Cicero is one of the sources of texts of Hellenistic thought in the period of the Roman Republic. He updates Greek philosophy and, at the same time, recognizes the superiority of Roman right. The practical and bellicose Roman spirit took distance from philosophy, but new problems demanded reflection. In political and judicial disputes, rhetoric was an essential instrument. The 20th century revival of rhetorical studies allowed some commentators to reconsider the relationship between rhetoric and philosophy, leading to new reflections about Cicero and the historiography of philosophy.
Rhetoric; rhetoric and philosophy; historiography of philosophy; Cicero; Rome