I am a Student from Germany, and I have Latin as a school subject. A few weeks ago we translated some parts of "Pro Marcello" and 'ad familares". It's really fun, especially because we have a very high educated teacher, and latin is currently my favourite subject
I really wish more people would talk about Cicero's career. The man's life is the example of selfless courage and true patriotism to one's country. So many people could learn from his example.
excellent talk as always, interesting to hear that our modern education system deliberately moved away from teaching people how to think. I look forward to your next upload!
+grazzitdvram A very important point. We do need to learn to think, as well as learning facts and gaining skills. He may have reiterated Plato's idea of creating a perfect republic based on selection of the best minds to govern it. Something a bit like this was tried. Over a thousand years ago, China started introducing its system of exams based on Confucian philosophy. The idea was to create not philosopher-kings, because the monarchy was above and outside the civil service, but an upper class of wise, cultivated philosopher-bureaucrats, which men-and for a very brief time, women-could enter through competitive exams. At first, the increase in education was a boon. But the exam system ended up so dominating Chinese intellectual life that they lost the ability to think for themselves. It's possible to be taught how to NOT think.
+grazzitdvram more importantly, it was an educational system that focused on enriching the character of a freethinking individual. Instead of that, we've got an individualized education that teaches people the skills and knowledge that will "get them ahead." The problem isn't that private companies are buying drugs and jacking the price up--the problem is that individuals would even want to do that! We think of character as being obsolete, and we think of language facility--perhaps even language itself--as being obsolete. As long as you've got the skills, the info, and the right system in place, all that character-stuff can be enjoyed in your free time.
Great job Wes. I learned lots and liked the way you compared and contrasted Cicero's time with ours. I really appreciate having this information that was not available to me when I was a student and before there was an internet to broadcast it. I appreciate the way you deliver the lectures; I haven't bailed out of one before the end :) Please keep them coming.
Joy has been brought unto me once again, through the thoughtfulness of sharing this lecture. Great sound, and clear speech, hope it brings joy to many more.
John Stockwell , ex- CIA officer and whistle blower with America in Central America, the Congo and Vietnam. Smedley Butler's , "War is A Racket." World War 1... American heroes expertise for being becoming ware of our justice system in America .
Hi Professor Cecil, thank you for making your talks available. I did study Cicero in Latin class, but we never went past a narrow slice of the Catiline Conspiracy orations graded into second year high school Latin. ;)
I cannot thank you enough for your lecture series. They are absolutely fantastic. I'd wish for you to be given a History Channel TV deal to get these to a wider audience, but then you would have to talk about Roman aliens and Bigfoot sighting hidden in Kant or something... But truly, I've found everything you've done not just entertaining and informative but also very inspiring. Thanks again.
Marcus Tullicus Cicero. orator, statesmen, and writer, was born at the old Italian town, Arpinum, 106 b.c. In boyhood, he went to Rome and was put thorough and wide course to be an orator. Among the time of the Romans was that of the calling of an orator, what we would be that of a lawyer and a politician, the orator pleading law cases before the bar and speaking on political questions in the Senate, thus requiring a knowledge of most everything. IN 76 b.c., he held an appointment in Sicily when he became popular with all knowledge of almost everything. Orations against Catiline. His essays on Old Age, On Friendship, and The Whole Duty of Man (de officilis) are most pleasant readings. Said Erasmus, "I feel better for reading Cicero." How are we doing now on December 28th, 2023 ? Messy, I reiterate . The unraveling of the American Empire is concrete in insane thinking of greedy powers hitting now. Intolerable cruelty among our elites with no vision for "We the People" throughout the world. What is love? The next question is, "Who are we?" 🙏❤️🌎🌿🕊🎵🎶🎵
powerful talk. i am an educator and historian and artist and i had never heard of him until now when i came across his name and work thru an astrological article. thanks so much.
Topeka State Hospital It is documented fact that History, in the US was rewritten by those hired and taught thru Rockefeller and Carnegie selected and funded private institutions to create good automatons, the world (oligarchy)does not require intelligent humans. Public school and society have given up philosophy, and historical fact thanks to the same funders and ignorant citizens somehow believing that a wasteful idiocracy full of thieves liars and jagaloons can somehow spend their money and teach their child better then they can. The ignorant belief that what children get in public school is education, or much more then inadeqaute at best is rather pitiful. Philosophy imho is key to being happy healthy well rounded and self empowered, learning from past knowledge makes life much less difficult.
Gracius! How can the life of any man be summed up within an hour? How can the life of a freethinker be summed up in a day? How can Cicero's life be put into any book? Of course it can't but I'm grateful for the very little that we do have about Cicero and the part he played on the World's Stage. Thanks for sharing a little wisdom with us.
Algernon D'Ammassa I have a real issue with this type of crap. I've told some UA-cam uploaders to upgrade their recording equipment for professional quality sound, or at least eliminate the god awful noises... Beggars can't be choosers but hey I care.
