Keywords
dignitas
epicureísmo
estoicismo
derecho natural
Marco Antonio Cardinal virtues
dignitas
Epicureanism
Stoicism
Natural law
Mark Antony
How to Cite
Abstract
This article examines the crisis of the late Roman Republic, attributed by ancient authors to moral decay and oriental vices, and how Cicero, a defender of republican institutions and the boni, confronted the populares who sought structural reforms. His conflicts with Catiline, Clodius, Piso, and especially Antony are highlighted. Throughout his career, Cicero defended his dignitas and argued that the cardinal virtues proposed by Plato and Panaetius were key to achieving true glory. In the Philippics, he attacked Antony and supported Octavian, although the latter ultimately betrayed him. These speeches polarized Roman politics, revealing, according to Brutus, Cicero's lack of political vision. To defend himself from attacks for his condemnation of the Catilinarians and to promote state reforms, Cicero turned to philosophy and defended the Platonic and Stoic principles, advocating belief in divine providence, the importance of cardinal virtues, the use of reason, and the superiority of divinely inspired natural law over human law. He also criticized the Epicureans for their rejection of politics, denial of divine providence, and pursuit of pleasure.
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