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ROMAN PHILOSOPHY
In what ways did Rome’s culture, entertainment, and art
reflect Roman philosophical and religious views?
AGENDA
• Reading : The Stoics
• Group Question : Roman heroes and Roman Philosophy
• Activity : Marcus Aurelius Quotes
• Discussion : Marcus Aurelius & Reality
ROMAN PHILOSOPHY
Around 200 BC, some conservative Romans began to worry that contact with Greek philosophy would corrupt and weaken their
fellow citizens. One of them, the statesman Marcus Porcius Cato – Cato the Elder – disliked the softer manners of the Greeks. He
was fluent in Greek but opposed to Greek literature, poetry and art, and he opposed Greek medicine, claiming that it was
poisoning Romans. In particular he was opposed to a philosophy called Epicureanism, which at its most extreme taught that
finding and experiencing pleasure was the most important thing a person could do during their life.
Many Romans instead turned to the philosophy of Stoicism which taught that people shouldn’t be concerned with possessions
but should instead try to live lives of virtue (from the Latin world “virtutem” meaning manliness). For Romans virtue meant
acting based on whether an action would be good for Rome and the empire rather than for the individual or single family. Of all
the virtues Stoics valued the most important were courage, resilience, endurance, self-denial, and integrity. Romans looked for
their qualities in their heroes, myths, leaders, and in many other parts of their culture.
In what ways had the following people demonstrated behaviors that Stoics would have admired or despised.
Romulus
Hannibal
Marc Antony
Around 200 BC, some conservative Romans began to worry that contact
with Greek philosophy would corrupt and weaken their fellow citizens. One
of them, the statesman Marcus Porcius Cato – Cato the Elder – disliked the
softer manners of the Greeks. He was fluent in Greek but opposed to Greek
literature, poetry and art, and he opposed Greek medicine, claiming that it
was poisoning Romans. In particular he was opposed to a philosophy called
Epicureanism, which at its most extreme taught that finding and
experiencing pleasure was the most important thing a person could do
during their life.
Many Romans instead turned to the philosophy of Stoicism which taught
that people shouldn’t be concerned with possessions but should instead try
to live lives of virtue (from the Latin world “virtutem” meaning manliness).
For Romans virtue meant acting based on whether an action would be good
for Rome and the empire rather than for the individual or single family. Of
all the virtues Stoics valued the most important were courage, resilience,
endurance, self-denial, and integrity. Romans looked for their qualities in
their heroes, myths, leaders, and in many other parts of their culture.
ROMAN PHILOSOPHY
Around 200 BC, some conservative Romans began to worry that contact with Greek philosophy would corrupt and weaken their
fellow citizens. One of them, the statesman Marcus Porcius Cato – Cato the Elder – disliked the softer manners of the Greeks. He
was fluent in Greek but opposed to Greek literature, poetry and art, and he opposed Greek medicine, claiming that it was
poisoning Romans. In particular he was opposed to a philosophy called Epicureanism, which at its most extreme taught that
finding and experiencing pleasure was the most important thing a person could do during their life.
Many Romans instead turned to the philosophy of Stoicism which taught that people shouldn’t be concerned with possessions
but should instead try to live lives of virtue (from the Latin world “virtutem” meaning manliness). For Romans virtue meant
acting based on whether an action would be good for Rome and the empire rather than for the individual or single family. Of all
the virtues Stoics valued the most important were courage, resilience, endurance, self-denial, and integrity. Romans looked for
their qualities in their heroes, myths, leaders, and in many other parts of their culture.
In what ways had the following people demonstrated behaviors that Stoics would have admired or despised.
Romulus
Hannibal
Marc Antony
In what ways had the following people demonstrated behaviors that
Stoics would have admired or despised.
Romulus
Hannibal
Marc Antony
In what ways did Rome’s culture, entertainment, and art reflect Roman philosophical and
religious views?