"The first goal of education is to train you, to train the student, for self-care. You must learn how to care for yourself, because if you are strong and healthy and focused and knowing of yourself and your own capacities, then everything else can follow. If you're not, then nothing else can follow. So, the focus was continually on self-development! Develop your reason so you can think clearly. Develop your will so you can control the things that would overthrow your reason. Bring what's inside of you, if there's a good providence then you are good and whats inside of you is good, bring it out to fruition! That will make the best possible person and in a system where we elect people to offices, then we have good people to elect. Time and again he says "Look, if you have rotten people and you elect them to office, it doesn't matter what system you're in." Conversely, he says, he admits, "if you could guarantee that only the best people would be Kings then a kingship would be fine... this wouldn't be a problem!" But, we know that's not what happens. So, education needs not to focus on learning careers, or facts, or any set of skills; education needs a center on developing the person to be as strong and grounded as possible."
And yet here we are today with an education system that pigeonholes us into one craft and teaches us as little as possible about the world. Its effectively the same system used in Greece to teach slaves.
I read the historical novel, "A Pillar of Iron" by Taylor Caldwell, around three to four decades ago and gained an appreciation for Cicero. Numerous quotes by Cicero are interspersed throughout that novel, which made me appreciate his wisdom and courage. When I went to high school back in the 60s, my school was still teaching Latin. However, I chose to study one of its offshoots, Spanish. I have several times in later years wished that I had taken those Latin classes though. I became interested in Greek and Roman history in my late 20s, and many times wish I could have read the classical works of those civilizations in their original tongues. I enjoyed your presentation.
The Cambrige Latin series of 4 books plus CD's while pricey is an excellent course in Latin for those who cannot go to University to study Latin. Latin is wonderful because it is so difficult but the Cambridge series carries you along smoothly and it was written by people who love Latin and who want to spread the joy.
Thanks for the info. I see that Amazon has some used books for sale. I'm 68. Don't know if I want to take on that task though at this point in my life.
Hey, good luck on those pursuits. I may give it some thought again. I worry about how long it would take to become proficient enough to be able to read ancient texts well enough to be able to enjoy and retain that information. Won't know unless I try though.
Ever consider R. Buckminster Fuller as almost forgotten? The challenge is to hack in to his Synergetics to some significant degree (which I claim to have done) as we've already seen a lot of "hagiography" (as Applewhite called it). BTW, Walter Kaufmann was one of my philo profs at Princeton and I was gratified to find you including him. I have stories to tell there too. Thanks for so many really interesting lectures. I have many still to go, and am glad of that. I even re-listen. Wittgenstein is another philo guy I'm really keen on.
I think the reason Cicero has been relatively forgotten is that his ideas have become a core part of education and overtime turned into common sense and obvious. Of course this happened after many mistakes and if he was listened to from the get go, it would have been much better. But, his ideas have become axiomatic to the later philosophers and people who do philosophy..etc
"Reflection, Character, Judgement" these are the things that make us great - Cicero"You rise and fall by your merits" -Cicero"Insisting that a things is impossible just because we can't imagin it" -Cicero "If you have rotten people and you elect them into office - its doesn't matter what (political) system you are in."Cicero Great Lecture... We need more of this and less Monday night football and less American Idol...
Our definition of "happiness" today is very different than how our founding fathers would have used this word. It would be much closer to Aristotle's "eudaemonia".
Hello Professor, I've been a fan for a few years now. Fantastic talk as always. I was wondering if you happened to have a syllabus for these upcoming lectures? I was also wondering if you could share how you began to shape this series into something thematically manageable? The surprise of each new piece is alway fun, but the the qualifier of "forgotten" thinkers lends a wide net. Robert Musil? A.N. Whitehead? Isaiah Berlin? E.M. Cioran? Henri Bergson? Hell, to varying degrees of extent, anyone from Diderot to Thomas Kuhn has be written off academically, let alone in the culture zeitgeist. Again, thank you very much for all of your lectures.
Hi there, excellent job, excellent material! I recommend you to upload the book written by Taylor Cadwell ´´ a pillar of Iron ´´I would be more than glad to listen to its audio or a narration by you, thanks again I look forward to it.
Great video! Very informative. i have a question: Im guessing John Locke derived his idea of "right to life liberty and property" from Cicero. Could we reasonably conclude that Jefferson changed this to pursuit of happiness because of Epicurus?
+stop immigration His biblical premises are all based in superstition. His metaphysical, epistemological, moral and political premises are all based in superstitions. Everything from God made the universe and the world, which Ted knows by faith, so he works as a servant to please God, as we all should, because we, and our rights, come from Him, to the divine creation of America by Christians for Christians. Superstitions all.
