Cicero's Social and Political Thought

Preface

Preface I have written this study—to my knowledge the first if its kind in English—out of a conviction that Cicero the social and political thinker deserves far more attention than he has received in recent years, when few any longer read him. Long-standing concerns with the history of political theory and classical antiquity and my previous work on John Locke led me quite naturally to Cicero. My interpretation of his ideas rests on a reading of his voluminous writings in their historical setting. Lengthy references to secondary sources and discussion of them have been kept to a minimum. Much remains to be assayed. So, for example, little in the following has been done to relate in detail Cicero's thought to the contexts of Roman law and rhetoric or to his own legal and rhetorical views; and the intellectual origins of his conceptions have been touched upon only briefly. I shall be content if students, social scientists, and the general public are further encouraged to think about Cicero, a process of enlightenment already begun by the stimulating scholarship of W. K. Laccy, T. N. Mitchell, Elizabeth Rawson, and D. R. Shackleton Bailey. The research and writing of the book were virtually completed during a sabbatical leave in 1979-1980 and a leave of absence in 1983-1984, for which free periods I am obligated to York University . Various commitments and circumstances, however, delayed immediate preparation for publication. Some of my opinions on Cicero have already circulated. Two papers were read: "Cicero and the Modern Concept of the State," at the annual meeting, organized by Bernard Crick, of the British Conference for the Study of Political Thought, New College, Oxford, January, 1980; ix x Preface and "Cicero on Violence in Politics," at the Department of Political Science Colloquium of York University, arranged by Douglas V. Verney, in the autumn of 1980. The friendly and constructive criticisms of both papers at these meetings have been of considerable value. Passages from the book have been taken from my article "The Economic Dimension of Cicero's Political Thought: Property and State," Canadian Journal of Political Science 16 (1983): 739—56. In addition, I have pursued some of my thoughts in "Populares and Circumcelliones: The Vocabulary of 'Fallen Man' in Cicero and St. Augustine," History of Political Thought 7 (1986): 33—51, the issue of the journal being a Festschrift in honor of Herbert A. Deanc, edited by Maurice M. Goldsmith and Thomas A. Home. A book of this kind is in no small part a collective effort resting on the selfless labor of others, who of course are in no way responsible for the deficiencies of the outcome. For the very helpful suggestions and comments on various drafts I am immensely indebted to Herbert A. Deane of Columbia University; Gary J. Nederman of the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand; and the two anonymous readers of the University of California Press. As usual my debt to Ellen Meiksins Wood—this is my second book dedicated to her—is unrepayable. Cheerfully accepting the burden of a critical reading at a most busy time, her unfailing interest throughout the tedium of gestation and composition , acute and perceptive suggestions, and constant encouragement rendered the project possible. Once again I have been fortunate to benefit from the skillful copycditing of Jane-Ellen Long of the University of California Press, who saved me from numerous errors and tidied up my prose. Several years ago George Comninel did some research for me on a matter related to this book for which I am most grateful. For the irksome chores in preparing a manuscript for press I wish to thank Joanne Boucher and Thorn Workman of York University. Mrs. Sybil Rang of Hampstead, London, good-naturedly typed an early draft. A special thank-you is due Mrs. Florence Knight of Toronto for her invariably accurate and speedy typing. The final draft was done on short notice with her customary efficiency and amiable support by Ruth Griffin of Glendon College. The secretarial staff of York Preface xi University's Department of Political Science came to my rescue as always at the most awkward times for them and for me. Over the years my undergraduate and graduate students at York have subjected many of my views on Cicero to rigorous scrutiny, for which I owe them more than they can imagine. Neal Wood Toronto March, 1987 This page...