On Duties: Structure and Purpose

In the tumult of the late Roman Republic, Cicero rose to greatness and glory. Today, Rabbi Rocklin will address the following questions:

1. Why is Cicero considered so important among the great Roman orators?
2. How does Cicero frame the liberal arts to make them appeal to the Roman concerned with valor?
3. According to Cicero, why should we do the right thing?

Recommended Reading: Cicero. Cicero's Political Speeches. Translated with Introductions and Notes by D.H. Berry. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.

Cicero. Selected Works. Translated by Michael Grant. New York: Penguin Classics, 1960.