+stop immigration There is nothing, not a scrap of biblical foundation to this nation's Founding. Believing that is superstitious garbage. Cruz is a pragmatist, conflating the moral with the political. He wouldn't think twice about violating your rights for political ends.
+TCBeads Wrong, read the first amendment. Also, read the Declaration of Independence. God is mentioned or alluded to several times. Further, the Pilgrims would not have survived if not for two major reasons: 1. Friendly native Americans who enabled the healthiest survive 2. their strong religious conviction and organization. Then the Puritans who followed the Pilgrims prospered due to their unwavering commitment to their faith and their superb organizational skills. To make statements as "There is nothing, not a scrap of biblical to this nation's founding" ignores the truth and is a false assertion.
Excellent talk and choice for first in the series. The reason that Cicero and others like him are forgotten is because everything deeply European is now disprivileged in academia, and indeed all levels of our culture. Things that are thought of as essentially "White" are ostracized, demonized or ignored, and everything exotic is elevated - thus even the Jesuits reject Latin and teach Buddhism. The level of self-hatred in , ironically, European institutions, or anti-European hate in general (and I mean native European, not this hideous, hostile, alien, multicult slop that is the attempted rebranding of "European") , is pathological and loathsome. I can , however, see a profound backlash emerging contra this hatred of the European, and that is encouraging.
Fact that you typed up this bullshit while listening to an academic lecture video about Cicero happening in college displays a lack of awareness that would be otherwise quite astonishing if it weren’t so damn common on UA-cam... Everybody with a English, Journalism, History and other such humanities degrees have sat thru these kinds of lectures. You should actually go to college and better yourself instead of repeating hackneyed nonsense you read online.
FarFromEquilibrium It isn't "European" nor "White" that is hated. What is hated are the things that attributed to European whites (slavery, racism, male whit privilege, mysogeny, etc.) The reason they might be attributed to White Europeans is the amount of information in languages we readily understand that elaborates these traits. (The Chinese and Africans also have these attributes though we do not have the barrage of info...) Dude self loathing is not a survival technique.
But I want to know about both Cicero AND Buddhism. Cicero also said only INDIVIDUALS can find the truth, when you call yourself a "European classicist" or simplify other people and call them "Exoticist" its no longer what about what is true (your individuality), but about tribal integrity.
A: "Superstition really is nonsense." B: "Oh really? Whatever." A: "In that case … The Birds Have Told Me That You Should Give Me A Sack Of Slaves, or at least some gold, and while you're at it some politics too." B: "Oh, we need not anger the spirits of the birds, have this gold_sack etc…" A: "Thanks :) But do you finally see the problem here?" B: "What problem?" A: "Well …" Repeat Infinitum.
John Smith - Click the link below Subscribe ...More and you will see the link for transcript. Copy and paste. Be aware google analytics for voice recognition will require much editing.
Even the Catholic Church, by far the largest influential body in Europe, on the whole, from Cicero's time to our own, has largely discarded Latin. I imagine you will only see a further decline of Latin if the force responsible for maintaining Latin for over a millennium, the Catholic Church, no longer regards it with the sanctity it once did seems to have no more real use for it.
My Latin class also did not even hint at Cicero's contribution to our political system. Frankly, I was quite unispired to read more about him. Virgil came across as more interesting due to his eccentricity!
Ave Cicero magnus But i would rather if current politics would be given a miss during these lectures. Especially when talking about one of the empyrical philosophers.
Those ancient stoics and philosophers generally tried to be good with their slaves and free as many as they could, but you have to understand that in the ancient world around 40 % of the poblation were slaves. Abolishing it was not seen as something possible. From what I've read in De Officis, Cicero didn't like it, but it was part of life and slaves needed to perform their duties like everyone else. .
Romans took their philosophy from Greeks. They took a lot of ideas from Phoenicians and Erustacans( native to north Italy). But wherentey excelled above all else in ancient world were organising themselves, codifying the laws and introducing representational government. They were geniuses.
Slaves during the roman republic could eventually become citizens, and their children were automatically citizens. Slaves had committed crimes, attacked Rome, or were debt slaves so their period of servitude was "community service" for having sinned against the community it seems.
"Causarum est Conflictio in qua CONSTITUTIO constat" :"Of many causes is The Conflict in which The Constitution consists of."? How timeless is this Roman writer and thinker, when even now, the debate over our very own U.S. Constitution may be entering another critical crisis in its 200 year existence....
