The Nature of the GodsTowards the end of his life, Cicero turned away from his oratorical and political career and looked instead to matters of philosophy and religion. The dialogue The Nature of the Gods both explores his own views on these subjects, as a monotheist and member of the Academic School, and considers the opinion of other philosophical schools of the Hellenistic age through the figures of Velleius the Epicurean and Balbus the Stoic. Eloquent, clearly argued and surprisingly modern, it focuses upon a series of fundamental religious questions including: is there a God? If so, does he answer prayers, or intervene in human affairs? Does he know the future? Does morality need the support of religion? Profoundly influential on later thinkers, such as Saint Augustine and Thomas Aquinas, this is a fascinating consideration of fundamental issues of faith and philosophical thought. |
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Academy Aesculapius aether animals Arcesilas argue argument Aristotle Athens atoms Balbus beautiful believe body Book born Carneades century Christianity Chrysippus Cicero Cleanthes conscious Cotta course created death Democritus deny derived dialogue divine doubt earth elements Ennius Epicurean Epicurus eternal everything evil eyes fact father fire follows give goddess gods gods exist Greek Greek philosophy happy harmony heat heavens human images imagine immortal gods infinite intelligence judgement Jupiter kind Lactantius Latin living creature mankind marvellous matter merely mind moon moral motion movement nature never orbit Panaetius perfect Philo philosophers Plato pleasure Posidonius Protagoras providence question rational reason refute religion Roman Rome sceptical seems sense shape Socrates soul stars Stoa Stoic Stoicism teaching theory things thought Timaeus treatise true truth universe Velleius whole wisdom wonder words worship writing Xenocrates Xenophon Zeno