The present study centers on the distinctive characteristics of Cicero’s philosophical training; for the first time in a volume, the Roman philosopher’s relationship with Epicurean philosophy is accurately recreated. Not only does Cicero exhibit his lofty philosophical proficiency anchored in the Academic school, but he also proves an excellent authority in Epicurus’s proposed philosophy.
At the conclusion of the research, Cicero will prove to be a fierce opponent of Epicureanism – an intelligent adversary, capable of ‘studiose dicere contra Epicurum’: understanding and criticizing, but also (and this is surely quite important for us today), reiterating the opposing party’s thought with great acumen.