He didn't invent 'humanitas', although the formulations, possibly, belonged to him - the indian caste system is composed of three basic classes, two of which were brahmani and humani, top and bottom, respectively ;)
Yes, Rainbow, I've heard of the International Phonetic Alphabet. You sometimes see it used at Wikipedia. No, I think it is quite useless -- like the artificial European language of Esperanto. The purpose of phonetic spelling is to put a foreign or unusual word into an alphabetical-symbolic form that the intended reader can easily recognize, which is to say, into a form the reader is already familiar with, so that he can understand how to pronounce it. ...So, what is the point in creating yet another phonetic system which NO ONE was taught as a child -- another one to learn. The English Wikipedia should use conventional English phonetics; the French Wikipedia should use a French phonetic system to describe the sound of the alien or unusual term so that ordinary French people can easily understand how it is pronounced properly, worldwide. ...I mean, the author of any particular Wikipedia article has to decide what language the article will be written in, doesn't he? Since he has to commit to a particular language for that article, it makes sense that he use a phonetic system OF THAT LANGUAGE to help its readers learn to sound out the strange or alien word in a way that closely matches how it is pronounced in its original language. If the alien word uses sounds not normally used by in that speaker's language, then you add phonetic symbols to THAT PARTICULAR PHONETIC SYSTEM to represent that sound, instead of attempting to create a whole new phonetic system which everyone now has to learn. Curiously, the Wikipedia article doesn't even include an IPA pronunciation guide for "aedile". ...But, if it did, it would be useless to me (unless I took the time to learn it). I'm sure the Latin term "aedile" (as well as the name "Pompey") has sounds well represented by English phonetics.
Cicero was anything but a person to be emulated or honored in memory. Michael Parenti goes into depth about Cicero in The Assassination of Julius Caesar
-6:10 the Jesuit aren't teaching Latin any more, fuck, the Jesuits! as a 8 year jesuit taught student (hs and ug) I've had some good and some bad, but never one that doesn't want to teach me Latin. smh seattle
This was great. Every School should study Cicero. A pillar of our civilisation.
Indeed
Cicero is good for rhetoric - otherwise his politics were hella sus. Have you actually read his speeches or letters??
I am a Student from Germany, and I have Latin as a school subject. A few weeks ago we translated some parts of "Pro Marcello" and 'ad familares". It's really fun, especially because we have a very high educated teacher, and latin is currently my favourite subject
I really wish more people would talk about Cicero's career. The man's life is the example of selfless courage and true patriotism to one's country. So many people could learn from his example.
excellent talk as always, interesting to hear that our modern education system deliberately moved away from teaching people how to think. I look forward to your next upload!
+grazzitdvram A very important point. We do need to learn to think, as well as learning facts and gaining skills. He may have reiterated Plato's idea of creating a perfect republic based on selection of the best minds to govern it. Something a bit like this was tried. Over a thousand years ago, China started introducing its system of exams based on Confucian philosophy. The idea was to create not philosopher-kings, because the monarchy was above and outside the civil service, but an upper class of wise, cultivated philosopher-bureaucrats, which men-and for a very brief time, women-could enter through competitive exams. At first, the increase in education was a boon. But the exam system ended up so dominating Chinese intellectual life that they lost the ability to think for themselves. It's possible to be taught how to NOT think.
+grazzitdvram more importantly, it was an educational system that focused on enriching the character of a freethinking individual. Instead of that, we've got an individualized education that teaches people the skills and knowledge that will "get them ahead." The problem isn't that private companies are buying drugs and jacking the price up--the problem is that individuals would even want to do that! We think of character as being obsolete, and we think of language facility--perhaps even language itself--as being obsolete. As long as you've got the skills, the info, and the right system in place, all that character-stuff can be enjoyed in your free time.
Grazz. Feelings only count now, thinking is discouraged because emotional people are more easily brainwashed.
Dear Cicero will keep you from harm, sweet mother, forever, and always...
Just finished Robert Harris' trilogy on Cicero. Enjoyed it, and am browsing related UA-cam vids, including this one.
me too :)
Me three
I've read the first two and I'm doing the same while I await the arrival of the last one
I learned a lot, this prof. Makes the philosophy liveable! Thank you Dr.Cecill
I didn't think I'd enjoy this as much as I did. I've always seen Cicero as a character in caesar and octavian's story. Very compelling
Wonderful lecture. I am very grateful for this summary.
Great job Wes. I learned lots and liked the way you compared and contrasted Cicero's time with ours. I really appreciate having this information that was not available to me when I was a student and before there was an internet to broadcast it. I appreciate the way you deliver the lectures; I haven't bailed out of one before the end :) Please keep them coming.
Def one of my fav Wes lectures…!!!!!
I totally agree with this excellent talk. Thanks for such an eye-opener!! Let's wake up people!
Cicero's finest hour at the fall of the Republic makes an excellent story.
Joy has been brought unto me once again, through the thoughtfulness of sharing this lecture. Great sound, and clear speech, hope it brings joy to many more.
John Stockwell , ex- CIA officer and whistle blower with America in Central America, the Congo and Vietnam.
Smedley Butler's , "War is A Racket." World War 1...
American heroes expertise for being becoming ware of our justice system in America .
Thank you!
I am trying to listen to every single lecture. Great style of teaching
another quality hour, as usual, thank you
I was led here by Cicero's fifth mistake. This was a really interesting lecture and I look forward to listening to your other works.
