07.01.2013 Views

academica of cicero. - 912 Freedom Library

academica of cicero. - 912 Freedom Library

academica of cicero. - 912 Freedom Library

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

The Project Gutenberg eBook <strong>of</strong> ...<br />

showed, after the principles <strong>of</strong> Antiochus, that such a basis was provided by the older philosophy,<br />

which both Carneades and Philo had wrongly abandoned. Thus Philo becomes the central point<br />

or pivot <strong>of</strong> the discussion. With this arrangement none <strong>of</strong> the indications in the Lucullus clash.<br />

Even the demand made by Hortensius upon Catulus [254] need only imply such a bare statement<br />

on the part <strong>of</strong> the latter <strong>of</strong> the negative Arcesilaean doctrines as would clear the ground for the<br />

Carneadean p??a???. One important opinion maintained by Catulus after Carneades, that the<br />

wise man would opine [255] (t?? s?f?? d??ase??), seems another indication <strong>of</strong> the generally<br />

constructive character <strong>of</strong> his exposition. Everything points to the conclusion that this part <strong>of</strong> the<br />

dialogue was mainly drawn by Cicero from the writings <strong>of</strong> Clitomachus.<br />

Catulus was followed by Hortensius, who in some way spoke in favour <strong>of</strong> Antiochean opinions,<br />

but to what extent is uncertain [256] . I think it extremely probable that he gave a résumé <strong>of</strong> the<br />

history <strong>of</strong> philosophy, corresponding to the speech <strong>of</strong> Varro in the beginning <strong>of</strong> the Academica<br />

Posteriora. One main reason in favour <strong>of</strong> this view is the difficulty <strong>of</strong> understanding to whom, if<br />

not to Hortensius, the substance <strong>of</strong> the speech could have been assigned in the first edition. In the<br />

Academica Posteriora it was necessary to make Varro speak first and not second as Hortensius<br />

did; this accounts for the disappearance in the second edition <strong>of</strong> the polemical argument <strong>of</strong><br />

Hortensius [257] , which would be appropriate only in the mouth <strong>of</strong> one who was answering a<br />

speech already made. On the view I have taken, there would be little difficulty in the fact that<br />

Hortensius now advocates a dogmatic philosophy, though in the lost dialogue which bore his<br />

name he had argued against philosophy altogether [258] , and denied that philosophy and wisdom<br />

were at all the same thing [259] . Such a historical résumé as I have supposed Hortensius to give<br />

would be within the reach <strong>of</strong> any cultivated man <strong>of</strong> the time, and would only be put forward to<br />

show that the New Academic revolt against the supposed old Academico-Peripatetic school was<br />

unjustifiable. There is actual warrant for stating that his exposition <strong>of</strong> Antiochus was merely<br />

superficial [260] . We are thus relieved from the necessity <strong>of</strong> forcing the meaning <strong>of</strong> the word<br />

commoveris [261] , from which Krische infers that the dialogue, entitled Hortensius, had ended in a<br />

conversion to philosophy <strong>of</strong> the orator from whom it was named. To any such conversion we<br />

have nowhere else any allusion.<br />

The relation in which Hortensius stood to Cicero, also his character and attainments, are too well<br />

known to need mention here. He seems to have been as nearly innocent <strong>of</strong> any acquaintance with<br />

philosophy as it was possible for an educated man to be. Cicero's materials for the speech <strong>of</strong><br />

Hortensius were, doubtless, drawn from the published works and oral teaching <strong>of</strong> Antiochus.<br />

The speech <strong>of</strong> Hortensius was answered by Cicero himself. If my view <strong>of</strong> the preceding speech is<br />

correct, it follows that Cicero in his reply pursued the same course which he takes in his answer<br />

to Varro, part <strong>of</strong> which is preserved in the Academica Posteriora [262] . He justified the New<br />

Academy by showing that it was in essential harmony with the Old, and also with those ancient<br />

philosophers who preceded Plato. Lucullus, therefore, reproves him as a rebel in philosophy, who<br />

appeals to great and ancient names like a seditious tribune [263] . Unfair use had been made,<br />

according to Lucullus, <strong>of</strong> Empedocles, Anaxagoras, Democritus, Parmenides, Xenophanes, Plato,<br />

and Socrates [264] . But Cicero did not merely give a historical summary. He must have dealt with<br />

the theory <strong>of</strong> ?ata??pt??? fa?tas?a and e????a? (which though really Stoic had been adopted by<br />

Antiochus), since he found it necessary to "manufacture" (fabricari) Latin terms to represent the<br />

Greek [265] . He probably also commented on the headlong rashness with which the dogmatists<br />

gave their assent to the truth <strong>of</strong> phenomena. To this a retort is made by Lucullus [266] . That<br />

Cicero's criticism <strong>of</strong> the dogmatic schools was incomplete may be seen by the fact that he had not<br />

had occasion to Latinize the terms ?ata????? (i.e. in the abstract, as opposed to the individual ?<br />

ata??pt??? fa?tas?a), e?a??e?a, ???µ?, ap?de????, d??µa, ???e???, ad??a, ep???, nearly all<br />

important terms in the Stoic, and to some extent in the Antiochean system, all <strong>of</strong> which Lucullus<br />

is obliged to translate for himself [267] . The more the matter is examined the more clearly does it<br />

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/14970/14970-h/14970-h.htm[1/5/2010 10:31:57 AM]<br />

[lii]<br />

[liii]<br />

[liv]

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!