Tusculanae disputationes

Tusculanae Disputationes is the title of five books of the Roman orator Cicero and philosophers. This she wrote in the second half of the year 45 BC and dedicated it to Marcus Junius Brutus. The title is usually translated as German "Conversations in Tusculum ".

The Tusculanae Disputationes are in form discussions. A fictitious student asks in every book on a main thesis. A fictional teacher, in which one can suspect Cicero, refuted the thesis throughout the book. In the first book, for example, is the thesis of the student " Death seems to be an evil to me."

The "Conversations in Tusculum " complete the considerations of Cicero in De finibus bonorum et malorum. In De finibus Cicero wants to show the criteria by which the correctness of an action must be weighed. He tries to portray that the virtuous, that is ethically correct action for " happiness " or passed on " bliss ".

In the first two talks in Tusculum, Cicero makes clear, however, that death and pain are not able to ruin this achieved through good deeds happiness. Describe Book III and IV, and that such passions or emotions to overcome. Book V is thematically linked again to De finibus: Evidence goal is to glückskonstituierende power of good actions, pointed to the thesis that the perfectly virtuous manner even under torture was still happy. Cicero is here perhaps more than in De finibus out to prove that this " happiness" can also be felt.

The teacher in the " Tuskulanen " advocates to view the life of the virtuous as a happy life. "Virtue " translated from the Latin virtus and the Greek ἀρετή ( Areté ), which translates as " goodness " or " excellence " is. The virtuous man is he who is best suited to its purpose as a human being. The question of what this destiny of man is is, again to clarify philosophical. In connection with the Stoic doctrine but also the Greek καλόν ( Kalón ), which Cicero transfers with the word honestum into Latin as "virtue " translated. In a first καλόν meaning is " beautiful", for the Stoics, therefore, the virtue proper action the beautiful act.

Cicero's work, the clashes of various former schools of philosophy reflects. In the " talks in Tusculum " he holds it with the Stoics. Cicero takes the strict ethical standards and the contempt of external things. It feels like the Stoic school that philosophy can heal the soul. "Soul" Cicero says in contrast to the Stoics not only the reason of man. Thus the soul is to influence not only on the rationality. As an orator Cicero is aware of the emotional power of feelings and emotions. Skillful speech technology, ie rhetoric, is a preferred means for influencing mental states.

Text editions and translations

• Michelangelo Giusta (ed.): Tusculanae Disputationes, Paravia, Turin 1984 (Text Critical Edition ).
• Cicero: Tusculanae Disputationes / Conversations in Tusculum. Latin / German. Edited and trans. Ernst A. Kirfel. Reclam, Stuttgart 2008, ISBN 3-15-005028-6.
• Cicero: Conversations in Tusculum. Tusculanae Disputationes. Latin - German. Edited by Olof Gigon. Artemis & Winkler, Dusseldorf / Zurich 1998, ISBN 3-7608-1523-5.