Walter Roberts

Cicero's Political Imperative: a Reading of on Duties (De Officiis) Walter Roberts

Cicero's Political Imperative aims to establish the perennial value of Cicero's classic but neglected text. Following the hermeneutical lead of Hans-Georg Gadamer and Paul Ricoeur, it re-examines Cicero's final and most original philosophical work with an eye toward establishing its potential contribution to contemporary consciousness. It proposes adjustments to be made to our understanding both of Cicero as a philosopher, and of philosophy itself, if On Duties is to be meaningfully read. It traces Cicero's handling of the Stoic notions of ?natural law' and 'a life lived according to nature' to identify him as the forefather of modern Natural Law jurisprudence. It elaborates Cicero's idealistic strictures for complete self-abnegation in service of the public good, and argues that his 'ethics of vulnerability' provides a universal and timeless template for just and compassionate political leadership.