Hi Professor Cecil, thank you for making your talks available. I did study Cicero in Latin class, but we never went past a narrow slice of the Catiline Conspiracy orations graded into second year high school Latin. ;)
I cannot thank you enough for your lecture series. They are absolutely fantastic. I'd wish for you to be given a History Channel TV deal to get these to a wider audience, but then you would have to talk about Roman aliens and Bigfoot sighting hidden in Kant or something... But truly, I've found everything you've done not just entertaining and informative but also very inspiring. Thanks again.
Marcus Tullicus Cicero. orator, statesmen, and writer, was born at the old Italian town, Arpinum, 106 b.c. In boyhood, he went to Rome and was put thorough and wide course to be an orator. Among the time of the Romans was that of the calling of an orator, what we would be that of a lawyer and a politician, the orator pleading law cases before the bar and speaking on political questions in the Senate, thus requiring a knowledge of most everything. IN 76 b.c., he held an appointment in Sicily when he became popular with all knowledge of almost everything.
Orations against Catiline.
His essays on Old Age, On Friendship, and The Whole Duty of Man (de officilis) are most pleasant readings.
Said Erasmus, "I feel better for reading Cicero."
How are we doing now on December 28th, 2023 ?
Messy, I reiterate .
The unraveling of the American Empire is concrete in insane thinking of greedy powers hitting now.
Intolerable cruelty among our elites with no vision for "We the People" throughout the world.
What is love? The next question is, "Who are we?"
🙏❤️🌎🌿🕊🎵🎶🎵
powerful talk. i am an educator and historian and artist and i had never heard of him until now when i came across his name and work thru an astrological article. thanks so much.
Most humble apologies, but Being a historian... and not knowing this individual, is quite shamefull.
Good you got around tho.
Topeka State Hospital
It is documented fact that History, in the US was rewritten by those hired and taught thru Rockefeller and Carnegie selected and funded private institutions to create good automatons, the world (oligarchy)does not require intelligent humans. Public school and society have given up philosophy, and historical fact thanks to the same funders and ignorant citizens somehow believing that a wasteful idiocracy full of thieves liars and jagaloons can somehow spend their money and teach their child better then they can. The ignorant belief that what children get in public school is education, or much more then inadeqaute at best is rather pitiful. Philosophy imho is key to being happy healthy well rounded and self empowered, learning from past knowledge makes life much less difficult.
John Stockwell Major Smedley Butler you probably never heard of him because you don't listen.
A historian who never heard of Cicero? 😢
Awesome and very eye opening (or rather ear-opening) lecture. I especially liked the part about the purposes of education.
Gracius! How can the life of any man be summed up within an hour? How can the life of a freethinker be summed up in a day? How can Cicero's life be put into any book? Of course it can't but I'm grateful for the very little that we do have about Cicero and the part he played on the World's Stage. Thanks for sharing a little wisdom with us.
Thank you for all the work you put into these series and thank you for sharing.
Amazing talk.. thought provoking as usual.. been a fan of your lectures.. Keep posting and sharing.. Thank you!
Fascinating talk, creaking and tapping aside.
+2cents I know! Wes, brother, put your recording device somewhere other than the easel! But thanks for your interesting lectures. I enjoy them.
Algernon D'Ammassa I have a real issue with this type of crap. I've told some UA-cam uploaders to upgrade their recording equipment for professional quality sound, or at least eliminate the god awful noises... Beggars can't be choosers but hey I care.
The noise aint all that bad!
Don't forget coughing and page turning lol
Thank you professor for the lecture!
23:32 to 25:07
Incredibly profound. Really resonating with me right now...
"The first goal of education is to train you, to train the student, for self-care. You must learn how to care for yourself, because if you are strong and healthy and focused and knowing of yourself and your own capacities, then everything else can follow. If you're not, then nothing else can follow. So, the focus was continually on self-development! Develop your reason so you can think clearly. Develop your will so you can control the things that would overthrow your reason. Bring what's inside of you, if there's a good providence then you are good and whats inside of you is good, bring it out to fruition!
That will make the best possible person and in a system where we elect people to offices, then we have good people to elect. Time and again he says "Look, if you have rotten people and you elect them to office, it doesn't matter what system you're in." Conversely, he says, he admits, "if you could guarantee that only the best people would be Kings then a kingship would be fine... this wouldn't be a problem!" But, we know that's not what happens.
So, education needs not to focus on learning careers, or facts, or any set of skills; education needs a center on developing the person to be as strong and grounded as possible."
And yet here we are today with an education system that pigeonholes us into one craft and teaches us as little as possible about the world. Its effectively the same system used in Greece to teach slaves.
Awesome class! Thank you so much 🙏
Very interesting and informative background about Cicero and his influence on modern education and politics.
Amazing as always! Thanks for your great work once again!
