In 45 BC, amid the turmoil of the Roman Civil War, Cicero wrote one of philosophy's most important works on the meaning of life. This episode unpacks Book I of "On Ends," exploring the clash between Epicurean pleasure-seeking and Stoic virtue.
(01:14) Meeting Cicero
(06:18) Latin over Greek
(11:40) On Ends Core Debates
(16:03) Cicero attacks
(20:44) Why Pleasure isn't Everything
(27:28) The Epicurean Response
(31:29) Must Virtue Produce Something More?
(46:53) The Epicurean View of Community
(53:38) The Epicurean sage
***
Download the Stoa app (it's a free download): https://stoameditation.com/pod
If you try the Stoa app and find it useful, but truly cannot afford it, email us and we'll set you up with a free account.
Listen to more episodes and learn more here: https://stoameditation.com/blog/stoa-conversations/
Thanks to Michael Levy for graciously letting us use his music in the conversations: https://ancientlyre.com/
Share this post