, in the 21st century Cicero's philosophies are considered to be uninventive and somewhat lacking in originality.

Cicero was murdered on the 7th December 43 BC.

'Cicero', The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2006, Viewed 15th June 2009