One of my Classics professors, teaching Sappho's poetry, said "I would trade all of Cicero for the rest of this poem"
The moon has set. And the Pleiades. It is midnight and time passes. And I lie alone..
@@rleague1620 Yes indeed!
Cicero--
kickin!
Knowledgeable and descriptive.
the "training yourself to be a slave" line slapped me upside the head
I read the historical novel, "A Pillar of Iron" by Taylor Caldwell, around three to four decades ago and gained an appreciation for Cicero. Numerous quotes by Cicero are interspersed throughout that novel, which made me appreciate his wisdom and courage. When I went to high school back in the 60s, my school was still teaching Latin. However, I chose to study one of its offshoots, Spanish. I have several times in later years wished that I had taken those Latin classes though. I became interested in Greek and Roman history in my late 20s, and many times wish I could have read the classical works of those civilizations in their original tongues. I enjoyed your presentation.
The Cambrige Latin series of 4 books plus CD's while pricey is an excellent course in Latin for those who cannot go to University to study Latin. Latin is wonderful because it is so difficult but the Cambridge series carries you along smoothly and it was written by people who love Latin and who want to spread the joy.
Thanks for the info. I see that Amazon has some used books for sale. I'm 68. Don't know if I want to take on that task though at this point in my life.
Tim McCrory I am 70 and I am studying Japanese and Mandarin. Some journeys will not end.
Hey, good luck on those pursuits. I may give it some thought again. I worry about how long it would take to become proficient enough to be able to read ancient texts well enough to be able to enjoy and retain that information. Won't know unless I try though.
Tim McCrory. I took Latin and read Taylor Caldwell's book also.
Ever consider R. Buckminster Fuller as almost forgotten? The challenge is to hack in to his Synergetics to some significant degree (which I claim to have done) as we've already seen a lot of "hagiography" (as Applewhite called it). BTW, Walter Kaufmann was one of my philo profs at Princeton and I was gratified to find you including him. I have stories to tell there too. Thanks for so many really interesting lectures. I have many still to go, and am glad of that. I even re-listen. Wittgenstein is another philo guy I'm really keen on.
I think the reason Cicero has been relatively forgotten is that his ideas have become a core part of education and overtime turned into common sense and obvious. Of course this happened after many mistakes and if he was listened to from the get go, it would have been much better. But, his ideas have become axiomatic to the later philosophers and people who do philosophy..etc
He's forgotten because the education system has been intentionally retarded in order to breed an ignorant generation of citizens as to exploit them.
Correction, around 38:20. "It is their right. It is their duty..."
thanks for sharing I enjoyed your lecture
I enjoyed it very much too.
Don't lose your head!
"Reflection, Character, Judgement" these are the things that make us great - Cicero"You rise and fall by your merits" -Cicero"Insisting that a things is impossible just because we can't imagin it" -Cicero
"If you have rotten people and you elect them into office - its doesn't matter what (political) system you are in."Cicero
Great Lecture... We need more of this and less Monday night football and less American Idol...
Keep football take american idol bro
Great talk. Thank you
Our definition of "happiness" today is very different than how our founding fathers would have used this word. It would be much closer to Aristotle's "eudaemonia".
Thank you so much! You were able to make a lively and easy to follow lecture! Just subscribed :)
Great Job, it was very interesting and enjoyable.
This is awesome. Subscribed.
Hello Professor,
I've been a fan for a few years now. Fantastic talk as always. I was wondering if you happened to have a syllabus for these upcoming lectures? I was also wondering if you could share how you began to shape this series into something thematically manageable? The surprise of each new piece is alway fun, but the the qualifier of "forgotten" thinkers lends a wide net. Robert Musil? A.N. Whitehead? Isaiah Berlin? E.M. Cioran? Henri Bergson? Hell, to varying degrees of extent, anyone from Diderot to Thomas Kuhn has be written off academically, let alone in the culture zeitgeist. Again, thank you very much for all of your lectures.
Hi there, excellent job, excellent material! I recommend you to upload the book written by Taylor Cadwell ´´ a pillar of Iron ´´I would be more than glad to listen to its audio or a narration by you, thanks again I look forward to it.
Thanks for posting
Great video! Very informative. i have a question: Im guessing John Locke derived his idea of "right to life liberty and property" from Cicero. Could we reasonably conclude that Jefferson changed this to pursuit of happiness because of Epicurus?
Yes.
I wish conservative leaders like Cruz would give more credit to where it's due instead of to his superstitions.
+stop immigration
His biblical premises are all based in superstition. His metaphysical, epistemological, moral and political premises are all based in superstitions.
Everything from God made the universe and the world, which Ted knows by faith, so he works as a servant to please God, as we all should, because we, and our rights, come from Him, to the divine creation of America by Christians for Christians.
Superstitions all.
+stop immigration
There is nothing, not a scrap of biblical foundation to this nation's Founding.
