Institute for Research in the Humanities

The Ciceronian Tradition in Political Theory

This is a purple book cover. The white text reads The Ciceronian Tradition in Political Theory. Edited by Daniel J. Kapust  and Gary Remer
Kapust (Co-editor), D. J., and G. Remer (Co-editor). The Ciceronian Tradition in Political Theory. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press, 2021.

IRH Fellow:

Daniel J. Kapust (Senior Fellow, 2019-2023)

Synopsis:

Cicero is one of the most influential thinkers in the history of Western political thought, and interest in his work has been undergoing a renaissance in recent years. The Ciceronian Tradition in Political Theory focuses entirely on Cicero’s influence and reception in the realm of political thought. Individual chapters examine the ways thinkers throughout history, specifically Augustine, John of Salisbury, Thomas More, Machiavelli, Montaigne, Hobbes, Locke, Adam Smith, and Edmund Burke, have engaged with and been influenced by Cicero. A final chapter surveys the impact of Cicero’s ideas on political thought in the second half of the twentieth century. By tracing the long reception of these ideas, the collection demonstrates not only Cicero’s importance to both medieval and modern political theorists but the comprehensive breadth and applicability of his philosophy.