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William H. F. Altman, "The Revival of Platonism in Cicero's Late Philosophy: Platonis Aemulus and the Invention of Cicero" (Lexington Books, 2016)

Sep 30, 2025
William H. F. Altman, a professor and scholar of ancient philosophy, dives into Cicero's rich legacy and his revival of Platonism. He discusses Cicero’s complex character and political strategies during the turbulent Late Roman Republic. Altman emphasizes the significance of Cicero's lost works, particularly its influence on Augustine. He also explores how personal tragedies shaped Cicero's writings, making a compelling case for Cicero's continuing relevance against modern threats to democracy.
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ANECDOTE

How Altman Found Cicero

  • William H. F. Altman discovered Cicero while creating a ninth-grade curriculum called Three Democracies during the Reagan era. He read Cicero deeply in the early 1980s and taught him to teenagers, which launched his long engagement with Cicero's work.
INSIGHT

Republic In Crisis Before Cicero

  • The late Roman Republic was already sick before Cicero's career, making his defense an effort to preserve a fragile system. Cicero acted within a crisis where military strongmen and social tensions threatened republican norms.
ANECDOTE

Cicero's Rapid Political Rise

  • Altman recounts Cicero's rapid climb through the cursus honorum reaching the consulship at age 43. He gives mnemonic tricks (43, 31, 37, 40) he used teaching to help students remember Cicero's offices and dates.
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