Believing that is superstitious garbage.
Cruz is a pragmatist, conflating the moral with the political. He wouldn't think twice about violating your rights for political ends.
+TCBeads Wrong, read the first amendment. Also, read the Declaration of Independence. God is mentioned or alluded to several times. Further, the Pilgrims would not have survived if not for two major reasons: 1. Friendly native Americans who enabled the healthiest survive 2. their strong religious conviction and organization. Then the Puritans who followed the Pilgrims prospered due to their unwavering commitment to their faith and their superb organizational skills. To make statements as "There is nothing, not a scrap of biblical to this nation's founding" ignores the truth and is a false assertion.
+BIRISHPM
Another one who doesn't know the difference (or context) between the Preamble and First Ammendment.
And it votes.
Once you hear the lectern wood creaking, you can’t unhear it..
Thank you kindly.
19:30
''we have seen the ENEMY & it is us.''
Thanks, enjoyed this!
Excellent talk and choice for first in the series. The reason that Cicero and others like him are forgotten is because everything deeply European is now disprivileged in academia, and indeed all levels of our culture. Things that are thought of as essentially "White" are ostracized, demonized or ignored, and everything exotic is elevated - thus even the Jesuits reject Latin and teach Buddhism. The level of self-hatred in , ironically, European institutions, or anti-European hate in general (and I mean native European, not this hideous, hostile, alien, multicult slop that is the attempted rebranding of "European") , is pathological and loathsome. I can , however, see a profound backlash emerging contra this hatred of the European, and that is encouraging.
fourtwenty fourseven He is right though, and telling him to go back to the site pushing this anti European mindset shows everyone where you are at.
FarFromEquilibrium
beautifully argued
Fact that you typed up this bullshit while listening to an academic lecture video about Cicero happening in college displays a lack of awareness that would be otherwise quite astonishing if it weren’t so damn common on UA-cam... Everybody with a English, Journalism, History and other such humanities degrees have sat thru these kinds of lectures. You should actually go to college and better yourself instead of repeating hackneyed nonsense you read online.
FarFromEquilibrium It isn't "European" nor "White" that is hated. What is hated are the things that attributed to European whites (slavery, racism, male whit privilege, mysogeny, etc.) The reason they might be attributed to White Europeans is the amount of information in languages we readily understand that elaborates these traits. (The Chinese and Africans also have these attributes though we do not have the barrage of info...) Dude self loathing is not a survival technique.
But I want to know about both Cicero AND Buddhism. Cicero also said only INDIVIDUALS can find the truth, when you call yourself a "European classicist" or simplify other people and call them "Exoticist" its no longer what about what is true (your individuality), but about tribal integrity.
Can you recommend some good books on his philosophy? I don't know Latin, otherwise this would be a much stupider question.
De Officiis is a solid piece also Tusculan disputations
I always loved the name of his daughter, Tullia. If I ever have one, that’s what I’ll name her :)
He’s a great thinker, although I think his hatred for the poor probably encouraged him to say that mob rule is the absolute worst of all three systems
Sounds like a cool dude.
this series is making me want to go back to school to study philosophy
A: "Superstition really is nonsense."
B: "Oh really? Whatever."
A: "In that case … The Birds Have Told Me That You Should Give Me A Sack Of Slaves, or at least some gold, and while you're at it some politics too."
B: "Oh, we need not anger the spirits of the birds, have this gold_sack etc…"
A: "Thanks :) But do you finally see the problem here?"
B: "What problem?"
A: "Well …"
Repeat Infinitum.
Thank you
Great lecture!
It's interesting because the Cicero worldview is so much at odds against the zeitgeist of our universities today.
Can someone please upload a link of the script so I can reference it in my history research task/?
John Smith - Click the link below Subscribe ...More and you will see the link for transcript. Copy and paste. Be aware google analytics for voice recognition will require much editing.
Thanks great help!!
I never learned about this man when I went to school and it is fucking shame.
Even the Catholic Church, by far the largest influential body in Europe, on the whole, from Cicero's time to our own, has largely discarded Latin. I imagine you will only see a further decline of Latin if the force responsible for maintaining Latin for over a millennium, the Catholic Church, no longer regards it with the sanctity it once did seems to have no more real use for it.
it didn't exist in Cicero's time
My Latin class also did not even hint at Cicero's contribution to our political system. Frankly, I was quite unispired to read more about him. Virgil came across as more interesting due to his eccentricity!
Ave Cicero magnus
But i would rather if current politics would be given a miss during these lectures. Especially when talking about one of the empyrical philosophers.
I wonder how Cicero would have argued the point about owing slaves and personal freedom if someone said he was being logically inconsistent?
Those ancient stoics and philosophers generally tried to be good with their slaves and free as many as they could, but you have to understand that in the ancient world around 40 % of the poblation were slaves. Abolishing it was not seen as something possible. From what I've read in De Officis, Cicero didn't like it, but it was part of life and slaves needed to perform their duties like everyone else. .
legal. mesmo nome que o meu
Interesting.
