Rhetoric. With Comments and Illustrations

Marcus Tullius Cicero - a brilliant orator and politician, a contemporary of Gaius Julius Caesar, who witnessed the collapse of the republican institutions of Rome. Philosophy and rhetoric, in his understanding, were inextricably linked - philosophy explained why a citizen should be virtuous, while rhetoric demonstrated that even one citizen could be convincing to all fellow citizens. The new book in the Popular Philosophy series includes excerpts from Cicero's rhetorical works, showing what qualities an orator should possess, as well as fragments from political writings, which reveal the nature of the state and laws. The third part features three of the five Tusculan Disputations, containing reflections on the most important philosophical questions - how to remain virtuous, glorious, and happy in the face of death, thus achieving the immortality of the soul and civic immortality. All texts are provided with detailed comments and explanations by Professor Alexander Markov from RGGU.