Professor Cecil should be the president of the United States of America.
27:55 Why study Cicero (in late middle ages), today's teaching textbooks....wanting...
Romans took their philosophy from Greeks. They took a lot of ideas from Phoenicians and Erustacans( native to north Italy). But wherentey excelled above all else in ancient world were organising themselves, codifying the laws and introducing representational government. They were geniuses.
Thanks!
Slaves during the roman republic could eventually become citizens, and their children were automatically citizens. Slaves had committed crimes, attacked Rome, or were debt slaves so their period of servitude was "community service" for having sinned against the community it seems.
Cicero was a brilliant politician
Forgotten? By whom? Americans?! Fuck them. But great lecture. Can't wait to hear the others. But it's late already. Thanks to Wesley Cecil!
Awsome
Arendt next, pretty please.
Chi Chi Ro in Latin pronunciation.
"Causarum est Conflictio in qua CONSTITUTIO constat" :"Of many causes is The Conflict in which The Constitution consists of."? How timeless is this Roman writer and thinker, when even now, the debate over our very own U.S. Constitution may be entering another critical crisis in its 200 year existence....
11:35
He didn't invent 'humanitas', although the formulations, possibly, belonged to him - the indian caste system is composed of three basic classes, two of which were brahmani and humani, top and bottom, respectively ;)
This was a good lecture, all but the promises of "I'll get to that later." He never did.
MRGABEMILES typical professor
Lost me at 13:20 "French Revolution demonstrated that mob rule was bad."
Silly ignorant remark.
It's pronounced "Pompee". "Pompay" is the town (Pompeii).
Or how about "AY-dial" for aedile. ..."ay-DEE-lay" or "eye-DEE-leh" would be better.
+MrJm323 -- Ever heard of IPA? It's quite useful and unambiguous.
Yes, Rainbow, I've heard of the International Phonetic Alphabet. You sometimes see it used at Wikipedia.
No, I think it is quite useless -- like the artificial European language of Esperanto. The purpose of phonetic spelling is to put a foreign or unusual word into an alphabetical-symbolic form that the intended reader can easily recognize, which is to say, into a form the reader is already familiar with, so that he can understand how to pronounce it. ...So, what is the point in creating yet another phonetic system which NO ONE was taught as a child -- another one to learn.
The English Wikipedia should use conventional English phonetics; the French Wikipedia should use a French phonetic system to describe the sound of the alien or unusual term so that ordinary French people can easily understand how it is pronounced properly, worldwide. ...I mean, the author of any particular Wikipedia article has to decide what language the article will be written in, doesn't he? Since he has to commit to a particular language for that article, it makes sense that he use a phonetic system OF THAT LANGUAGE to help its readers learn to sound out the strange or alien word in a way that closely matches how it is pronounced in its original language.
If the alien word uses sounds not normally used by in that speaker's language, then you add phonetic symbols to THAT PARTICULAR PHONETIC SYSTEM to represent that sound, instead of attempting to create a whole new phonetic system which everyone now has to learn.
Curiously, the Wikipedia article doesn't even include an IPA pronunciation guide for "aedile". ...But, if it did, it would be useless to me (unless I took the time to learn it). I'm sure the Latin term "aedile" (as well as the name "Pompey") has sounds well represented by English phonetics.
Kosmos de Kosmopoliet it would be yulius. I became J in the Middle Ages. The original would have been Iulius Caesar.
@Kosmos de Kosmopoliet Not Jew. Yule. ;)
apologies.........'hard going'...
The bust is a fairly obvious forgery. The real question is why gifted artists like Tony Tetro would rather endorse inferior or non existent product.
had to stop because of the noise
If Cicero was so anti-dictator, how was his teachings so dominant in Rome? Seems like a Caesar or twelve would have banned him.
Mac Smith well he was executed
Which is what happened :). He was also kicked out of Rome, twice. Came back, was executed.
Cicero forgotten??? Since when?
Cicero was anything but a person to be emulated or honored in memory. Michael Parenti goes into depth about Cicero in The Assassination of Julius Caesar
r/ClassicalEducation bring anyone else here?
-kick-KEY-row
I am his relative of blood.
More about Cicero and less verbiage of your social criticism would be helpful. He was a tremendous statesman but not much of a philosopher.
kick a roo mate
-6:10 the Jesuit aren't teaching Latin any more, fuck, the Jesuits!
as a 8 year jesuit taught student (hs and ug) I've had some good and some bad, but never one that doesn't want to teach me Latin. smh seattle
Truthful, yet you minimize, the literature.
+ARCHAIC SYMBOLISM love you bro..=)
ARCHAIC SYMBOLISM
Minimize the literature? Should we breath, eat, sleep for you as well? Clearly you need to read something.